Three Bermudian students have been given a major financial boost thanks to the company their parents work for.

Kaelin Cox, Tomas Amaral and Kiara Wilkinson all received educational awards of $3,333.33 as a result of the Stevedoring Services Limited Education Award (SSLEA).

The awards are given out every year and designed to help the children of employees to further their education either in Bermuda or abroad.

Mr Amaral, 19, whose mother Linda Amaral is the firm’s financial controller, has just completed the second year of a LLB law degree at the University of Kent in England.

He said: “This award really eases the financial burden on me. Being in the UK is not cheap, just travelling back to study is quite expensive.

“The award will really help as I work towards completing my third year and then taking my LPC to hopefully become a commercial solicitor.”

Ms Wilkinson is the daughter of docks’ supervisor Kimothy Wilkinson and has been a recipient of an SSLEA for the past two years.

She graduated from Kingston University in London this summer obtaining a bachelors of science in criminology. The 20-year-old will begin a graduate diploma in law at BPP University London in September.

“In the first year the award really helped with the flights and all the books I needed to buy,” she said.

“Last year most of the money I received went on my tuition fees as well as my accommodation, while this coming year it will go towards my tuition again.

“It makes a big difference to me and I am very appreciative of the award.”

Mr Cox, whose father Roderick works for Stevedoring Services, was a recipient of a SSLEA in 2014.

The 19-year-old is attending Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and entering the second year of a degree in criminology. He told The Royal Gazette: “This award means a great deal to me and will help me a lot in the long run. Every little helps when you are a student and I very much appreciate this significant financial contribution that I have been provided with to continue my studies.”

The total SSLEA is $10,000 and it is presented annually either in whole or part, to a single or multiple persons.

The Human Resource and Compensation Committee of the Stevedoring Services Limited Board of Directors are responsible for reviewing and awarding the SSLEA.

Successful applicants have to be: between 18 and 25, Bermudian and the child of a current Stevedoring Services employee.

Warren Jones, CEO of Polaris Holding Company Ltd, which runs Stevedoring Services, added: “We are pleased to be able to contribute in some small way to the lives of our employees.

“The educational award is a way that we can tangibly show our staff that we care for them beyond what they do for us on a workday.

“We understand that they all lead complex lives and have commitments to meet. We value them and are thankful that we can offer our support in this way”.