A pair of Bermudian university students have been awarded $25,000 scholarships from the Bank of Butterfield.

Maha Clarke received the Sir Harry D Butterfield Undergraduate Scholarship and the Sir A Dudley Spurling Postgraduate Scholarship went to Kai O'Doherty.

“Encouraging talented young Bermudians to dream big and achieve more is a key part of why, for so many years, Butterfield has offered scholarships for post-secondary studies,” Lee Simmons, chairman of Butterfield's scholarship committee, said.

“Through the Sir Harry D Butterfield Undergraduate and Sir A Dudley Spurling Postgraduate Scholarships, we've helped numerous students rise to their potential and inspire success in

others.

“Congratulations to Maha and Kai for being the successful recipients of the 2016 scholarship awards. I look forward to watching them progress through their academic careers.”

Ms Clarke graduated from Warwick Academy this year and is enrolled at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina, where she plans to obtain an undergraduate degree in business and international relations. She then hopes to follow on with their master's programme for a degree in international business before attending law school. Her aim is to carve out a career in the international business area.

Mr O'Doherty, meanwhile, recently obtained his bachelor of arts degree in political science and international development studies from McGill University in Canada.

He is presently enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, where he plans to obtain a master's of science degree in comparative public policy.

Mr O'Doherty has worked closely with the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST) and is a founding member of the human rights organisation The Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda.

He plans to use his degree to work in Bermuda as a social policy advocate and analyst with a focus on human rights issues and the improvement of social services with the hope of leading important, long-lasting, equitable change in Bermuda.

Both scholarships are given out yearly and have an annual value of $25,000. Recipients are selected based on criteria including academic achievement, financial need, character, leadership qualities, civic attainment and involvement and achievements in non-curricular activities, including the arts and sports.