Tabia Butterfield is the winner of the fifth annual Christian Thunhurst Award.

The Bermuda Education Network announced Ms Butterfield will receive $6,000 as she begins a master’s degree in civil engineering at Cardiff University in September.

The award honours Christian Thunhurst, a casualty underwriter with Platinum Underwriters and a former chairman of the Under 35s Reinsurance Association, who died suddenly in Bermuda in 2007, age 34.

Mr Thunhurst’s colleagues and friends established the award to assist Bermudian students with the costs of overseas education and to provide ongoing support for their professional careers in Bermuda.

A bursary award of $1,500 was also awarded to Marcus Henschke, an undergraduate at St John’s University in New York.

Both winners were students at the Berkeley Institute and became eligible for the Christian Thunhurst Award through their participation in the BEN Math Springboard programme. Ms Butterfield attended Bermuda College and worked at MarketPlace before embarking on a full-time diploma in civil engineering at Seneca College, Toronto.

Mr Henshke is in his second year of a bachelor’s degree in risk management and insurance at St John’s and hopes to pursue a career as an underwriter or an actuary. Last summer, he worked at Validus insurance in the operations department and was described by the BEN interview committee as an impressive young man with a great future in the insurance industry and a strong commitment to “giving back”.

Becky Ausenda, executive director of BEN, said: “The quality of the candidates this year was outstanding.

“In Tabia’s case, we were really inspired by how hard she has worked to overcome obstacles and realise her dream of qualifying as a civil engineer.

“She is a remarkable young woman whose many achievements include being the first female intern to take part in the Belco student scheme.

“She possesses an infectious enthusiasm and desire to learn, which I think embodies the spirit of this award.

“We are delighted to be able to support both of these promising young people with the next stage of their studies.”

BEN thanked Robert and Aurora Porter for sponsoring the award and Rebecca Axe, Dianne Burgess, Sarah Lusher and Elizabeth Amyoony for contributing to the selection process.