The Tribune

The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) has announced three finalists for its 2014 Financial Services Student of the Year awards.

Candidates were selected from the 2014 Graduating Class of the College of the Bahamas (COB).

They are:

• Aloniqua A. Russell, BBA Accounting

• Jacinta G. Rolle, BBA Accounting

• Tevin R. Bannister, BBA Economics & Finance

Aloniqua Russell graduated from COB with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and is currently employed as an assistant auditor with the Government.

She was the recipient of the 2014 Accounting Award from the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) and Ernst & Young. Aloniqua plans to sit the CPA exams, and afterwards intends to pursue a career

Jacinta Rolle graduated from COB’s northern campus with a BBA in Accounting (Distinction), and currently serves as an associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers Bahamas.

She is studying for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam (CPA). After achieving her CPA, Jacinta plans to obtain a Master’s degree in Accounting with a concentration in Forensic Accounting, and to sit the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam.

Tevin R. Bannister graduated from COB with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance, and currently is employed with Scotiabank (Bahamas).

He was the recipient of the Livingstone Evans Memorial Award in Economics and Finance. He is studying for the Series 7 examination, and intends to pursue graduate studies in the area of Economics and International Relations.

The student award programme is in its 13th year, and is sponsored in collaboration with COB, the Professional Industry Association Working Group and the Central Bank of the Bahamas.

Its objective is to recognise an outstanding graduating student from within COB’s School of Business. This includes all financial services-relevant disciplines – economics, banking and finance, accountancy, computer information systems, marketing and management, and law.

The criterion for initial selection is a GPA of 3.5 or above, with additional criteria also including COB and community involvement, an interview by an industry panel to assess comportment and economic savvy, and a written submission.

The student award programme is a part of BFSB’s Financial Centre Focus (FCF) programme, an ongoing initiative that has as its primary objective the integration of the industry with the wider community.

The award is sponsored by the Association of International Banks & Trust companies in the Bahamas (AIBT), CFAL, and Societe Generale Private Banking (Bahamas).

The 2014 Student of the Year will be announced at BFSB’s Excellence Awards Ceremony on November 14, when BFSB also will present its Lifetime Achievement, Executive of the Year, Professional of the Year, Achiever of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Financial Services Development & Promotion awards.