The Tribune

Disney Cruise Line has awarded scholarships to four Bahamian female cadets to attend the LJM Maritime Academy in Nassau.

The scholarships, one for each of the ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, include two years of study at LJM Maritime Academy and one year of service aboard one of its vessels.

“We’re proud to have women in prominent leadership roles across our fleet,” said Yvonne Sweeney, Disney Cruise Line’s vice-president of human resources. “Disney Cruise Line is committed to inspiring future female leaders in the maritime industry, and this scholarship programme is one of many ways we’re delivering on this. It’s truly an honour to recognise these talented young women and make their dreams a reality.”

The following cadets were selected based on a criteria of academic excellence together with their goals of becoming ship captains and vessel leaders:

• Christina Adderley grew up watching the cruise ships in the harbour on Eleuthera. She hopes to work as a marine engineer, adding that the scholarship has “catapulted a little island girl into the city … and beyond”.

• Emily Bain became interested in the maritime industry as a teenager. She looks forward to a career as an officer in the bridge room because it is “a portal into the next dimension where critical thinking and the impossible take place”.

• Paula Greene, from Grand Bahama, hopes to work in the deck department as a marine pilot.

• Antoinique Lightbourn, of New Providence, also hopes to work in the deck department where she can contribute to the navigational safety and integrity of a ship.

The LJM Maritime Academy has worked to provide professional-level training to future maritime professionals in The Bahamas since its inception in 2014.

“Our purpose is to help cadets create meaningful paths in the maritime industry, shaping the future of both the industry and our country,” said Dr Brenda Cleare, the Academy’s president. “We’re grateful to Disney for their continued support of the academy, and for providing scholarships to these remarkable young women. We’re so proud of these cadets and are excited to see where the future takes them.”

The scholarship programme is one of several initiatives Disney Cruise Line has implemented. As part of an ongoing relationship, it last summer sponsored LJM Maritime Academy’s camp programme, giving more than 40 Bahamian students the chance to learn more about the local and global maritime industry and its career opportunities.

Disney Cruise Line also recently announced it had entered into an agreement with the Access Accelerator Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) and the Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce to prepare start-ups and small businesses for participation in development projects underway in central and south Eleuthera, including its Lighthouse Point project. Disney is providing more than $1m to fund the initiative over three years.

The cruise line estimated that its operations contribute more than $70m annually towards Bahamian gross domestic product (GDP), with 75 percent of its cruises stopping at least once in this nation.