Sheldon Shepherd is "Humbled and Inspired" After Winning Central Bank Scholarship

Sheldon Shepherd, a final year Economics and Finance student at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, is the 2017 Roland Craigwell Memorial Scholar. The Central Bank of Barbados-offered scholarship provides a $8,000 cash prize and a three-month internship at the organisation.

“I never had a chance to meet Roland Craigwell, but from hearing some of the stories about him and from reading some of his papers – the contribution he made to not only Barbados but also the Caribbean as a whole, it’s very humbling to win a scholarship in his name. It’s very humbling and very inspiring at the same time,” the 26-year old scholarship winner said while discussing the award. “To win something like this makes me feel good and is a validation of the hard work I had to put in in the past three years.”

The former Louis Lynch Secondary student admitted that initially his dream had been to be an accountant, but that when Louis Lynch closed and he transferred to Harrison College, his Accounts teacher there, Kelly Ward, introduced the class to the market demand and supply model, which kindled his interest in economics.

He also credits the education he received while studying at the Barbados Community College (BCC) and in particular the tutelage of Margaret Scott-Thompson for setting him on his current path. “Sitting in Ms. Scott-Thompson’s Intro to Micro [Microeconomics] class, I started to blossom… that’s where my foundation really began.”

After graduating from the Barbados Community College, Shepherd worked for four years before applying to university. His intention when he did register was to pursue a degree in Banking and Finance, but an oversight in his application forced him to have to redo some of the Economics courses he had previously done at BCC. It was while retaking introductory courses in micro- and macroeconomics that he was reminded of his love for the field. He switched his major to Economics and Finance, a programme that had only recently been introduced.

Shepherd was full of praise for the faculty of the Economics Department at UWI, Cave Hill. He identified Anderson “Ras” Elcock, Dr. Troy Lorde, Dr. Michael Brei, Dr. Clyde Mascoll, and  Professor Nlandu Mamingi - whom he called “the godfather of econometrics” - by name, but revealed that all his lecturers were approachable and willing to help, even with queries related to courses they did not teach.

After three years of intense study, Shepherd is even more passionate about economics. He is now looking forward to his stint this summer at the Central Bank. “I think the internship is going to give me a practical application of the theory I have been taught and will help me to grow as a budding economist.” In the long term, he wants to have a career in International Finance for Development. “I’m looking to see how developing our local capital markets can help develop not only Barbados but the Caribbean region.”

The Roland Craigwell Memorial Scholarship is open to second and final year Barbadian students at the UWI, Cave Hill, who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics or a combined degree in Economics and a related discipline. The scholarship has been offered since 1996 and was previously called the Central Bank of Barbados Scholarship.

2017-04-10