The students joined Gems founder and chairman Sunny Varkey for a ceremony on the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship, which was launched by the Queen herself 53 years ago and is now docked permanently at Port Rashid, Dubai.
The recipients received their trophies, certificates and scholarships after being selected from thousands of entries in the competition that honours the long reign and many qualities of the Queen.
Students were challenged with explaining in essays of no more than 500 words why they also possessed the same merits of dedication to duty, resilience, kindness, and other qualities of the Queen, who died in September this year.
One of the scholarship recipients was 12-year-old Ruslana Khakimova of Gems Founders School – Dubai. Ruslana, who hails from Kazakhstan and runs her own blog called Ruslana Science, said: “This was such a magical, unforgettable evening for us all – it was a privilege to be involved in this amazing tribute to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth … This award gave me new sets of wings and inspired me to strive further and try harder.”
Sunny Varkey said the award was the “perfect way” to pay tribute to the Queen.
“Our educational offering to all our students is anchored to core values as exhibited by The Queen throughout her life and these young scholarship winners have all shown us that they too are blessed with these timeless qualities. It was a pleasure for me to greet them in person and to meet many of their parents, whose support to their children and our schools plays such a pivotal role in these stories of success and achievement.”
Dino Varkey, group chief executive officer, GEMS Education, said Queen Elizabeth II was a role model to many over her 70-year reign. “We can all learn much from her example of selfless dedication to duty, resilience, and kindness towards others.”
Seventy students in the UAE have a won a full year’s tuition after bagging the Platinum Jubilee Scholarship Awards, launched earlier this year to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.
© Khaleej Times
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