by TRACY MOORE

THE ROTARY CLUB OF BARBADOS WEST recently assisted in making Shari Maloney's dream come true.

The 18-year-old student of the University of the West Indies (UWI) received a $15 000 scholarship cheque yesterday morning at the office of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport on Constitution Road, St Michael.

Maloney is studying to be a teacher, with emphasis on special children. The emotional teenager who had tears streaming down her cheeks when she received the grant, said she was very grateful for the assistance as teaching had always been her dream.

"I will be looking at special education because I would like to see more disabled persons, educated [like] we able-bodied are educated at school because I think that they have the potential."

The scholarship will fund her entire three years of study at UWI.

Joe Steinbok, chairman, Scholarship Committee, said they chose the youngster because she embodied all that they were looking for.

"What made Shari stand out for us was a number of things. First, we were impressed that Shari came from a background of two visually-impaired parents and she was still able to deal with all of the difficulties that put on a household to achieve her goals," he said.

Maloney's parents, Elviston and Constance Maloney, said they were very proud of their daughter.

The Rotary Club of Barbados West teamed up with Sandy Lane and Diamonds International to raise the funds for the annual scholarship through a golf tournament. Maloney is the fifth winner.