JDF lieutenant lands Commonwealth scholarship

For the past three years, Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard officer Lieutenant Ricardo Hunter had been working towards a goal of securing a Commonwealth scholarship.

That goal became reality on August 25 when Hunter was officially announced as one of four Commonwealth scholarship recipients for the 2026/27 academic year during a farewell reception hosted by the British High Commission in Kingston.

The other Commonwealth scholarship recipients for 2026 are Jerome Garwood, Lamar-Shey Grant and Emoney Clayton.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hunter said.

“It’s something I had on my vision board. I had it in my five-year plan, but sometimes not everything goes according to plan. But the fact that I had this, I pursued it and I feel elated. I added it in 2023 after training in the UK in the Royal Navy to do marine engineering. I was sent there by the Jamaica Defence Force’s Coast Guard,” he said.

Hunter will pursue a master’s degree in innovation and technology management at the University of Bath, where he hopes to gain further exposure to marine and drone technology.

He is also looking forward to experiencing life and culture in the UK.

Hunter earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering from UTech Jamaica in 2018 with first class honours. He has spent the past eight years as a public servant with the JDF, having previously worked at Arel Limited Engineers and Contractors.

“I’m looking forward to just the cultural exchange, learning about new things, learning how they solve their problems, because I know they’re very practical when it comes to their engineering solutions. I’m looking forward to doing some sailing and salsa and just exploring the UK’s culture,” Hunter said.