It was an ordinary afternoon at home for 16-year-old Kyra Santos, until a surprise phone call from her mother — who works at Belize’s Bowen and Bowen company — completely reshaped her long-term educational plans. Within moments of hearing the announcement that she had been selected for one of the firm’s annual education scholarships, Santos broke into tears of joy and excitement, overwhelmed by the opportunity that had just opened up for her.
Santos is among 16 children of current Bowen and Bowen employees to receive the company’s scholarship awards this year, marking the latest cohort in a programme that has now poured more than $1 million into accessible education across Belize over the past 12 years. The initiative covers all core educational costs for recipients, including full tuition, textbook fees, and institutional charges, for students pursuing pathways through secondary school, tertiary university education, and vocational training programmes.
For Michael Bowen, Chief Executive Officer of Bowen and Bowen, the milestone of crossing $1 million in total investment is less important than the core mission that drives the programme. “We are all interconnected members of one community, whether we work inside the walls of Bowen and Bowen or call the entire nation of Belize home,” Bowen explained in comments announcing this year’s recipients. “We all have a responsibility to lift each other up, and most importantly, to invest in the future of Belize. Education is the single most powerful tool we can use to do that. It gives young people the chance to learn, to think critically, and to ask the questions that move our country forward. Ultimately, it creates choice: choice of career, choice of where you build your life and work, and autonomy over your future overall.”
To qualify for the competitive scholarship awards, candidates must first be a child of a current company employee and demonstrate strong academic potential to succeed in their chosen field. But the application process also requires active commitment from the entire student’s family, who must submit materials proving their ongoing investment in their child’s educational journey. Unlike many one-time grant programmes that simply provide financial support and end involvement, Bowen and Bowen pairs each scholarship recipient with a dedicated mentor through the company’s human resources team, who offer ongoing guidance and support throughout the recipient’s studies.
This is a developing story, and full coverage of the 2026 scholarship recipients will air during News 5 Live’s 6 p.m. broadcast this evening.