He received the Claflin University International Alumni Association Scholarship in 2021 and was also awarded most outstanding student in leadership and service by The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Claflin. Young Kuti Ra maintained a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) every semester which earned him eight academic semester excellence awards and he was also included on the President’s Honour List every semester. One recurring problem that most international students face is finding places to stay during periods when the school is closed and finding the funds needed for travel,” the graduate said. “Besides the effects of the pandemic, being an international student generally comes with stress and uncertainty. It became necessary for him to purchase expensive PCR tests and, with the closure of Jamaica’s ports, he was forced to stay in the US for longer than he had anticipated. Reflecting on his university tenure, he described it as uneventful on the academic front, as most of the disruptions came from the COVID-19 pandemic which presented a few unique difficulties for international students. “This field holds the solutions for many of the most intractable problems the world has yet to overcome problems like food insecurity, disease, and malnutrition,” he explained. He told The Gleaner that he chose biotechnology because it is the field which best allows him to combine his passion for the natural sciences with his desire to leverage the power of science. I acclimated to that before too long,” he said. “Jamaica has no winter, whereas in South Carolina, over much of the school year the ambient temperature can get quite cold. Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.
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