Carolyn Graham, public relations officer at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, is pictured at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden. Graham has been awarded the prestigious Sasakawa Fellowship from the Nippon Foundation of Japan to pursue maritime studies at the WMU.

Carolyn Graham, public relations officer, at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), has been awarded a prestigious Sasakawa Fellowship to pursue maritime studies at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.

Mostly awarded to Asian students, Graham is the third Jamaican and Caribbean national who has been given this fellowship, administered by theNippon Foundation of Japan. She follows in the footsteps of (Navy) Captain George Reynolds and Lieutenant Paul Wright of the Jamaica Defence Force and the coastguard, respectively.

"I am grateful to the Nippon Foundation and Mr. Yohei Sasakawa of Japan for choosing me as one of their fellows. This is a great opportunity and I intend to make the most of it," Graham says.

Graham left Jamaica on May 4 to join fellow students from around the world who will, for the next 17 months, pursue various fields in maritime affairs, including law and policy, education and training, port management, shipping management, maritime safety and environmental administration and marine environmental and ocean management.

The WMU was established in 1983 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to conduct specialised training in maritime affairs toward the objectives of the IMO to ensure that safe, secure and environmentally responsible use of maritime resources are met worldwide.

"The idea is that we go back to our various countries to contribute in meaningful ways to the development and sustainability of our maritime sectors and the marine environment. I am looking forward to that," Graham explains.

The WMU is hosted by the government of Sweden, vis-a-vis the city of Malmö, which provides many amenities to the students free of cost.

To date, 98 nationals of Caribbean countries, including 25 Jamaicans, have graduated from the WMU and are now serving their countries and the region at large.