EmpowerU opens applications for two scholarship funds to support SXM students

GREAT BAY--EmpowerU, a United States-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by St. Maartener Harsha Parchani, has opened applications for two student support funds aimed at expanding access to education, mentorship and academic opportunity for St. Maarten students.

The EmpowerU Scholars Fund is now accepting applications from St. Maarten students at the secondary and post-secondary level, while the new Rising Tide Scholars Fund will provide fully funded CXC Math tutoring for secondary school students in St. Maarten.

Applications for the EmpowerU Scholars Fund close on July 1, 2026. Applications for the Rising Tide Scholars Fund close on July 31, 2026. Students can learn more and apply at empoweru.online/funding.

Founded in 2019 by Parchani, a St. Maartener and Hardware Product Manager at Microsoft, EmpowerU was created to invest in Caribbean students, communities and emerging leaders. The organization’s work is rooted in the belief that Caribbean excellence deserves real investment and that students from small island communities should not have to pursue major academic and professional goals alone.

Since 2021, the EmpowerU Scholars Fund has supported five scholars pursuing studies in several fields and countries. The recipients are:

Tamia Hector, MSci in Natural Sciences, Durham University, United Kingdom; Kiran Jivnani, MS in Public Policy, University of Chicago; James Brooks, BS in International Social Work, HAN University, Netherlands; Madison Solomon, BSc in Psychology, University of South Florida; and Tavania Mathew, BS in Finance, Florida State University.

The EmpowerU Scholars Fund is need-based and open to Caribbean students in any field of study, at any accredited institution, anywhere in the world.

“This fund exists because Caribbean students do not need rescuing, they need resources,” EmpowerU stated. “They belong in every classroom, every field and every space where their talent can grow.”

This fall, EmpowerU will also launch the Rising Tide Scholars Fund, a fully funded tutoring program for secondary school students in St. Maarten who are currently preparing for CXC Math. The program will provide 25 students with free online tutoring delivered by educator Mariska Carty.

Eligible students must attend St. Maarten Academy, Charlotte Brookson Academy, St. Dominic High School, or MAC High School.

The program is designed to help students strengthen their preparation for CXC Math, which remains a key gateway subject for continued education and future opportunities. EmpowerU said the initiative is meant to ensure that no student has to face the exam without proper support.

The Rising Tide Scholars Fund is being built and delivered in partnership with SIVLL Society Foundation, a St. Maarten-based organization led by President and Founder Sahar Thomson. Through this partnership, EmpowerU said it is deepening its connection to local community work and ensuring that the program is rooted in the realities of students on the island.

“Our partnership with SIVLL Society Foundation is what that bridge looks like in practice,” said Parchani. “SIVLL is on the ground in St. Maarten, embedded in the community, trusted by families, and doing the kind of relationship-driven work that no program can replicate from a distance. EmpowerU brings structure, funding, and diaspora connection. SIVLL brings presence, accountability, and deep community roots. Together, we are not building programs for St. Maarten. We are building them with St. Maarten.

“That distinction matters. Caribbean communities have been the subject of enough well-meaning outside interventions. EmpowerU is something different, an organization founded by one of us, partnered with people from here, accountable to the community it serves. The diaspora is not separate from the island. We are the island, extended. And it is time we acted like it,” Parchani said.

Students selected for the Rising Tide Scholars Fund will be notified in August. Fall tutoring sessions are scheduled to begin on September 5, 2026.

EmpowerU said both funds reflect its wider mission to serve as a bridge between the Caribbean and the diaspora, between potential and opportunity, and between students who are ready to move forward and the support systems needed to help them succeed.

For more information or to apply, visit empoweru.online/funding.

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