23 Years of Empowering Students: The Adams-Mahepath Scholarship Program

Tuesday saw thirteen outstanding high school graduates gather at Sterling Optical offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas to be honored with $1,500 scholarships from owners Joel Mahepath and Lisa Adams-Mahepath, marking 23 years of the Adams-Mahepath Scholarship Program.

Established in 2002, the Adams-Mahepath Scholarship has awarded over $500,000 to 250 deserving students, supporting the educational dreams of Virgin Islands youth. Joel Mahepath reflected Tuesday on the program’s impact, highlighting the joy of celebrating families and witnessing scholarship recipients return to contribute to their communities. “What I love most about this program is being able to celebrate families,” he shared. “Seeing these recipients come back and give back to our community is incredibly rewarding.”

This year’s scholarship recipients were chosen based on their GPA, SAT scores, and community involvement. Their impressive contributions include restoring the butterfly garden at St. George’s Botanical Garden and creating a storytelling project spotlighting local stories after hurricanes Irma and Maria, among others.