![\"aimee-dandra-rolle-sol\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/aimee-dandra-rolle-sol.jpg\")
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D\u2019Andra and Aimee Rolle have much in common. They are sisters. They are both Electrical Installation majors. They both recently landed scholarships. And they also are on their way to becoming linesmen.<\/p>\n
Have a chat with them and you immediately love their effervescent personalities. Besides, they are articulate, intelligent and focused.<\/p>\n
![\"aimee-dandra-rolle-sol-2\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/aimee-dandra-rolle-sol-2.jpg\")
The only thing that makes D\u2019Andra different from Aimee is that she is an amputee who loss her leg from osteosarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) at the age of 14. But having one leg has never stopped her from achieving her dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be a linesman at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL). I want to be on the poles. In one of my classes, we were asked if anyone wanted to be a linesman. Only my sister and my hand went up!\u201d said D\u2019Andra who recently received a prosthetic leg free of charge from Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in Orlando, Florida.<\/p>\n
The Rolle sisters are enrolled at The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI). If it were not for Sol Petroleum – distributors of Esso fuel – it may not have become a reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am appreciative. It\u2019s amazing that they believe in me – even in my position. I wouldn\u2019t have this chance without their funding. And we will be trying to make as close to a 4.0 grade point average as possible,\u201d said 24-year-old D\u2019Andra.<\/p>\n
The young ladies\u2019 interest in the construction trades was sparked when their brother studied Electrical Installation at BTVI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe read his books and developed a love for it,\u201d said Aimee, \u201cIn fact, at our Jehovah\u2019s Witness congregation, we are a part of the Local Design\/Construction department, so we have done painting, tiling, jack hammering and more,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Andra chimed in, saying, \u201cHands on work is exactly for us. In one of my classes, a guy said, \u2018Y\u2019all sure this isn\u2019t too much for y\u2019all?\u2019 I asked him, \u2018Are you serious?\u2019\u201d she questioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst thing is for someone to tell me I can\u2019t do something. I like a challenge. My one leg has nothing to do with it,\u201d emphasized D\u2019Andra, who participated in the Susan G. Coleman Bahamas Race for the Cure back in January.<\/p>\n
\u201cComplaining takes so much energy. I am content. I am at peace with myself,\u201d said the amputee.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the young women are in their first semester at BTVI. Each has a $1,500 scholarship from Sol Petroleum that they believe has set them on the pathway to pursuing their dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am really grateful,\u201d said Aimee, \u201cThe fact that Sol Petroleum gave me a scholarship for a male-dominated field, they clearly see my potential. I would not be able to attend BTVI otherwise. For years, we wanted to come and couldn\u2019t,\u201d said the 23-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think we should be in cosmetology or business. What\u2019s stopping us from being linesmen?\u201d she questioned.<\/p>\n
The sisters also spoke of the assistance they are receiving from BTVI\u2019s faculty and staff thus far.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel there is no way you can fail. The instructors are so helpful. And the Associate Vice President of Fund Development, Alicia Thompson, I am so grateful for her. She has been so supportive,\u201d said D\u2019Andra.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped the head of construction, Mr. Alexander Darville in the parking lot, and he stopped, taking time from what he was doing to help,\u201d added a grateful Aimee.<\/p>\n
Ms. Thompson said clearly Sol Petroleum has confidence in the institution\u2019s product and said her department continues to play the important function of bridging the gap between those deserving students who want to chase their goals and the donors who have the resources to enable them to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see this as only the beginning of many wonderful stories yet to be written in the anals of the history of BTVI. I was merely the conduit through which the donors were able to invest in the lives of these young ladies. I recall the first day they came into my office to apply for scholarship assistance accompanied by their mother and how resolute they were about their decision to enroll. Now when I see them in their Electrical Uniforms with their measuring tapes at their waists, I beam with joy,\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n
She added that BTVI\u2019s message aligns perfectly with Sol Petroleum\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that they see us as a diamond in the rough and are prepared to stick with us through this process of perfection. It says that they believe in the quality of instruction, the caliber of instructors and the exemplary graduates that we produce,\u201d said Ms. Thompson.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Aimee said they want to use what they learn in the Electrical Installation program to do volunteer work after hurricanes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to give back. People have helped us,\u201d said Aimee.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Andra exclaimed, \u201cI got a whole leg free, so who am I to just think about myself!\u201d<\/p>\n
By Hadassah Hall
\nThe Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI)<\/p>\n
Caption: Aimee and D\u2019Andra Rolle
\nPhotos by Shantique Longley<\/p>\n
Over the past year, 13 BTVI scholars have been awarded $1,500 each by Sol Petroleum. At present, 10 are current students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
D\u2019Andra and Aimee Rolle have much in common. They are sisters. They are both Electrical Installation majors. They both recently landed scholarships. And they also…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":169657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[204,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}