Newly elected Guild President of the St. Augustine Campus, Natasha Grimes lives by the quote “to whom much is given much is required” to guide her through her duties as Guild President and to make important decisions in her life. Natasha emulates the words “Just live right” as her mantra to do the right thing and to realize her full potential.

Although seemingly exhausted from supporting the St. Augustine athletic team in the Inter-Campus games in Jamaica, the president sprang to life and her passion began to emerge with regards to the Students’ Guild and the herculean tasks ahead for the new executive.

Natasha hails from San Fernando, in Southern Trinidad. She attended the San Fernando Government School, San Fernando East Junior Secondary School, Pleasantville Comprehensive School and the Marabella Senior Comprehensive School. Presently pursuing a Sociology major with the Faculty of Social Sciences and a minor in Communication Studies with the Faculty of Humanities at UWI, Natasha intends on obtaining her Masters degree and doctorate to publishing academic material, as well as poetry.

The following is an interview conducted with the new President.

What were some of the academic and extra-curricular activities you have been involved in at your particular schools?

I was a school prefect, President of the Inter Schools Christian Fellowship and also the secretary at one point. I performed monologues at school and church functions and also participated in sporting activities as a member of the female football team and a long distance runner.

How does your family react to your level of involvement and participation in school activities?

My family is very supportive, especially my mother who calls me daily to give me words of encouragement. E-mail keeps me in constant contact with relatives in Trinidad and Tobago and abroad. I am given full encouragement to participate in all activities as long as it does not hamper my studies. One setback to being so active is that my mother does not see me often.

Can you summarise your experiences at UWI including what motivated you to eventually contest the Guild elections?

I did not want to get involved initially, although I was occupied with activities on my hall of residence, Milner Hall. However, a close friend asked me to contest the elections. Added to which I was concerned about UWI students’ frustration with administrative and student matters. Also, I felt I had good ideas and decided to do something about the situation. At the time I was involved in social activities and UWI Student Endeavours (UWISE), I also prayed about my decision to participate in the Guild elections at that time. Eventually, I emerged as the Secretary of the Guild.

What motivated you to again participate in Guild elections?

I decided to contest the following elections in order to improve the work of the Guild and to continue to strengthen other areas of student leadership.

What are some of the areas you hope to improve?

Communication between the Guild and students is one area for improvement. Proper and efficient representation is another vital area that I aim to achieve by creating partnerships and through networking. Safety and sports are two other major areas of focus for this executive. Additionally, I would like to eliminate the mentality that the Guild does nothing for students. All of this reflects my major goal to be more student centered and to work with all parties to get the job done.

How much of an impact do you think female students are having on campus life?

I do not discriminate between the sexes and firmly support integration, but I have observed that females show more interest in activities and take a more active part in organizing them on campus.

Would you seriously consider being involved in national politics at any level?

I am not too sure at the moment. I do not like many of the things I see politically and I would like to make a difference. Although all options are open, I prefer voluntary work as opposed to politics. As the Guild president I have no political affiliations but all options are open.

As students, whether regional or Trinbagonian we are all affected by national policies, free tertiary education for example, crime, food prices, droughts, flooding and pollution. So it is difficult to separate political events affecting human survival in general from student survival in particular.

How has the relationship between the new St. Augustine Guild executive and the UWI administration been so far?

The relationship has been cordial thus far, but it is a bit early.