Valedictorian for the Faculty of Humanities & Education,
Ms Patrice Quammie

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Humanities & Education, Ms Patrice Quammie in her address to fellow graduands remarked that UWI was her doorway to the region and the world. UWI taught her diplomacy, true empathy and an appreciation for cultural diversity. “Imagine meeting an ethnically Chinese student and hear, when he opens his mouth, a heavy Jamaican Creole accent come forth. In an age where identity is less a matter of race and more a matter of cultural choice, UWI provided significant portals for me to experience cultures and so come to a conscious definition of myself.”

She further stated, “The art of 'being' is one that instills great encouragement and strength. It is a decisive position one takes up that acts as a filter to the heart, mind and spirit. Things will always be happening around you, the forces of life demand a certain process, pathway and even physical existence and response; yet 'being' positions itself at a point of intersection with processes; creates an intersection and gives us our greatest weapons—choice. It is this reality that determines what you gain out of every situation and if and how you grow. 'Being' can be continuously developed and refined but at its core it is consistent over a long period of time. It resonates deep in the midst of any context whether it be crisis or comfort. 'Being' therefore can determine ones responses to the roller coaster events of life and does not have to be determined by the natural expectations of the events themselves. For without conscious attention to nurturing 'being', responses become reactive and their merit, in most cases, compromised.”

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Science & Agriculture,
Mr Chaney St Martin

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Science & Agriculture Mr. Chaney St. Martin commenced his address by stating that UWI served as validation to him, validating the potential of the human being to affect meaningful change in his life and in the life of others. He urged fellow graduands and lecturers to focus on two of the four core strategic areas outlined in the strategic plan for the UWI: teaching & learning and research & innovation. He implored students to “get rid of the get in, keep your heads down in the books, and get out attitude towards their education”. The following is an excerpt from his address.

“We university graduands must ensure that we do not adopt and promulgate this attitude to knowledge and life as it contributes very little to self development. As much as possible our way of living should serve as our testimony of knowledge, will and our level of consciousness. In our lives, we should seek to be more spiritual as opposed to religious. We must look within our culture for ways of living that reflect the highest understanding of self, love and equality. When we become serious about well-being, meditation, fasting, yoga, the practice of Pranayama, Tai Chi, Capoeira and other arts that focus on body conditioning and spiritual development and make this part of our daily lives we will not see them as alternative or additional practices. In order to improve our well-being we need to develop a deep respect of self and realize that it is our duty and goal to do all in our power, whenever and wherever possible to take care of ourselves. It is not enough to echo the sentiment that your body is your temple, yet you treat it like a landfill.”

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Engineering,
Mr Carl Stoute

The fact that Mr. Carl Stoute, class valedictorian from the Faculty of Engineering, is 70 years old did not escape the notice of all who attended the graduation ceremony. Age did not appear to be a limiting factor for this septuagenarian who delivered his speech with such vigor and enthusiasm that, if one were to judge him by his personality, one would be misled into thinking that he is a young adult revelling in the joy of his youth. Encouragement, challenge, caring and support are the four most significant points he recalled about UWI life. Encouragement came before he even started when upon his first inquiry about the admission requirements for UWI he was told, “We don't care how old you are or where you came from, if you have the qualifications and you want to learn, we are ready, willing and able to teach you,” instead of “Old man what are you doing here? Don't you know its time to park up?” “Encouragement,” he said, “is always significant.”

Speaking about some of the challenges he faced he stated, “Engineering is not easy – engineering is hard, and the rate of attrition is very high especially in Civil & Environmental.” These challenges he overcame however, with the support of dedicated lecturers willing to go the extra mile to ensure students made the grade, colleagues and his fellow group members whom he fondly referred to as the “Fantastic Four”.

He had the audience laughing when he spoke about a note at the end of his speech which said TTW: Thank The Wife!

He then concluded his speech with these solemn words, “It is now time to say farewell. To the graduates I say savour the day, bask in the warmth and pride in the eyes of your families. You have walked the walk and you have triumphed. This will be one of the most memorable days of your life because as difficult as it is to get into UWI - it is even more difficult to get out.”

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Social Sciences,
Ms Nikita Ng Ying

Valedictorian for the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ms Nikita Ng Ying had the following advice for her fellow graduates: “I recommend pursuing the things that impassion you...do what you love. And if you’re not that sure what this is just yet, don’t limit yourself. Search until you find something that truly excites you, something that gives you a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction.”

Admitting that it took a while for her to understand things, she revealed that it was her love for learning and the fact that she was passionate about what she did that got her to this milestone event. She stressed the importance of seeing oneself from the perspective of a steward owing a debt of service to the world. She also quoted the following passage from celebrated author Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.