There’s a saying that rain doesn’t stop football, and evidently, that saying was co-opted by all at the Open Days 2025.
In a word, Open Days are excitement. The JFK Quadrangle is transformed into fairgrounds, with tents and coloured banners everywhere. Droves of potential students and their families flock to The UWI St Augustine campus in search of answers: what’s the best programme for them, should they stay on hall, can they afford a degree, and what’s the vibe of university life? Faculties and key departments like Admissions, Financial Services, and the Division of Student Services are represented on the ground, and activities, games and giveaways keep the energy bright with enthusiasm.
Open Days 2025 was no different.
The event is immensely important in the campus calendar. The opportunity for these higher education explorers to interface directly with staff and students has double benefit: they learn whether UWI has what they need, while staff members get to interact one-on- one with potential students, spreading the word about the groundbreaking research and development taking place, and illuminating the avenues available to them after graduation.
On Saturday, May 17, the event unfolded as planned, mostly unencumbered by the storm warnings of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management. From its 10 am start (and even before), eager prospects arrived.
Shuttles carried visitors to the halls of residence, and campus tours ran every half hour, with the help of the sizable squad of UWI Student Champions. These young members of the campus community led the groups around the sprawling campus. Librarians welcomed groups to tour the floors of the Alma Jordan Library, including the Eric Williams Heritage Museum. Aside from a few drizzles which caused attendees to seek shelter, the quad was packed, and the JFK Auditorium and Lecture Theatre were busy.
The quad was the home of the faculty booths and the generous sponsors—National Flour Mills Ltd, SM Jaleel, Bermudez Biscuits, Office Authority, Very Exciting Things, and First Retail. The JFK Auditorium housed many of UWI St Augustine’s partners for the Open Days—Eastern Credit Union, UWI Credit Union, First Citizen’s and the Ministry of Education’s GATE office.
The auditorium also held the campus’s specialised units and centres like the Centre for Language Learning, a “sample” bedroom set-up by Student Accommodations, and an application centre run by the Admissions team to help prospects apply to UWI on the spot.
At the JFK Lecture Theatre, career mapping sessions gave attendees who were uncertain about their future, an opportunity to explore professions that might suit them. Sessions were also held for parents/guardians by the Bursary and Financial Advisory teams, joined with GATE officials, to help them navigate the financing of their children’s’/wards’ higher education.
Sunday, May 18 presented an opportunity for the campus to display its adaptability. The rain that had spared Saturday’s activities refused to be held back any longer. From early in the morning, the organising teams met to formulate a plan and execute—Sunday’s offerings would be scaled back and brought into the auditorium.
Campus and hall tours, and the petting zoo were cut from the day’s offerings, but the fun was still alive. The Faculty of Medical Sciences set aside a space for their CPR demonstrations, and faculties with displays, like Faculty of Science and Technology, made the best of the space they were allotted.
And attendees were not discouraged either. Till the end of event, families patronised the financing and career sessions, investigated booths, enjoyed snow cones, popcorn and pies, and applied for programmes. In fact, on-the-spot applications exceeded those of the 2024 event.
If anything, the inclement weather only proved that the excitement of the Open Days was too great to resist.
