News Releases

The UWI St. Augustine raises another Rhodes Scholar

For Release Upon Receipt - December 12, 2014

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago –  Two times in three years, The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine has produced yet another recipient of the prestigious Caribbean Commonwealth Rhodes Scholarship: 23 year old Trinidadian, Cherrelle Dacon. This year, three St. Augustine candidates were short-listed for the scholarship, from a field of seven candidates, marking the campus as a stronghold for raising global luminaries.

The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting exceptional students from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international scholarship programme in the world, which aims to nurture public-spirited leaders for the world's future. The scholarship celebrates not only strong academic achievement, but also all-round development. Ms. Dacon is a living example of this. She is former President of the Habitat for Humanity St. Augustine Campus Chapter; a member of the UWI STAT (Students Today Alumni Tomorrow) Ambassadors, an organisation started by Vice-Chancellor E. Nigel Harris of students who are committed to The UWI and the Caribbean region as well as the fight against HIV. She is also actively involved in dragon boat racing.

The UWI’s Deputy Campus Principal, Professor Rhoda Reddock, stated “At The UWI we seek to develop such all-round students through our co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes in sport, community service, the arts, and access to life skills training through co-curricular courses. These programmes compliment academic programmes and contribute to developing the kind of graduate that we would like to produce.” She added that Ms Dacon and the other short-listed candidates provide inspiration to all to continue working towards a comprehensive, socially conscious and well-rounded educational experience at The UWI.

Through an interview process, applicants are asked to express their visions for themselves and their societies and respond to wide-ranging questions which seek to gauge their knowledge of world events, wide reading, skills of analysis and critical thinking as well as their responsibility towards the society etc. Excellent oral communication skills are critical in this regard. It is a very keen competition and although the field is always strong, there is only one scholarship for this region.

Ms. Dacon plans to use this outstanding opportunity combined with her UWI training to further prepare for a career aimed at advancing HIV/AIDS research and work in the Caribbean.

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

 

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