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UWI announces Valedictorians for the 2024 Graduation Ceremonies

For Release Upon Receipt - October 14, 2024

St. Augustine


 

 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. October 14, 2024 – The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce the valedictorians who will grace the stage at this year's graduation ceremonies, taking place from October 24 to 26, 2024 at The UWI SPEC, St. Augustine. 

 Valedictorians represent the best of The UWI St Augustine’s graduating class. They demonstrate the dedication and academic prowess of The UWI graduate and represent their respective faculties as valedictorians. These students have been selected for their outstanding achievements, steadfast perseverance, and embody UWI pride.

 Valedictorians for the class of 2024 are as follows:

 Thursday, October 24 2024

Ms Melissa Edwards: representing the Faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture

Mr Koffi Paul: representing the Faculties of Engineering and Law.

Friday, October 25

Ms. Lyan Lagan: representing the Faculty of Social Sciences

Ms. Antoni Mannette: representing the Faculties of Social Sciences 

Saturday, October 26

Ms. Alexandria Douglas: representing the Faculties of Humanities and Education and Sport

Ms. Selena Fazia Deochand: representing the Faculty of Medical Sciences

 Each year, the process of choosing valedictorians starts with the nomination of five students from each Faculty at The UWI St. Augustine Campus.   Nominees are selected on academic performance (possessing first-class or upper second-class honours), public speaking skills, and their involvement in extra and co-curricular activities. Once these nominees confirm their interest, they prepare an address to deliver to a panel and are scored based on content, organization, expression, and presentation. After very careful deliberations and based on the highest scores, valedictorians are selected.

  The UWI St. Augustine extends its warmest congratulations to the valedictorians and the entire graduating class of 2024 and applaud their remarkable achievements. The university family looks forward to witnessing their continued success as they embark on the next chapter of their professional and personal journeys.

  For more information and details about The UWI St. Augustine Graduation Ceremonies, please visit www.sta.uwi.edu/graduation.

  The biographies of the six valedictorians follow:

 Ms. Alexandria Douglas | BSc. Sport Kinetics (First Class)

 

Alexandria is the first valedictorian from the Faculty of Sport. She credits her academic success to the personal balance she created. Long hours of studying were not for her, preferring to mix her studying with calming, recreational activities. Balance has always been her technique, particularly in relation to her top interests: Sport and Science. 

 She has been involved in a variety of sports since the age of five. Then, when she entered Bishop Anstey East she was exposed to the world of Science and married both interests in her chosen field of Sport Kinetics. She is keen to impact the world through the field of Sport but would happily pursue a different path if that is where life takes her. Regardless of what she pursues, she knows that her family will continue to support her and be her biggest cheerleaders - as they have always done.

 Most memorable about her time at The UWI is the feeling of community and the connections made. Alexandria speaks highly of the extraordinary people, staff and students and fondly remembers the teamwork and camaraderie at the Faculty of Sport.

 

 Ms. Selena Fazia Deochan | BSc. Pharmacy (Upper Second Class Honours)

 

“Pharmacy chose me” is how Selena describes her chosen field of study and remembers her gut feeling in that regard as a Form 6 student of Naparima Girls’ High School. She just had a strong gut feeling that this is what she was supposed to be doing. Whatever the future holds, it will include furthering her studies in this field that chose her.

 Hers has been a well-rounded education. In primary school, Selena’s schedule included gymnastics; in secondary school, tennis, choir, and public speaking formed part of her life. So, even in university, she made time for clubs and student activities and served as a UWI St Augustine representative within the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists. All of which have led to some of her most cherished memories at The UWI. Selena vividly recalls these experiences: football and cricket matches, chatting with lecturers, waiting with friends to hop on the student shuttle and the late-night doubles during the all-night study sessions. 

 She attributes her continuing curiosity about everything and her passions for healthcare and equity as key factors to her academic success. Studying at The UWI helped Selena develop her regional identity. She recognizes herself as part of a larger mission to improve healthcare, not just in Trinidad and Tobago, but across the Caribbean.

Ms. Melissa Edwards | BSc Biochemistry Major and Biology Major (First Class Honours)

 

As valedictorian for the 2024 graduating class of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Melissa has achieved a personal hat trick: she has served as valedictorian at her primary school, secondary school, and now at university. This role has been a formative part of her growth and development and gave her confidence and public speaking skills.

 She describes herself a lover of the natural world. During her time at Vessigny Secondary School, Biology grew to be her favourite subject, which she credits largely to the enthusiasm shown by her teachers.  Initially inspired to become a teacher, she realized that being a scientist is what she was meant to be.

 On her very first day at the St Augustine Campus, Melissa was reminded that learning is an expansive journey, more than just lectures with words and numbers. A tent filled with animals reminded her about the importance of following your dreams - even if they might seem unusual to others. Melissa remembers how much her family, especially her mother, invested in her and she is driven even more to succeed and make them proud.

 It is her hope that she inspires future generations, showing them that they too can make a difference regardless of where they come from. One key difference Melissa hopes to make is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation for reptiles. In that regard, she hopes that her work can bolster conservation efforts.

 

 Mr. Koffi Paul | Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (First Class honours)

 

 A penchant for questioning everything and for defending others, coupled with a passion for learning, fostered Koffi’s goal to be a lawyer. This path grew increasingly apparent as he participated in public speaking and debate. Now well on the way to becoming the lawyer he has always envisioned for himself, his aim is to provide strong representation to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. Eventually, his work will be international, when he becomes a future UN Secretary General.

 Raised in a household that consisted of just himself and his mother, Koffi has always felt failure was not an option. Indeed, this mindset has been his greatest motivation. He aspires to achieve success worthy of the sacrifices made by his family. He cites Nelson Mandela as a source of inspiration and admiration because of his resilience in the face of adversity and for doing the right thing even when it was not easy.

 From the age of six, Koffi has been volunteering with charitable organisations. It is here he learned the fulfillment in helping others. While at The UWI, he served on the Advisory Board for a non-profit organization and spent time cooking for the homeless, visiting pet shelters, and leading food and book drives. Koffi also made time to participate in sports and other student activities. He aims to maintain this service through representation and advocacy work.

 

Ms. Lyan Lagan | BSc Economics Major, Environmental Economics Minor, International Relations Minor (First Class Honours)

 

With a passion for Economics and now armed with a degree in Environmental Economics, Lyan hopes to help solve global environmental issues such as climate change and food security. 

 Her experience at St. Augustine Girls’ High School shaped her into the person she is today. That institution as well as her classmates - who she now sees as lifelong sisters - played a significant role in her growth and development. But it is her older sister who inspired her the most. They shared their fierceness, determination, and passions, including Economics, a field they both pursued at The UWI. In addition to her sister, the people she met along her academic journey made her time at The UWI memorable. She values this strong network of persons who have similar goals and ambitions, and the advice and learnings they shared.

 She credits her success at university to her discipline, time management skills, and her sense of curiosity which pushed her to look beyond her specific scope of study. This curiosity she intends to translate into travel so as to experience new cultures, peoples, and cuisines. During these travels, she intends to learn more about the effects of climate change on different communities and do what she can to mitigate the climate crisis.

 

  Ms. Antoni Natasha Maria Mannette | Bsc. Psychology (Special) (First Class Honours)

 

With a background in languages and an interest in international law, Antoni often spoke about wanting to work at the UN. Through conversations with those close to her, she began thinking that she might be destined for something different. While she was unsure of what this something different would be, she knew that she wanted to be in the field of humanitarian service. A job at a children’s home exposed her to the importance of mental health, and after more deliberations about her fields of interest, she describes Psychology as choosing her.

 Antoni gives all the credit for her success to her faith, and sees her entire journey as being devoted to showing gratitude to God. She sees this as an infinite ceiling, one which she can never meet, which is a good thing for Antoni, as it provides her with a lifetime of motivation. She speaks unashamedly of the challenges that she has faced, as she sees them all as being gifts from God meant to aid in the development of her character. She also credits much of who she is to her family, from whom she developed her own voice.

 She found success in not setting out to change the world, but instead aiming to complete the smallest of tasks with the attention and love. She plans to carry this technique with her as she pursues her education even further. Regardless of where God’s plan takes her next, she knows that her priority will always be to use her time, talent and treasures to fulfill her greater mission of showing and spreading love.

 END

About The University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is the Caribbean’s premier, higher education institution. One of only two regional universities in the world, it comprises five campuses across the English-speaking Caribbean and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE).

Learn more at www.uwi.edu

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