December 2015


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All eyes are on us. Each day, in everything that we do, someone is watching us. And no, not in a pursuant or obsessive way. But whether we acknowledge it or not, people are paying attention to us. Observations made on our looks, mannerisms and how we engage with others form a persona in the minds of the strangers among us. Surely enough, the accuracy of this persona is out of our hands. But for the few who reflect and think about how they come across to another person, their first thoughts may be, “What do they think of me?” or “What do they see in me?”

If you’re one of the lucky ones who people look up to, one who has formed an admirable presence, then persons may see value in you. They may find worth. More importantly, however, is the value you see in yourself and most important is what you do so that others can see a bit of that value in themselves.

Certainly, we all have a high regard for education. Three to four years ago, we were all accepted to The University of the West Indies to pursue an undergraduate degree. Regardless of our interest in the different fields of law or the discipline of engineering we chose, we were all given the freedom to make the choice of the form of schooling we thought could make a marked improvement in our lives. We were given the opportunity of academic freedom; to improve, to advance ourselves. But within these three years, were we given a mandate to advance each other?

From the get go, I am sure that for most of us, the main goal was to stay focused on our studies, to do our best so that we can move on and begin our lives. And that’s finally happening for us now. But we really have to reflect and think about how we might have shaped the life of someone else while trying to mould our own futures. In the different responsibilities that we held in our various clubs, whether it be president of the Law Society, secretary of Engineering Students Society or simply group leader in a project, how did we treat the persons working with us? Did we show respect, listen to their ideas, try to understand their points of view? Were we harshly critical of those in a leadership position? One thing that is common to all of us is insecurity, which, in itself, can be crippling, especially now, at a time when we are attempting to make our own path. But within us all are also qualities that we are yet to discover, qualities that can be used for good purpose; for ourselves and for those we touch every single day. We must first find the courage to overcome our insecurities now, because many persons will be observing us. They will be looking to us for an example of how to lead their lives.

We have looked to our parents for support, to be our care givers, to provide necessary guidance along life’s journey as we matured. We have looked to our lecturers to provide us with knowledge, to inspire us and to fill us with passion for our disciplines of study. And we have looked to our friends to share our journeys with. We have looked to so many people to fill us but now, it’s time for an outpouring of the gifts we receive to others. It’s time for us to submit to our mandate to improve the lives of those around us.

As engineering students we learned the value of patience in understanding a concept and the value of dedicating time to figuring out the unsolvable so that today we could be practical and critical thinkers as well as problem solvers. As law students, you have developed the perseverance, tenacity and confidence to help you in your profession as lawyers. You have grown in intellect and gained the courage to stand up for the helpless and defend the defenceless. We must take the lessons we learned at this St. Augustine Campus to now see how we can add value to someone else’s life. Persons can now look to us to be their guides, to be their inspiration and to share their journey. In these roles, we may possibly feel unqualified, or too small to hold such a big responsibility. But having the courage to step up to the plate in spite of these insecurities shows that the value you place in seeing someone else grow is more important than the value you are yet to see in yourself. This is how we shape the lives of others; by stepping out of our comfort zones, by being big!

So as we go forth to start our careers, ensure that you see the value in uplifting others, ensure that you let others see the value in themselves, because what is significantly more important than our auspicious achievement today, is how we will use the nuggets of wisdom that we picked up along the way to shape the lives of the persons we meet in the future. As Mahatma Ghandi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” So to the graduating class of 2015, I hope that we can all find ourselves as we begin a new journey.

Thank you.