Live a life that brings solutions

by Dexnell Peters

Let me begin by expressing gratitude, on behalf of all graduates, to The UWI and its staff for their contribution to our moment of departure today, especially those who have time and time again gone out their way to assist us.

To my fellow graduates, congratulations! I am sure you will agree with me when I say that the time here at The UWI flew by quite quickly. But life can come at you fast. This is why it is sometimes important to slow things down. Allow me to stick a pin and consider the university process we’ve all passed through. And please don’t think my attention to the past is simply because I studied history. The popular phrase “backward look for forward strength” has a lot of merit to it. The UWI has really come a long way since its start in 1948 at Mona with a staff that can be counted on one hand. To be graduating from what it is today is something to note.

In preparation for this speech, I reflected alone and with fellow graduates about the past few years. I think a good question to ask is what did we expect of the university experience and how do we feel now having graduated. Personally, I came on campus ready to earn qualifications to begin and advance my career but I left with the qualifications being the lowest of value to me. On addressing the first graduating class of independent UWI in Jamaica (1963), Dr. Eric Williams noted that this “degree … qualifies [us] to work for the community.” He went on to state how it would be a great misfortune for us to regard this degree as a means of status or upper mobility. After all, we don’t want it said of us that, to quote an Edward Baugh poem, “is university turn him fool.”

The university process is not a means to an end. But the means are quite critical. We had to take responsibility for our learning – a unique university element. How we engage the university process determines our relevance as graduates entering the world. This is where really engaging our courses and not simply learning to pass or pursuing an ‘A’ gains merit. As Dr. Williams noted, we have a commitment to serve the society.

As Humanities and Education graduates we had to commit to doing numerous coursework essays, tutorial presentations, sometimes with similar deadlines and of course, the final year project. I’m sure we might also remember pulling an all-nighter from time to time. If we couldn’t see the fruit in all that work then, we should see it now. We have been able to stretch our limits and grow because of it. Perseverance, sacrifice, effort and self-management are some qualities we would have developed along the way. But also as we see the fruit in hard work, it can give us momentum for the hard work to come from here on. I know for me, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and engage whatever hard work I have to face because my eyes are on the fruit.

We can also be grateful for the social experience and the quality relationships formed. The friends we’ve made, across the campus, have been good support to us. We all have memories of good times, good laughs and good stories as we limed. Today we leave as well with a network of people to collaborate with in future efforts. The UWI also provided a great opportunity for regional connections as students from across the Caribbean opted to spend some time here. We cannot forget the times we were thrown together in groups for various assignments. Though the chemistry might not have always been right – a learning experience it was. So too were the times we willingly placed ourselves in groups through co-curricular activities. One of the most memorable times at UWI for me was being a member of the History Society. I also treasured my time as a Global Leadership Interlink Campus member, a group where I was exposed to constant dialogue on values-based leadership.

Certainly, we can recall some not so rosy moments involving staff, students or the system. Even there we can find growth. The difficult, unfortunate or not so happy UWI moments will not stop as we leave campus. They will continue in a different context but as we face them we have experiences that we have learnt or can learn from to shape how we respond to them and how we continue to learn from them.

Beyond some of these specifics, the university process certainly would have built something inside of us. We can be aware and play a role in what is built in us. The same UWI experience for two persons can build two completely different individuals. Who we become, whether we desire it or not, is based very clearly on the priorities and values we embrace now.

As we move on from university, we enter a world that leaves much to be desired – a world crying out for leadership, for people who can bring solutions to longstanding and new problems. Sir Philip Sherlock, UWI founding father, and Professor Rex Nettleford once wrote that the founding of the UWI was “a product of the positive response of West Indian people to the challenge of change.” The call for change is awaiting our response. One of the best responses we can make is not simply in coming up with solutions but rather in living a life that brings about solutions.

We can be the leaders who bring about change and produce solutions required. But the important thing is the process behind this effort. While we actively engage in our work environments, what is significant is how we work.

Corruption, for example, surfaces as people compromise principles and values. Development is stifled in a corrupt environment. We become the solutions to such problems when we choose never to surrender or compromise our principles and values, not even a little.

As we offer our services we must constantly check the reason for doing so. We should ensure that we always operate with an element of selflessness and genuine desire for benefit and development of others.

Every time we move away from solid principles we make an active contribution to the continuing misdirection, chaos and confusion that occurs in the world. As we stand firm to quality values, we make inroads towards making a positive impact. We have a clear choice to make. There are no grey areas. UWI prods us in the direction to choose in its motto, and I’ll give the English because attempting the Latin might prove disastrous, “a light shining from the west.” So my fellow Humanities and Education graduates, as we enter the classrooms, the media production centres, the public service, consultancies, communities, families, and the many other limitless opportunities available to Humanities and Education graduates, let us make a continuous conscious effort to be a shining light to our environments.