You’d be forgiven if, by assessing Baroness Floella Benjamin by her gentle manner and empowering words of positivity, you fail to recognise the extraordinary impact she has made as an entertainer, an educator, and an advocate for diversity and inclusion.

“I believe childhood lasts a lifetime,” she says, and she addressed those in attendance at the graduation ceremony for the Faculties of Engineering and Law on October 28 like a nurturing parent.

“I want you to act with morality and integrity, and be the person others can trust,” she told the graduands. More than most people, Baroness Benjamin is well-placed to make such demands. It’s how she has lived her own life.

She has worked for the betterment of others with a supernatural dedication, both as a policy-maker and through charitable activities. For that commitment, she has received numerous awards in the UK. In 2010, she was elevated to the peerage, and in 2020 damehood. Most recently, she received the Order of Merit in 2022, making her the first woman born in the Caribbean to receive one of the UK’s highest awards.

She has also received many honorary degrees. Yet still, she said the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from The UWI “is amongst my highest accolades, as it comes from my birth land, and to be recognised this way goes to the depth of my soul. I now feel complete.”

In her career, she was a presenter for the incredibly popular BBC children’s shows Playschool and PlayAway. A young black woman from the Caribbean, for many years, she helped educate children about history and the treatment of immigrants.

Originally from Marabella in South Trinidad, she left T&T when she was only 10 years old. However, “my heart remained rooted in the Caribbean, my spiritual home,” she said.

And in her speech to the graduands, Baroness Benjamin sought to give the young citizens of her spiritual home a message of empowerment.

“Graduates,” she said, “everything you do must focus on the outcomes of future generations. You’re going to go out and touch the world with the knowledge you have gained. Education should be used to improve the lives of others. We must protect the world and nurture it before it's too late.”