Valedictorians

Dr Tennille Auguste

Tennille Auguste entered the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in September 2004 to read for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. She chose to study Veterinary Medicine because of her love for animals and her desire to help people through their animals.

“My parents and my grandparents strongly influenced my decision to become a veterinarian, as well as Dr James Herriot author of the book entitled ‘It shouldn’t Happen to a Vet’,” she said. (Veterinary surgeon James Alfred Wright wrote under the name Dr James Heriott and must have influenced many with his humorous accounts of life as a vet. His son became a vet and his daughter, a doctor.)

She is very excited to have attained her doctorate, especially in the field she loves. “My dreams will finally be fulfilled in October 2009 when I graduate with a distinction degree,” she said.

While a student, Tennille has kept herself busy fulfilling her spiritual needs and actively participating in administrative issues. She was a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, and teaches at her parish Sunday school, and was secretary of the executive board of the Veterinary Students Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

So what does the future want to look like for Tennille?

“I would like to pursue post-graduate work in the areas of surgery and diagnostic imaging. Ultimately, I would like to be a board-certified surgeon, who occasionally participates in research while spending at least two months out of the year doing volunteer work as a locum.

Joni Lee Pow

Joni Lee Pow attended Mucurapo Girls’ R.C. Primary School and St. Joseph’s Convent, in Port of Spain. With a National Scholarship, she entered The UWI two years later as a Visual Arts student because she had always wanted to be an artist.

“I realised however in my first year that art brought me no sense of fulfilment but instead highlighted my inadequacies. I recognise the personal and emotional struggle of artists and I truly admire those who chose to live out this career in its truest sense,” she said, but she felt she had to switch.

She’s now completed her BSc in Psychology with First Class Honours, and hopes to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology. It’s a choice she’s happy about.

“Psychology, like art deals with human nature and its complexities but unlike art it satisfied my need for rationale and love of science. I am fascinated by the biological intricacies of the mind as it related to psychology and I look forward to furthering this interest.”

Joni has a fascination with the concept of endurance, believing it to be a challenge to the human mind’s capacity. She’s completed one marathon and a half-marathon and says her approach to distance running is like her attitude towards education: “I place much greater emphasis on the journey and not the endpoint.”

“I acknowledge the importance of having balance within the many facets of one’s identity. Although I value the importance of education I uphold the greater importance of human relationships. As a wife and mother I believe life is about loving as much as it is about learning.”

Chava O’Sullivan

Chava O’Sullivan is graduating with first class honours in Electrical and Computer Engineering. It was an area she entered mainly out of uncertainty. She didn’t know quite what she wanted to do after high school, and was still unsure when she entered UWI Mona, but her father and brothers are engineers and she found their discussions about communications and power intriguing.

“Communications especially seemed to be very dynamic with much room for growth and expansion,” she said, and it seemed so attractive that she transferred to UWI St. Augustine to pursue electrical and computer engineering.

The first two years were the most challenging, “contrary to what most people think.”

“In the first 2 years I was exposed to all areas of electrical and computer engineering and I was not so keen on all of them, while in the final year I was able to specialize in my areas of interest; communications and controls. Although it had its challenges and I had to dedicate a lot of hours to studying and practising, it wasn’t a burden because it was an aspect of engineering I enjoyed and was excited about.”

She balanced it off by being an active member of the Jamaica Students Association in Trinidad and Tobago (JASATT) and taking a lively interest in events on Milner Hall such as the Hall concerts.

Chava plans to work for a while to gain some experience in the telecommunications field and then to go after a Master’s degree in Communications.

Kailash Jaikaransingh

Kailash Jaikaransingh is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies with Literature with First Class Honours. She had originally wanted to do Literature and her passion for it remained full, despite her major switch.

The tussle between the two characterized her student days. The lecturers of Communications Studies opened new doors for her, while the lecturers of Literature fueled her passion as they brought the works of authors and poets to life in the lecture rooms. This tension also occurred outside of the university walls as she shared her interest in Literature with secondary students by teaching on Saturdays.

With her newfound love for Communications Studies she also seized any opportunity to explore its many sects. When her lecturer introduced a competition that would allow a student to take part in the 12th gathering of The Caribbean Media Exchange in Puerto Rico she immediately entered. She was awarded a partial fellowship which provided her with the opportunity to visit a new country, voice her concerns as a youth representative of Trinidad and Tobago and to network with other youth delegates, media personnel and professionals of other Caribbean islands.

Kailash is pursuing her career in the field of Communication Studies. She plans to continue her studies abroad by doing a M.A. Communications Studies before returning to work and completing a Masters thesis part time.

She attributes her success to support from family, friends and teachers, both at The UWI and at St. Joseph’s Convent in San Fernando, who inspired and encouraged her.