Top matriculant is not the prize you envision when preparing for CSEC and CAPE exams, but this was icing on the cake for Deyzha Carr a year after receiving her results.
Now a first-year student of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, 17-year-old Carr was feted for her outstanding achievement at The UWI St Augustine's 17th Annual Matriculation and Welcome Ceremony on September 18 at the Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC).The event formally welcomed new students of the 2019/2020 intake as members of the university. On behalf of her peers, Carr affirmed her acceptance into the academic community by ceremonially signing the Matriculation Register. Already awed by earning the honour of top matriculant, Carr was even more surprised by the grandeur and scale of the ceremony. "I had to sign the register – I thought, yes, I can do this. And going up on stage, everybody was congratulating me; it was very surprising. Even then I didn't really know how much of a big deal it was, but I was very thankful for the opportunity."
Newly enrolled students at the St Augustine Campus were welcomed with an address by Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal. Jerry Medford, President of The UWI Alumni Association, T&T Chapter also delivered words of inspiration to the undergraduates. Recently appointed Campus Registrar Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill chaired the prestigious event, which masterfully imbued the theme ‘Keeping the "Great West Indian Tradition" Alive.'
Carr spoke of a moment of private celebration prior to gracing the stage, where she was commended by the Campus Principal and other distinguished academic staff. "My family has this thing – when I receive good news, first I would celebrate with them, so they had a little thanksgiving thing for me."
The students united their voices with The UWI Arts Chorale of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) to perform the University Song, according to ceremony tradition. President of the Guild of Students Justin Subero led the student body in a solemn recital of the Academic Vow, officially pledging their commitment to academic excellence and integrity.An alumna of Holy Faith Convent in Penal, Carr obtained nine grade ones at CSEC level and five grade ones at the CAPE level. She shared her method for success:
"Firstly, you need to prioritise your work over everything else.... So, you need to pace yourself from day one. You can't let anyone distract you."
"Don't forget about your co-curricular activities, clubs, and volunteering. That's very important to get into UWI. They don't only want your academics. You must be well-rounded."
"You can make friends that way. You can find passions that way that can tie into your career, and also it's very important for building your résumé, and building your portfolio to submit to whatever university you want to go to," she says.
For Deyzha, these activities took the form of playing guitar, being active in the St Vincent de Paul Club, participating in NGC Sanfest and the Global Young Leaders Conference, and debating. As per faculty entry requirements, she prepared an autobiographic sketch outlining the reasons for her career choice, and described skipping kindergarten and heading straight to primary school, always remaining two years younger than her peers.
"From a young age, my mom always used to read to me, even though I didn't understand what she was saying. But one day I just started reading. From then on they pushed me because they realised I had a talent for learning."
Her self-imposed discipline derives from her academically inclined parents and siblings, and from her Holy Faith teachers – her "little HFC family."
"My teacher Miss Mohammed used to say 'pre-read and post-read'. You know your teacher is going to do this particular topic, you pre-read it, and when the teacher is done, you post-read it and you make your notes."
She's never veered from her love for medicine, and now joins all of her siblings in the medical field. The fresher’s first weeks’ experience has been a smooth transition. She’s had the support of her old friends who are studying medicine too, and that of senior students, helpful with schoolwork and advice.
In 2018, Carr took part in the Global Young Leaders Conference, which ignited a spark of interest in her for “the merging of medicine and humanitarianism.” She cites working with Doctors Without Borders as one of her long- term goals, which she hopes to do after specialising in either neurosurgery or orthopaedics.
Based on the trajectory Carr has blazed up to now, it seems that there is no limit to what she will accomplish and where she can go. Her temperate nature, well suited to her calling, matched with an extraordinary mindset for success will surely make her one to watch in the next generation of medical professionals arising from Trinidad and Tobago.
