Every year, The UWI becomes a bustling hub of activity as Graduation approaches in October. Staff and students alike are connected in this mad dash towards the final goodbye to the graduating class of the year – writing speeches, coordinating every step of every day, and collecting robes.
And then, it all comes together. And with a deep exhale, it is over.
This year, as the ceremonies unfolded from October 24 to 26, there was a deep sense of community across campus. The students of the graduating class may have all had wildly different experiences throughout their time at The UWI, but for a moment, they were able to come together and recognise the unifying struggles and growth they had all experienced.
While the stories of personal successes are always a mainstay of valedictorian speeches, there was a definite air of resolve about the proceedings as the speakers talked not only of their own journeys and futures, but also of the wider role the graduating class would have in the future of the Caribbean and the world.
Lyan Lagan, representing the Faculty of Social Sciences, noted that, “We are the generation that must create ripples that will protect our planet and leave it better for those who follow. We are the leaders this region needs to intensify Caribbean development, and to ensure the West Indies remains resilient against the forces of globalisation, resilient against the impacts of climate change, and resilient in our determination to succeed.”
Melissa Edwards, valedictorian representing the faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture, also echoed this call to face the myriad regional and global challenges ahead.
“Let us prove that we are a generation like no other, prepared to tackle the world’s most urgent challenges,” she said. “Whether it’s addressing food security and sustainability or driving innovation through new technologies, we are equipped to lead, ensuring our islands not only survive, but thrive for future generations.”
The topic of sustainability was on everyone’s lips – regardless of the field the students were stepping into. There was a sense of urgency to change the way we treat the world around us.
For Koffi Paul, representing the faculties of Engineering and Law, this was an opportunity to declare, “As lawyers and engineers, we will be the ones driving legislation, producing innovative designs and propelling the Caribbean towards sustainability. We will be the next inventors and the ones creating avenues for sustainable and renewable energy to flourish in the Caribbean.”
For those three days, in every corner of the room was a graduate who could make a difference to the region by focusing in on their passion and how that could be utilised for the wider community. Dr Patricia Rodney, who was conferred with the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, spoke of her own journey in service to the communities she has been a part of, and gave the graduating cohort the advice of being passionate about their callings and becoming servant-leaders in their communities.
It seems as though the new graduates are acutely aware of their social responsibility and filled with a fire to take it on.
For the past few years, students on campus have faced challenges like no other generation before. Antoni Mannette, representing the Faculty of Social Sciences, reminisced about their “days on Zoom”, hoping for strong Wi-Fi connections to make it through class, and then re-adjusting to life on campus after the days of isolation during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns.
These students have seen the way changes across the world can deeply affect their own lives, and how vital it is to have strong and resilient communities. As Mannette put it, “Whether your background is in economics, political science, management, social work, or psychology, the one thing that unites us is an understanding of the immense beauty found in human potential explored and expressed collectively. What we yearn for is a Caribbean community filled with individuals operating at their highest capacity.”
Now that this chapter of their lives is over, some may feel that they have a clear path to follow, while others may have a vaguer idea of where they hope to end up. But as Dr Rodney noted, plans are just plans, and life may turn out differently than expected. But once they hold on to their passion and find their way to how that passion can make the world around them better, these bright-eyed graduates can weather any of the storms ahead, and find that where they end up could be exactly where they were meant to be, even if it was not where they thought they were headed.
