December 2015


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My name is Jael Davis and it is an honour, one that I will be eternally grateful for, to be the Valedictorian of the Faculty of Social Sciences graduation class 2015. My fellow graduates, this is your morning! I invite you to stand, look at the person next to you, and tell them, ‘we started from the bottom, now were here!’ Congratulations!\

You did it!

Today marks the successful end of one chapter in the lives of many students. To the many individuals who have brought us to this successful end, I say to you a heartfelt thank you! I give God thanks and praise this morning because I believe that my faith in him is what brought me here and what got me through the past three years.

My fellow graduates, we are excited and we have every reason to be but as we turn the last page of this chapter in our lives and anticipate the first page of the next chapter; I encourage you to reflect on the following terms.

Faith - St. Augustine proposed that “Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

I strongly believe that our presence at the Sport and Physical Education Centre, St. Augustine this morning on the 23rd of October, 2015 is the result of yes, the long hours of hard work we put in, but also the result of the faith that we had over the past few years. The faith that we had in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago who provided us with GATE, the faith that we had in our principal, deans, lecturers, professors, and other academic and administrative staff who ensured that we leave The University of the West Indies with not just a certificate stating our degree, but with an education, which according to Nelson Mandela is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world.

We must also reflect on the faith that we had in our loving parents, spouses and other family members who have guided us and supported us throughout this life changing journey; the faith that we had in our study buddies who ensured that we kept our sanity while attempting to absorb information at two o’ clock in the morning and last, but most certainly not least, the faith that we had in ourselves. This is the faith that has brought us here; the faith that they say has the power to take you anywhere.

What about fear?

A word we, graduates may know all too well. For during our last few years at The University of the West Indies, we have feared the chances of walking into a pop quiz on a Monday morning, we became fearful when lecturers would stress that very few students receive A’s in their courses. Many of our graduates who are from South and other Caribbean islands may have feared that they would not survive living on their own perhaps because their Mom or Dad was not there to cook the famous Sunday lunch. What about the evening and part time students who feared that they could not joggle work and school? We have feared not reaching in time to get a parking spot close to our examination room (then of course, if we were in the wrong car park, we would have had to fear getting clamped). I know that for many of us, our deepest fear would be to hear our Lecturer say, okay Group work for this Assignment! We have undoubtedly feared that our GPA will drop with the change in the GPA system; some of us may have even feared that we would not make it to this day. We may have feared so much throughout our journey at the University of the West Indies, but Franklin Roosevelt tells us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

I may say a lot this morning and I acknowledge that we are so overwhelmed with joy that some of what I say may go through one ear and come out of the next but my fellow graduates, I hope that you listen to me when I say; there is not enough room for both faith and fear in our minds and hearts, we must choose one. As we enter the world of work, continue with studies, and move on to another chapter in our lives, it is time that we overcome this fear, and guess what fellow graduates? The tool to overcoming this fear that pulls us back from living freely and confidently is free of charge.

This tool is FAITH.

Some people will try to discourage us, they will tell us we can only go so far. My fellow graduates, we can go as far as we want. Believe in yourself and go forth with faith.

We are the graduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences and ironically, the word on campus is that students in our faculty tend to be the most sociable. We can smile today knowing that we have formed so many new friendships, learnt so many new cultures and some of us may have even met our life partners. Many memories are left at our famous Student Activity Centre, the loud screams and UWI chants for the different teams at our most recent UWI games will echo in our lives forever.

Social science is indeed known to be the scientific study of human society, social relationships and interaction, and today my fellow graduates, we can definitely attest to engaging in many social interactions throughout our journey at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. However, this definition of social science has a more important implication. It is a reminder that we must now impart the knowledge that we have all gained to impact our communities and societies helping to rebuild the foundation to bring about a better Caribbean region.

Over the past four months, I have had the privilege of working with the Victim and Witness Support Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. During this period, I heard the cries of a mother whose son was murdered in her home while she was asleep. I intervened with several children who were brought by their parents to the Police Station deemed ‘beyond control’ because in our society, there is reason to suggest that the children are becoming the parents. I listened to an unemployed mother who struggled to provide for her children after leaving her abusive common-law husband. I saw the fear in the eyes of a ten-year-old as he spoke about the children who had bullied him at school. This is reality! These are the issues that face our Caribbean region. So today, graduates I ask you, what are you going to do with this powerful weapon called education that is now in your hands?

Often enough I have been asked what do you want to do in the future. Why are you attending University? I am guilty of having answered: I would like to get my doctorate in Clinical Psychology because I want my own private practice, because the last thing I would want is to work for someone for the rest of my life. I would also like to be well-off with a husband with four boy children because I believe that boys are easier to raise than girls and I want to travel the world and live life to the fullest. What an answer! An answer with a lot of I, I, I. The ‘why’ behind our aspirations often become all about us.

We entered The University of the West Indies and chose our courses of study based on our aspirations to become political scientists, social workers, accountants, economists, the list goes on. Do not get lost in these titles because that’s all they are, titles! Do not become so preoccupied with what you want to become that you overlook your impact on society. This morning my fellow graduates, I congratulate you again but I encourage you to remember your purpose as you go forward; reflect on how you are going to contribute to changing lives in our beloved Caribbean region and by extension, the universe. Dr. Eric Williams stated that ‘whatever the challenge that faces you, from whichever quarter, place always first the national interest and the national cause!’ Today I say I would like to be a Clinical Psychologist because like you, my hope is to make a difference; I understand that our society cannot be productive if our citizens do not have healthy minds.

Are you going to be the lecturer or the person who understands the value of education and strives towards teaching the young people of our region to think intensively and critically? Are you going to be the entrepreneur whose main goal is to maximize profit or are you going to be the person who ensures that your product will enhance the well-being of all citizens?

This morning I leave you to decide; what do you want to do? What do you want to be? And is it just for you? Or is it for the betterment of humanity?

Thank You!