December 2015


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Firstly, I must express heartfelt gratitude to the staff of The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, for granting me this golden opportunity to address all gathered here as the Valedictorian for the Faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture for the year 2015. I am extremely humbled by this honour.

As a young girl it was no surprise to see persons living in dilapidated houses confronted daily with the risk of hunger, high school drop-outs roaming the streets and even grown men and women who were unable to read and write. I learnt at that tender age that education was the passport to my future. I decided that someway, somehow my story would be different. From the streets of Roxborough, to the corridors of Bishop’s High School, Tobago, to the quadrangle of the premiere educational institution in the West Indies; for me, one thing remained true, you cannot control the variables, but you can definitely control your perspective; and it is your perspective that makes the difference because how we think determines who we are and who we will become.

My story is no different from most of you, my colleagues gathered here this morning. For all of us, studying at The University of the West Indies and being able to graduate here today is an affirmation of our diligence, a testament of our resilience and a dream come true. If no friend has messaged you on Whatsapp, Facebook or Skype to say it as yet, let me be the first to say, “Congratulations, You did it!”

This morning’s graduation ceremony provides us with an opportunity to celebrate what we have achieved, reflect on the journey we endured and put things into perspective as we get ready to launch into a world of unlimited possibilities. This ceremony, not only marks the end of our undergraduate experience here at The University of the West Indies but a new beginning for all of us. Renowned US novelist and spoken-word performer, Williams S. Burroughs believed that “The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.” My fellow graduates, bearing this is mind, I ask you two questions, what are the values that we learnt here at the UWI? And how have we internalized these values and made them principles that guide our behaviour? While doing some reflection of my own I discovered some of these values that I wish to share with you today.

Speaking at his inauguration in June of this year, our Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles highlighted that “our beloved UWI was built and sustained in order to serve the people of the Caribbean and beyond. It is a Caribbean university, we are a Caribbean people. We are one people, a unified civilization.” These words resonated within me because for far too long many of us have fostered feelings of being apart and different from other Caribbean territories.

From childhood we would have heard statements that boast of our individual country’s uniqueness and superiority and what resulted was insularity as opposed to tolerance and appreciation of each other. My fellow graduands, from our discussions in classrooms at the Frank Stockdale Building, to working in groups, to sharing a kit0chen on hall with students from across the Caribbean, this UWI experience has provided us with a unique opportunity to learn, live, work, study and play with our fellow Caribbean people. We leave this institution with friends from Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Antigua, St. Lucia, Belize and many others. We leave this institution with a better understanding of ourselves as Caribbean people. And in this regard, The University of the West Indies has fulfilled its mandate in bringing together the most brilliant minds in the Caribbean and highlighting our similarities while simultaneously dismantling the idea of “otherness” when we think of our Caribbean counterparts. This change in perspective that we now have as graduates, must directly impact on how we work together to find solutions for the socio-economic issues that still plague the Caribbean.

Over the past three years I had the privilege of living in the most amazing place on the UWI St. Augustine Campus, my home away from home, Milner Hall of residence. While there, I often found myself and many of my classmates who are present here today, engaged in long discussions about our faculties and future professions. I was once told, “ask any Caribbean parent what occupation they would choose for their child, I bet you, none of the top five answers would be related to agriculture.” Before I could start to critically assess the statement another friend said, “And please don’t say I just want to study Biology or Chemistry, because then they will say, well then why not become a medical doctor.”

Jim Carrey the comedian once said something very profound; and it was this: “the decisions we make in this life are based either out of love or fear. Many of us choose our path out of fear cleverly disguised as practicality.”

My colleagues I applaud you for choosing your passion, for choosing your path out of love, for choosing to major in Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Computer Science and the various other offerings of our two faculties because we are indeed vital to the continued development of the Caribbean and its people.

According to ecologist and environmentalist Allan Redin Savory, “Without agriculture it is impossible to have a city, stock market, bank, university, church or even army. Agriculture is the foundation of civilization and any stable economy.” Therefore, the contribution of food, agriculture and technology professionals to advancing food safety and security and working towards to healthier people everywhere cannot and must not be understated or trivialized. Therefore, as graduates of the class of 2015, our role is an important one. The Caribbean and the world is awaiting our innovations. Think of this Bachelor of Science degree as your golden ticket to contribute to your country, your region and the world.

Apart from recognizing the values of Caribbean integration and the importance of food, agriculture, science and technology professionals, this journey also taught us the value of persistence and patience. It took persistence to pass courses like Biostatistics and Microeconomics; it took persistence to keep trying to understand and successfully navigate SPSS; it took patience dealing with difficult group members; and I think that we can all agree that it required persistence and patience to endure the rigours of applying for GATE. These are the experiences we must never forget. Remember these moments, because these moments will remind you that “you” did this. You completed this journey. Look at all you have accomplished today and use it as fuel to venture forth.

Graduates, we also learned the value of gratitude. I think we can all attest to having those friends who stayed up with us during the night to complete assignments, and those roommates who woke us up so that we would not miss our exams. Those parents who called us to pray, reminded us to eat properly and worked tirelessly to support us financially. To all of the aforementioned people, a heartfelt thank you, today is your day also because you have witnessed the fruit of investing your time, money and concern.

I could continue for many more hours on the values we have learnt here but for now, I ask you to internalize the four that I spoke about this morning, The value of recognizing, celebrating and working toward Caribbean integration, the value of our role as scientists, the value of persistence and patience and most importantly the value of gratitude.

Class of 2015, never stop learning, never allow anyone or anything to deter you from taking those first steps to achieving your goals, never be afraid to make mistakes or to fail, never stop looking for ways to contribute and give back to society because, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. Look back and contemplate on the person you were in your 1st year, and then assess the person you are today. That is something truly worth celebrating. What I want to wish upon you is happiness. Pour your heart and soul into everything you do – be honest, and work hard.

In the words of Paul Hawken, “You are brilliant and the Earth is hiring.”

I am Ronique Thomas and I thank you for this opportunity and your attention.