First-year students playfully gliding onto campus at the Matriculation and Welcome Ceremony. PHOTO: ADRIEL SALANDY
New and returning students of UWI St Augustine received the warmest of welcomes for the beginning of the new academic year in September. Music, games, food, and fellowship entertained them while information on their programmes of study, student services, and navigating campus life prepared them for the challenging semester ahead.
Together, these events and activities helped the students, especially those in first year, to make the transition to higher education and all it entails.
From September 2, the students were greeted with Guild Fest, the four-day signature event of the UWI St Augustine Guild of Students. Guild Fest 2025’s theme was “House of the Pelican” (the brown pelican represents The UWI and all members of its university community).
“[Guild Fest] was definitely something that the students needed after the past two years we have had,” said Ms Anoula Archer, Vice President of the Guild of Students Council.
Over the past years, campus life has waned due to the pandemic and its aftermath. One of the main purposes of events such as Guild Fest is to recover the spirit of community. Events included the Club, Faculty, and Entrepreneur Expo; a Spiritual and Cultural Night; a culinary competition; and the Parade D’ Cultures among other activities.
Apart from helping new students transition. Guild Fest is also very important for regional and international students to make a home for themselves in Trinidad and Tobago while they pursue their studies, and they represented themselves with vibrant flags and clothing during the festivities emanating from the JFK Quadrangle.
UWI St Augustine’s campus administration held its own events to welcome new students at both formal and fun sessions. On September 18, the Matriculation and Welcome ceremony was held at the Sport and Physical Education Centre (see full article in this issue). The campus’s senior administrators and academics officially welcomed the first year students and gave them messages of encouragement.
“Looking at you now, just beginning your journey, I feel optimistic and hopeful about our future,” Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine addressed them.
“Take this moment to celebrate your achievements that led you to this point, but remember that your role here as Pelicans is to add to our rich legacy. We will equip you with the skills and abilities you need for the real world, but know that your success is not just for you but to make that difference in your communities, the country, and the world.”
The day after, Friday, September 19, the first years traded their white shirts and blouses for UWI Pelicans t-shirts and returned to SPEC for UWI Life, a half-day, fun-filled orientation event. UWI Life included giveaways, games, prizes, food and even a live performance by soca star Nailah Blackman. Jason “JW” Williams and Something Mo’ hosted UWI Life, while DJ Charlotte kept the students, including the St Augustine student dance troupe Spirit Team, moving.
Now that the orientation activities have been completed, students are occupied with classes, projects and coursework. Nevertheless, they have access to a host of support services and a campus community invested in their academic success and personal growth.
“We want to assure you that you are seen, valued and, most of all, home,” said Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill, UWI St Augustine Campus Registrar, at the matriculation ceremony. “Here at The UWI, both your voice and your presence matter.”
Nailah Blackman moves the crowd at UWI Life student orientation. PHOTO: ANEEL KARIM
