New St Augustine Guild Council promises advocacy, community, and a festive and fulfilling return to campus life
The 2025/2026 UWI St Augustine Guild of Students Council.
Growing up in a Trini household, an up-and-coming youngster can find many valuable life lessons at the communal all fours table. Patience—to know when to put down the perfect card. Communication—to figure out what your partner is trying to signal to you without alerting your opponents. Strategy. Trust. Determination. But for Vedanand Hargobin, the card game had another lesson. It was the catalyst for his path to The UWI Student Guild presidency.
“I first signed up for the Guild almost as a joke,” says Hargobin with a laugh. As a first year Chemistry student, he was an avid card player. “There was this group that really wanted an all fours tournament, so they told me to run... and get that tournament set up for them. I ran. I didn’t win, but it opened an entire new world of things I had never imagined being a part of.”
Now studying International Relations at the postgraduate level, Hargobin’s journey through student government has brought him to lead the current Guild Council, where he has been since May of this year. Alongside him is Anoula Archer, who made her way to the position of Vice President as a second year undergraduate student while pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
“My story isn’t as good as Ved’s with the cards,” Archer jokes. But she does have a unique tale. After all, how many year one students decide to run for student leadership?
“When I tell people that I’m in the Guild, especially last year when I was a part of the Guild Council, they were shocked. Everybody said, why would you join the Guild in year one?”
Although their stories are different, both found themselves in leadership positions because of an urge to listen to their fellow students and ensure they were heard.
“I spoke to students and I heard all of their feedback on the things they needed, and I was like, I’m going to be that change. And I ran, and I lost,” says Archer.
Losing their first election is another thing the two have in common. But they didn’t give up. Now, for the past few months, they have been heading the Guild as it faces a unique time in history.
Over the past half-decade, the campus has gone through many transitions, and the role of the Guild Council has had to change. Through the COVID lockdown period, and now in a post-lockdown world, the campus is regaining its social momentum. For the Council team, they are aware that their job is to usher in this new era along with other important issues during their tenure. These include encouraging Guild members to be more actively involved in social issues and pushing students to think about life after campus. But while they’re on campus, building community requires bringing the student body together.
The Council is fresh off of a successful Guild Fest, which falls under Archer’s portfolio. The event is usually a showcase of UWI life for new students, allowing them to get acquainted with the many clubs, associations, support services, and of course, the Guild Council.
“I worked with an amazing team,” says Archer. One of her ideas was the inclusion of an old-school (so to speak) bazaar, giving students a chance to relive their childhood with nostalgic games like ring toss and giant jenga.
“It was definitely something that the students needed after the past two years that we have had,” she says.
The theme for this year was “House of the Pelican”, she says, “because this space, UWI, is your house. There are so many different rooms, and we want you to find your space.”
Strengthening and supporting the growth of campus life are part of why these types of events are so important to the Guild team. But it’s not just about having fun. Hargobin stresses the importance of students feeling heard.
“It’s important that students have a seat at the table,” he says, “because at the end of the day, they are the biggest stakeholders on campus.”
He hopes that his team will be able to bridge the gap between the needs of the students and the ways campus administration can help facilitate them.
“The most important thing,” says Archer, “is that we get data, and we’re able to bring it to who needs to see it and address it effectively.”
It’s part of what the incoming Guild Council described during their installation ceremony in May, when Hargobin noted that their aim is to work alongside the administration towards a common goal.
