The brown pelican sits atop the university crest. Members of the campus community refer to themselves as proud pelicans. It’s quite fitting that this year’s top matriculant has ambitions of flight himself.
“I hope to pursue a career in aerospace, whether it be in Caribbean Airlines, Lockheed Martin, or Boeing,”says 19-year- old Rhys Samsundar, an Electrical and Computer Engineering student from the Faculty of Engineering. “Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the mechanics of flight and focussed many of my hobbies around the topic.
Top matriculant Rhys Samsundar signs the Academic Register while Campus Registrar Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill and Senior Administrative Assistant (Student Affairs) Mr Garth Jones look on.
“From researching different aerofoil shapes to building model flight-capable planes, the idea of flight thrills me. One of my greatest goals is to be able to say that I contributed towards innovation in the field of aerospace.”
Rhys has already demonstrated his ability to set and achieve goals. A graduate of Naparima College, he obtained 10 ones at both the CSEC and CAPE, achieving rank 1 regional merit placing in CSEC Literature and Math, and rank 1 regional merit in Physics at CAPE.
“The future belongs to those who prepare,” he says, paraphrasing a quote from Malcolm X that inspires him. But his greatest inspirations are much closer to home:
“My parents,” he says. “My mother, a hard-working and bold woman, has always inspired me to speak up for what I believe is right and has consistently supported me through. My father, a problem-solver and ambitious man, never hesitates to remind me to aim for the stars. Together, they both inspire me, and I am thoroughly grateful for it.”
Family in general is very important to Rhys. Born and raised in the rural area of Quinam, Siparia in south Trinidad, he comes from a fairly large extended family that live close together on the same street. His immediate family also includes my grandparents and little brother, who also attends Naparima College and motivates him in a different way.
“I hope to serve as not only a role model but also a guide in his academic life,” Rhys says. “He is a big part of why I strongly advocate for ensuring the next generation can make well-informed decisions on their fields of study. I want him to not only enjoy what he studies but also where his studies take him.”
This advocacy takes the form of investing his time and effort as a coordinator of the Naparima College Big Brother programme and the South Sixth Formers’ Association Services (SFAS).
Intense studies, mentorship—you’d think that would be more than enough for a young high achiever. It wasn’t for Rhys. He is also a volunteer with the Pointe-à-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, driven by his connection to Quinam and its beauty.
He describes cocoa, coffee and citrus estates, and “wildlife such as red-bellied macaws and red-howler monkeys”. Growing up in such a setting caused him to “develop a fondness for nature” and become concerned by the “notable decrease” in flora and fauna over the years. He volunteers “hoping to make even a miniscule contribution to the preservation of local wildlife”.
Now, Rhys has embarked on his journey of higher education, bringing his ambitions and his proven ability to achieve them to a new setting, one that has helped to refine many of our region’s greatest and highest achievers. If he continues on his trajectory, he’ll be soaring alongside them one day.
