 Jonathan St. Louis Nahous is serious about leadership. He looks the part, talks the part and when we met past 4.30 on a Thursday afternoon, he was neatly dressed in business attire – tie pin and all – working diligently at his desk in the Guild Office on campus. It seemed real. He’s articulate and formal, but engaging. After a string of career-related questions, I had to remind him that he wasn’t supposed to be interviewing me.
Maybe it’s because he is a Psychology graduate, but the questioning signaled that he’s a good listener and is genuinely interested in people.
In 2014, while doing pre-qualification courses at the Open Campus for his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Jonathan led his class in protesting an exam. They won. That showed him the power students have by standing together and speaking up on issues, but he assured me that it’s not always about fighting with the administration.
Following the protest, his friends encouraged him to run for the Student Guild Council, so he nominated himself. “I ran for the Faculty of Social Sciences Representative and lost.” He laughed, telling me that in hindsight he sees that he needed time to develop his leadership skills and understand the workings of the Guild Council and the University system.
When Jonathan moved to the St. Augustine Campus he joined the Peer Counseling Association and in a twist of fate, was selected President. He built relationships at the Campus and the experience piqued his interest in student representation. It gave him insight into the challenges students face; the most common being family, financial and relationships.
“There are so many students going through the university system who need people to recognise that they need assistance and many students don’t realise the University actually invests in trying to build strong support systems for them.”
He was President of the Peer Counseling Association for two years; during the second year, he ran again for a position on the Guild Council and became the Evening and Part-time Students’ Representative, straddling both roles. Following those stints, he contested a position on the Guild Council again and was voted Treasurer. Now he’s President, after being appointed in March this year.
This is Jonathan’s third year on the Guild Council. He believes the experiences from the previous positions prepared him for being President and it was important to work his way up. He felt he had paid his dues. He has interacted with almost all the student groups and key administrative offices at the St. Augustine Campus and is well known.
“Campaigning for Guild President was focused on reminding people: if you want to see things go a certain way and if you want me to be there, then vote for me,” he said.
The 2017 campaign for the Student Guild Council President saw him and his colleagues and friends – the former President and Vice President – competing against each other; each thinking he was the best person for the job.
The outcome of the campaign: Jonathan won 1155 votes, which was 30% more than his nearest competitor and 60% more than the previous President. They are still friends, he says.
As a Psychology graduate, he said he’s using himself as a study subject for what a good leader is. He identifies his mother as his moral compass, adding that he had strong role models in both parents, but his mom’s influence stands out, as he spent more time with her during his life.
“She has always been someone who tries to do things the right way and encourage my sister and me to make decisions that can be held up to scrutiny. Even getting into childhood mischief, she would always remind us that what you do in the dark always comes to light.” It’s his personal credo.
Despite his experience, the magnitude of being President weighs on him: how much is at stake and how many students depend on him to give them a voice. “It’s definitely humbling.” Also now more apparent to him is how bureaucratic the University system is, which he likens to the local public sector. He said even at the Guild level, there are many departments and offices to collaborate with and so many approvals to seek. He’s aware that most students don’t appreciate why so many initiatives or decisions take so long to come to fruition. A lot of his time is spent attending meetings with campus administration or students.
It does not daunt him.
“My team is amazing,” he says. He believes that the chemistry on the current Guild Council is the most impressive that he’s seen, noting that he can make this observation comparatively without suggesting anything about previous Councils. “We’re all very lucky that we’re on the Council with each other. We have so many different strengths and so many different personalities and I really feel like we have a complete, properly functioning Guild machine…We’re all working together to help each other to help the students.”
He adds that The UWI staff support is also very strong.
“My vision for the Guild Council is to be a group of students who understands what other students need and apply the resources we have to helping them become what they want to be.”
He says because of this, the Guild Council members have a responsibility as role models. Within this year as President, he hopes to see the students have a higher level of confidence in the purpose of the Guild Council and motivate students to be more engaged and to hold the university to higher standards.
He stays accessible. Responding to students’ concerns and managing issues on weekends is the norm. He believes keeping the lines of communication open is important for any elected representative. But he says he’s a homebody and “a bit reclusive.” The 25-year-old who was raised in Arima said he enjoys quiet time, watching comedies, horrors or psych thrillers and reading or spending time with his family, admitting to enjoying his family more as he’s growing older. He also works out and recently found joy in running around the Queen’s Park Savannah – even in the rain.
In this new academic year, he begins an MSc in Strategic Leadership. In addition to leadership, he’s passionate about helping those who are unable to help themselves, so plans after University include some type of community service. He established a service project more than a year ago, called Hands for Hope which has been adopted by the current Guild Council.
When asked whether he sees himself in politics in the future, he paused, “It’s something to consider”.
All students enrolled in courses at UWI are automatically members of the Guild of Students.
The Guild Council is a group elected by the rest of the student body. It comprises an executive – led by a president – Hall chairpersons, faculty representatives and special committee chairpersons, such as national and international affairs, student activities, post-graduate and part-time and evening representatives.
Shyvonne Williams is a Marketing and Communications Officer at the University’s Marketing and Communications Office.
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