Every year they seem to get younger, the fresh-faced students in their white shirts, the newest members of St Augustine’s community of the campus. More likely it’s us, the veteran members of that community, who have witnessed this ceremony for years, that have gotten older. But the ceremony itself, Matriculation, the formal process of university entry for new students, never gets old.
Ms Keshma Rampersad, a first year computer science student, and the top matriculant for Academic Year 2024, signs the Matriculant Register as Campus Registrar Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill and Senior Administrative Assistant (Student Affairs) Mr Garth Jones look on. PHOTOS: LIFE VIDEO PRODUCTIONS.
“Today, I feel optimistic and hopeful as I look at you,” says Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Antoine in her welcome address to the new students.
Most of us feel the same way. Despite Its hardships, a career in higher education has the ultimate benefit of constant renewal, of a new beginning every year with new young people on their path (and some older ones on an updated path), and the sense of doing work that uplifts others.
This year’s matriculation ceremony is even more special because it’s bigger. Over 1000 new students are in attendance, filling the great hall of the campus’s Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC). But there’s much more to this accomplishment than crowd size.
For 2024, UWI St Augustine saw an increase in students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, quite a feat in this era of chaotic transformation in higher education. Over 3,000 first year students, representing an estimated 30 countries have come to the campus for Academic Year 2024-2025.
“Your choice to pursue tertiary education despite the trend of decreasing enrolment worldwide means you have taken a significant step toward achieving your potential,” Principal Antoine commended them.
And it wasn’t easy to get here. They may be young, but these students have shown the maturity and work ethic required to overcome the academic hurdles placed before them and meet The UWI’s standards for entry. Among them is top matriculant Ms Keshma Rampersad, who represented the incoming class of 2024 and signed the register on their behalf.
This year, UWI St Augustine saw an increase in students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, quite a feat in this era of chaotic transformation in higher education. Over 3,000 first year students, representing an estimated 30 countries have come to the campus for Academic Year 2024-2025.
“Keshma is an extraordinary student with a passion for technology,” a statement from the campus reads. She is a “recipient of The President’s Medal Gold for Secondary Education 2022. Keshma excelled at Naparima Girls’ High School, where she achieved 12 Grade Ones at both the CSEC and CAPE levels”.
The theme of this year’s matriculation ceremony is “Pelicans: Get Ready to Soar”, a play on The UWI’s avian mascot and our mammalian, human desire to rise, to take on life and succeed, and find our place in the heights of accomplishment. Many UWI pelicans have done it before.
“Today, you’re not just signing a symbolic register,” says Campus Registrar Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill, “you’re signalling your readiness to challenge yourself, to grow, and to contribute to a legacy.”
Watching these fresh-faced attendees in their white, I can’t help but wonder if their place in The UWI’s legacy is on their mind. Not yet, most likely. They seem overwhelmed by the moment – a new space, a new purpose, the beginnings of a new phase in their studies and lives. One day, they will. They’ll be veteran pelicans too. May they find a home in the sky.
