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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 6TH DECEMBER, 2015
HONORARY GRADUATE
HOLLIS CHARLES
On Being Human
“The century in which you will grow old will see equally now unbelievable advances in human
biology.
The mapping of the human genome which was completed in 2003 was a milestone in human
development. Of greater significance however was the decision to distribute that information
freely to all the world. The results of that decision are already beginning to trickle in. Growing of
rudimentary body parts is already commonplace. This month the growth of a prototype kidney was
announced and gene editing is the new frontier. The trickle will become a flood and will create in
your century, a world that will be miraculous.
Not all of it will be pretty. Monsters will be created. Why? Because whatever can be done,
will be done. The first monsters will appear in sport. Why? Because sport is entertainment and
entertainment will continue to be the biggest business in the world.
You will have to be part of answering some of the most fundamental ethical questions about
what being human really means. The next 100 years could very well become the most important
period in human history.”
VALEDICTORIAN
RONIQUE THOMAS
A Passport and a Ticket
“As a young girl it was no surprise to see persons living in dilapidated houses confronted daily
with the risk of hunger, high school drop-outs roaming the streets and even grown men and women
who were unable to read and write. I learnt at that tender age that education was the passport to
my future. I decided that someway, somehow my story would be different. From the streets of
Roxborough to the corridors of Bishop’s High School, Tobago, to the quadrangle of the premiere
educational institution in the West Indies; for me, one thing remained true, you cannot control the
variables, but you can definitely control your perspective; and it is your perspective that makes the
difference because how we think determines who we are and who we will become.
My story is no different from most of you, my colleagues gathered here this morning. For all
of us, studying at The University of the West Indies and being able to graduate here today is an
affirmation of our diligence, a testament of our resilience and a dream come true.”
FOR FULL ADDRESS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:
ENERGY
UWI GRADUATION CEREMONIES 2015
Faculties of Science and Technology
and Food and Technology
