SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER, 2016 – UWI TODAY
7
ENERGY
UWI GRADUATION CEREMONIES 2016
VALEDICTORIAN – FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Calvon Charles
Impact the World
“The heights of great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while
their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night” (Henry Longfellow). My UWI story is
encapsulated in this quote as it proved to be a turbulent journey, one of navigating exhilarating highs
and challenging lows.
I am a proud Vincentian, born in January of 1992 to Chiefton and Yvonne Charles. My
appreciation and love for business and management began when I was accepted into the St. Vincent
Boys Grammar School. Academic success continued as I attained all ten CXC subjects I pursued as
well as the four subjects that I studied at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
Upon graduation from the college, I was employed at RBTT Bank St. Vincent Limited from 2010 to
2012. During this time, I learned much about the financial sector of the economy and the nature of
business in St. Vincent and the Caribbean. This prompted me to pursue Management Studies at The
UWI. The dream was to use the knowledge and experience obtained through this programme to
impact the world.
VALEDICTORIAN – FACULTY OF HUMANITIES & EDUCATION
Anne’el Bain
Please Prepare to Step Off the Vessel
Graduating from university was both a celebratory and sobering moment. Completing one level of
my tertiary education was wonderful. However, looking ahead, there is still a great deal left for me to
accomplish and a lot of sacrifice and hard work that will be required.
The privilege that was presenting the valedictory address has not escaped me and indeed it was a
gratifying moment for me. I was quite happy to make my family, friends, classmates, teachers, church
and all the others that comprise my huge support system proud.
The journey of tertiary education is comparable to the stages of a flight: “Ladies and gentlemen, we
have just come to the end of our course and have now arrived at our destination. Please prepare to step
off the vessel.” The boarding period was that initial phase of enlistment which facilitated our arrival at
this destination. The take-off was where our actual work began and was for many graduates, a rough
period of adjustment. At cruising altitude we had become familiar and comfortable and had mastered
many aspects of university life.
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The messages of two other Valedictorians will be carried in the next issue of
The UWI Today
.
