SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER, 2017 – UWI TODAY
13
CAMPUS NEWS
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
The Power of Student Solidarity
Meet Guild President Jonathan St. Louis Nahous
B Y S H Y V O N N E W I L L I A M S
The UWI Guild of Students
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.
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 somany approvals to seek. He’s aware that most students
don’t appreciate why somany 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 thatThe 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 GuildCouncil andmotivate
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 anMSc 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”.
Shyvonne Williams is a Marketing and Communications Officer at the University’s Marketing and Communications Office.
