The University of the West Indies Open Campus, Anguilla, made yet another mark in its pomp and ceremony display as it staged a formal ceremony of recognition for its most recent graduates. The event took place last Thursday afternoon, February 15th, at the Church of God (Holiness).
The occasion featured all the trimmings of graduation ambiance as, at 4:37 p.m. the graduates began a processional entry down the aisle to the tune of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Pastor Philip Gumbs offered a passionate prayer in which he gave the Lord thanks for enabling the graduates to succeed through their long journey of learning in the pursuit of excellence against the odds. He also asked a special blessing on the lone male graduate and prayed that more males would take up the challenge of the pursuit for knowledge in future years.
The program was moderated by Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks who is the Manager of UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories. During her formal welcome, she paid special recognition to the presence of HE Governor, Mr. Tim Foy; Ministers of Government, including Hon. Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks; Hon. Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge; and Government Officials including Mrs. Evalie Bradley, as well as other Heads of Government Departments. She also made special recognition of UWI Pelicans present – those senior UWI students, such as Mr. Colville Petty OBE, who had pioneered studying at UWI in Jamaica in the former years.
Dr. Fleming-Banks then explained: “Every year, the Chancellor of the University of the West Indies conducts a formal graduation ceremony in one of the non-campus territories for open campus graduates. In addition, UWI open campus country sites around the region also hosts local graduation ceremonies to honor their local graduates. While these smaller ceremonies cannot replace the main one, they allow our graduates to publicly share their accomplishments with those who have been most instrumental to them on their academic journey. So, today, we join in celebrating and applauding the accomplishments of our 2017 graduates.
“To be celebrated and recognized is important,” Dr. Fleming-Banks noted, “but it is especially rewarding and honoring to be celebrated in your own country. So this ceremony is a fitting culmination of the hard work and sacrifices of our twenty newest alumni. To the family, friends and mentors who have come out to witness this special occasion in the lives of our graduates, we salute and applaud you. Your support has been instrumental in their success, and this is your proud moment as well.”
In sharing special greetings and compliments for the graduates, the Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, told them: “It is truly a pleasure to be afforded the privilege of personally congratulating all of you who have successfully completed your course of study at the UWI Open Campus. As we know, in our region UWI is synonymous with quality education. It has built a solid reputation over several decades for its high standards, not only with regard to its expectations of its students, but also the requirements for its faculty. As such, once you have a certificate with the UWI brand, regardless of the campus at which you studied, you can rest assure that you have been measured by, and met, the most rigorous of standards.
“If you look across the world, you would recognize that the success of any country is inextricably linked to the education of its citizens. If we are to truly build a better Anguilla, ensuring that our people have access to quality education is not an option but it is a necessity. It is heartening that so many of you have made a decision to further your education and by doing so, you have not only invested in your own advancement, but also the advancement of your country. So graduates, I simply say to you, congratulations. As the ‘good book’ says: ‘you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, and you have kept the faith.’ Congratulations again, and may you continue to soar.”
Next, it was time for the feature address which was rendered by Dr. Maglan Lewis who was recently endowed with the honor of a doctorate of Business Administration at the Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. Upon introducing her, Dr. Fleming-Banks ascribed to her the words: “tenacious, dedicated, hard-working and compassionate”. She expressed the view that Ms. Lewis is a daughter of the soil who epitomizes perseverance.
She lauded Ms. Lewis by stating: “With a broad range of experiences that include accounting, auditing, banking, teaching, and management, she currently serves as Deputy Director at the Anguilla Social Security Board. Her passion for excellence in education has resulted in a number of academic achievements, with accolades, including a diploma in Hospitality Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, a Masters in Business Administration and, most recently, a Doctorate in Business Administration from UWI’s Cave Hill Campus.”
After congratulating the graduates, Ms. Lewis said in part: “As I prepared to make this address, I asked myself how is it that a little girl who had such fear to sing with the children’s choir, in so much that her father would have taken her away from the church to console her, would now stand here today. Today, I stand before you as a prime example that you don’t have to allow your insecurities to get in the way of what you can achieve.”
Speaking directly to the graduates she said: “As the theme of the graduation reminds you, ‘The World Awaits You; Go Forth’. You have armed yourselves with this wonderful tool called education. But your education does not stop here. Let this milestone mark a new beginning – a new era in your lives. You will have dreams and aspirations, and new opportunities will present themselves to you. But choose wisely. Whatever your choice might be with regard to your next step, I urge you not to be random in charting your course. As you go forth into the world, set goals for yourself, and prepare to work hard to achieve them.”
Evidently, Ms. Lewis was encouraging the graduates to continue on the journey of educating themselves — not just being contented enough to stop at relishing their achievements of the hour. In further motivating them, she quoted the familiar song by Yolanda Adams which goes: ‘never give up, don’t give up on you.’ “There are no ceilings,” she noted, “the sky is the limit.”
Next, Mrs. Fleming-Banks, aided by UWI’s Alumni Representative, Ms. Tesia Harrigan, presented the graduates with their certificates, diplomas and degrees. Following that, the entire group of graduates passionately joined in the song “Keep the Dream Alive” admirably led by Natasha Allwaters and Amalya Adams, with musical accompaniment by Perry Hughes.
A graduate response was made by Mrs. Landia Richardson-Hodge who, thanks to UWI, holds a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance with first-class honors. She stressed: “I recount my own personal journey to and through the University of the West Indies Open Campus. It was one filled with fear and much trepidation. But my decision to enroll was largely based on my upbrining and the values instilled by my parents, Albertus and Lolita Richardson. They always told my siblings and me to use every opportunity to advance ourselves. And they always rose to assist us on every occasion when we dared to do so.
“For a long time, I suppressed the yearnings to pursue a tertiary education. As time passed, a war ensued within me. I battled with fear, but I emerged the winner. A few months later, I threw myself in at the deep end.”
She said her supportive parents provided her with a computer, and she was resolved not to turn back, but to take on the challenge with which she had so long struggled. She reflected upon how elated she was after receiving notice that her application was accepted for enrollment.
“During my four years of instruction, she recounted, “I experienced triumph, setbacks, and defeat.” She noted that one such defeat came when she had failed one of her courses, but she could not succumb to discouragement because she gained stellar encouragement from her seven year old daughter who reminded her of the poem, ‘You Can Do It’”. It was a poem Landia had received in 2013, she said, and often referred to it when she became depressed. Indeed, Landia ‘did it’ and, like all her fellow graduates, she has become the recipient of a rich reward for her efforts in her educational advancement.
The Vote of Thanks was given by fellow-graduate Keturah Thomas who attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies with distinction. Following, the UWI Alumni pledge was recited, and UWI officials and the honored graduates then filed out in recession to tune “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson.
The Anguillan extends hearty congratulations to all those who have graduated and wishes them every success in their future pursuits.
