Roschelle Butters Stoute and Richard Stoute
Fiona Meade
The UWI Open Campus Graduation exercises took place in St. Lucia on Saturday October 11, 2014. One of the highlights included the stirring address from Mr. Claxton Duberry, the Valedictorian who is from Antigua. His story of getting a scholarship at the point where he was about to drop out of the programme for lack of financial support was touching. He explained that he is the first in his family to have had higher education and he earned the BSc. Education with first class honours.
During the ceremony, Honorary Degrees were conferred on two luminaries from the region. Sir Brian Alleyne, elder statesman from Dominica, was conferred with the Doctor of Laws while, parasitologist, Dr. Earl Long from St. Lucia received the Doctor of Science and gave the graduation address. He regaled the audience with stories of his childhood exploits in science including attempting at the tender age of six, to fly with the help of an umbrella. He reminded the graduates of the importance of identifying positive mentors who help to provide the nurturing environment for success at work and in careers..
Nurse Nadine Sweeney
Shaumen Gray
Six of the ten students who completed their studies in Montserrat in the last academic year 2013-2014 attended the graduation ceremony in St. Lucia. They are Roschelle Butters-Stoute who completed the BSc Management Studies with honours, Nemisha Gibbons (BSc. Accounting with honours), Shaumen Gray (BSc. Management Studies with honours), Fiona Meade (BSc Management Studies), Maria Silcott (BSc Management Studies with honours) and Richard Stoute (Bsc Management Studies (Economics Minor with honours). The other four students hope to participate in the local Ceremony to Recognise Graduates that takes place on Wednesday November 26, 2014 at 6.30 pm at the Site in Salem. They are Dolcie Bramble (BSc Management Studies), Karen Carlton (BSc Management Studies with honours), Blondelle O’Garro (BSc. Banking and Finance with honours) and José White who completed the Bed Literacy Studies with First Class Honours. Congratulations are extended to all of the graduates who should be proud of their accomplishments. Understandably, special congratulations are due to José for managing to excel with distinction while working full-time as a primary school teacher.
Maria Silcott
Jose White Primary School Teacher
Also completing her studies while working full-time is Miss Nadine Sweeney who pursued the online BScN (post RN) programme with the UWI School of Nursing. Nadine completed this programme with honours and intends to participate in the local Ceremony to Recognise Graduates.
Montserrat now has 49 graduates who completed their studies without having to leave the island as was required in the past. These persons manage to juggle work, family and community obligations and succeed. They now join the University’s network of more than 120,000 alumni many of whom are highly placed professionals in government and the private sector in the region.
There are new offerings for anyone interested in pursuing studies with the UWI Open Campus Site in Montserrat during the 2015 academic year. There are options for programmes in Banking and Finance, Climate Change, Criminology, Community Policing, Teacher Training, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Social Work and Youth Development Work.
