Mrs Kelian Stedman, The UWI Global Campus 2024 Valedictorian

Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal. Wednesday, October 30, 2024—On Saturday, November 9, 2024, at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus Virtual Graduation Ceremony, Mrs Kelian Stedman, a graduand of the BEd in Educational Leadership and Management (Special) with First Class Honours, will represent the graduating class of 2024 as its Valedictorian.

Mrs Stedman currently serves as a Senior Qualified Teacher with the Ministry of Education in the Commonwealth of Dominica. During her time at the Global Campus, she consistently earned a place on the student honour roll. Her unwavering commitment to education is deeply influenced by its transformative impact on her own life. Coming from humble beginnings, she recognized early on that education was the key to overcoming barriers. This understanding fuels her passion to instil in her students a firm belief in education’s power to change lives. It also motivates her charitable work, as she dedicates herself to supporting the disadvantaged and marginalized within her school and the broader community.

As a teenager, she developed a strong sense of self-awareness, recognizing her creative and expressive talents as key personal strengths. Driven by a desire to use these skills to benefit others, she pursued an associate’s degree in Secondary Education—a decision she holds dear. She has since dedicated her career to education, gaining extensive experience across both primary and secondary/high school levels. Recently, she has taken on leadership roles, including serving as a Form Level Supervisor at her school. In this capacity, she provides guidance to both students and faculty, fostering an environment of academic excellence through her leadership.

Committed to furthering her journey of empowerment, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Inclusive Education. Mrs. Stedman’s experiences at UWI have ignited a passion for law and justice within the education sector. Her goal is to promote diversity, equality, and equity in Caribbean schools, advocating for these values to become central to the education system.

In her personal life, she is sociable and family-oriented, finding fulfilment in meaningful interactions. Passionate about motivational and inspirational writing, she eagerly anticipates publishing her first inspirational work in 2025.

As is customary, Mrs Stedman will deliver the Valedictory Speech at the Graduation Ceremony on behalf of her fellow graduates from across the Region. The UWI Global Campus is honoured to have assisted Mrs Stedman in pursuing her lifelong aspirations. We celebrate her remarkable academic achievement and extend our best wishes for continued success in her future endeavours. Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Global Campus, Dr Francis Severin asserts that, “Mrs Stedman’s account of her modest origins and her advancement to where she is now, precisely underscores the ethos and spirit, and indeed actions of the Global Campus and its predecessors of leaving no one behind.”  Dr Severin continued, “The Global Campus, formerly the Open Campus, has never shirked its responsibility and has never let down any country, in spite of its severe resource and financial constraints. Our Valedictorian of the 2024 Class is living testament to that fact.” He congratulates her on behalf of the Global Campus Senior Management Team.

Staff, students, alumni and other well-wishers across the Region are invited to tune in to the Virtual Graduation Ceremony which will be streamed live via www.uwitv.org and on UWItv’s channels on Flow EVO and Facebook Live from 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Caribbean/AST) | 5:00 p.m. (Jamaica/EST) | 4:00 p.m. (BZE/CST).