Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal. Wednesday, October 16, 2019 – For the first time in The UWI Open Campus history, a mother and daughter graduated on the same day, both with bachelor’s degrees.

Normally parents accompany their children to a graduation ceremony to see them cross the stage, however on Saturday October 12, 2019, the mother-daughter duo from Dominica graduated together.

Mrs Delia Cuffy-Weekes, mother and Ms Natasha Jervier, daughter crossed the Open Campus graduation stage to be acknowledged by Chancellor Robert Bermudez and to receive their respective degrees from Campus Registrar Mrs Karen Ford-Warner. Mother Delia Cuffy-Weekes graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, while daughter Natasha Jervier graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Youth Development Work.

Delia works with the Ministry of Agriculture in Dominica, but embarked on this course of study because of other interest. She explained that very often she is sought after to help people address challenges in their lives and felt the course would better equip her to do something she already does.

“I already do the work, advocacy regarding women in development, care of the elderly, child abuse, I just needed to be certified,” Delia, also a cultural custodian, writer and poet explained. As a result, she decided to pursue the degree in Social Work with the Open Campus.

Natasha is a secondary school teacher in Dominica, but has a keen interest in youth affairs and served as the CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Dominica for the period 2012-2014. Her choice of a degree in Youth Development Work was keeping in line with her interest in youth affairs. She also served as UWI Games Committee Chair and UWI Alumni Chapter Chair for 2014-2016.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus, Dr Luz Longsworth congratulated the duo and expressed, “these are the heart-warming stories that highlight the positive about the work that the Open Campus is doing in the region. We are proud to be empowering people who otherwise would not be able to realize their dream of a quality tertiary education.   

IMAGES:

Photo captions:

1. Mrs Delia Cuffy-Weekes and Ms Natasha Jervier with Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Open Campus, Dr Luz Longsworth
2. Mrs Delia Cuffy-Weekes and Ms Natasha Jervier with Director, Open Campus Country Sites, Dr Francis Severin
3. Mother and daughter, Mrs Delia Cuffy-Weekes and Ms Natasha Jervier  

About The UWI

For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019.The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)