Three Top Saint Lucians Honoured
PRESS RELEASE – The Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, in Barbados, has announced that Pelican Awards were conferred on ten UWI Alumni, among them three distinguished Saint Lucians.
The Alumni Association of The University of the West Indies (UWIAA) Open Campus on Saturday, October 13, 2018, held their second annual Pelican Awards Ceremony at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa in Saint Lucia.
Pelican Awards are made to graduates of The UWI who have excelled in their areas of endeavour, and made significant contributions to their communities and to the development of The UWI. At this historic ceremony, ten (10) distinguished alumni from five (5) countries across the region were conferred with Pelican Awards.
The highly prestigious Pelican Award is the highest award that a UWIAA Chapter may bestow on a graduate. Alumni are nominated and selected by their peers to receive this special accolade that indicates how very proud fellow alumni are of their national, regional and/or international success and renown. A Pelican Awardee is considered to be a role model for The UWI population globally and in particular, for the current cohort of students who are themselves future alumni.
Organised by the collective chapters of the UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA), the ceremony also marked the 10th Anniversary of The UWI Open Campus.
The ten who were conferred were:- Dr.Jillia Bird OD, MS, from Antigua and Barbuda for her sterling contribution to health and excellence in Optometry in the Caribbean; Dr. Reginald Alford Walwyn OBE; MB.BS; MRC Ophth, from Antigua and Barbuda, for his sterling contribution to Medicine and Leadership and excellence in Ophthalmology in the Caribbean. (Dr.Walwyn, now 93 years old, was among the first 33 students who entered The UWI 70 years ago); Mrs. Dancia Penn Sallah OBE, QC, from the British Virgin Islands, for her sterling contribution in the field of Politics and excellence in Law in the Caribbean; Dr. Heskith Vanterpool, from the British Virgin Islands, for his sterling contribution to Health and excellence in Gastroenterology and Cardiology in the British Virgin Islands; and Mr. Gerard Farara QC, from the British Virgin Islands, for his sterling contribution to Law in the Caribbean and beyond (USA and Hong Kong).
Also awarded were:- Dr. Beverley Steele, from Grenada, for her sterling contribution to Education in the Caribbean; Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, from Saint Lucia, for her sterling contribution to Education and Leadership in the Caribbean; Dr. Veronica Simon, from Saint Lucia, for her sterling contribution to Education in the Caribbean; His Excellency, Dr.Didacus Jules, from Saint Lucia, for his sterling contribution to Education in the Caribbean; and Ms. Renee Baptiste CMG, from St. Vincent and The Grenadines, for her sterling contribution to Law and Politics in the Caribbean.
The collective Chapters of The UWI Open Campus congratulate our Pelican Awardees and wish them success as they continue to preserve the excellence of The UWI and promote “Pelican Pride” among students and alumni. (UWI Open Campus)