A special awards and recognition ceremony, hosted by the St. Kitts and Nevis Cuban Alumni Association, was held on the evening of Saturday, October 29, 2022, for students of St. Kitts and Nevis who recently completed their studies and graduated from various universities in the Republic of Cuba.
The 17th annual Cuban Graduation Ceremony, held at the CUNA Conference Center, recognized eighteen (18) nationals who graduated in several professional fields, namely, medicine, health technology and linguistics. This adds to the already impressive cadre of professionals educated and trained in Cuba.
The important ceremony was attended by Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley; Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas; Minister of Education in the Nevis Island Administration, Honourable Troy Liburd; Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency David Rivero Perez and his wife; members of the St. Kitts and Nevis Cuban Alumni Association; representatives from the St. Kitts and Nevis Cuba Friendship Association, Cubans living in St. Kitts and Nevis and past Cuban graduates.
Delivering brief remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Hanley congratulated the graduates and also extended commendations and appreciation, through Ambassador Perez, to the Government of the Republic of Cuba for its continued partnership with St. Kitts and Nevis.
He said, “Ambassador, we congratulate you and your country for over the years you have invested overwhelmingly in our Federation, not only in education but also in health and we do appreciate it, and I look forward to more scholarships next year so that we can send more of our people off to Cuba.”
Prime Minister Dr. Drew, a Cuban graduate himself, said it was with profound honour that he could congratulate another cadre of Cuban-trained professionals.
The Prime Minister said, “I am proud to see so many new graduates from various universities in Cuba here with their support system, families and friends, and I am sure your loved ones are also quite proud of your accomplishments, and so in a sense, I too myself salute you.”
However, the honourable Prime Minister told the graduates that their journey is not yet completed. He said the onus is now on them to go out, put what they have learned in Cuba into practice and make their indelible mark on the world.
“The past two years have exposed the limitations of this world you are set to inherit and you decide within yourselves what type of world you desire to transform it to be. You know the key matters that need addressing, and I urge you to go forward with vigor, confidence and purpose and make your mark. To succeed you must make unprecedented sacrifices. You will need to digress sometimes, recalibrate, keep up to date on the current happenings and new discovery strategies and go at it again with renewed purpose,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew.
This year, the Cuban Alumni Association chose the theme “Raising the Bar through Higher Education” for its annual graduation ceremony.
This year’s graduates are Shevorn Henry; Yannik Henry; Rhenez Thompson; Crystal Parris; Kha-lis Farrel; Davishawn Buckshon; Allgeron Audain; Louwana Dorset; Kentisha Daley; Andrew Carlos Liburd; Joyan Wiltshire; Verdwencia Woodley; Shenelka Maynard; Bragelle Nisbett and Johnathan Carty in the field of Medicine; Carrie Bassue and Ava Spencer in Health Technology and Quan Francis in Linguistics.