Vincentian University Students make soap from Sargassum Seaweed

University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) students, Vincentian Ahjea Jackson and Hansel Thomas, both Vinada delegates in the Portraits of Excellence (POE) Scholarship pageant, are vying for the title of Mr and Ms USC, while transforming sargassum seaweed into soap for their community project.

Soap from the first batch

If Thomas and Jackson win this year’s pageant, they will each be awarded full tuition payment for one year, totalling TT$60,000 in tuition along with record royalty, and granted leadership opportunities.

The two are representing the Vinada club on the campus based in Trinidad, and have high hopes and future plans for their community project where the club worked together to transform sargassum seaweed into soap.

The seaweed, known as an invasive species, has become a nuisance for Caribbean nations, affecting marine life and the tourism industry by extension; however, the university students have found some potential in the algae by repurposing it into a skincare product.

“It’s a very repulsive organism. People don’t want to come into contact with it, and people are not going to beaches because of it. It smells, and we saw it as a way to clean up our beaches and get rid of its threats to the environment,” Jackson explained.

She said further that they “found out that it had a lot of benefits when it came to skin care. We found out that it has antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and exfoliating factors that could actually help people who are prone to or suffer from acne and other skin issues.”

The group also gained assistance through a collaboration with Sherika John of Lasheré Lifestyle, who Jackson said held a presentation about the organism where they saw the other delegates and students outside of the club showing interest. John reportedly guided the group as to what they should look out for when making the soap, and also provided insights on the impact and benefits that the project would have.

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