Even as new students get set to embark on tertiary education in Universities across Cuba, sixteen professionals have retuned quietly to St. Vincent and the Grenadines as graduates.{{more}}

This group includes two accountants, one engineer, four architects, one dentist, four health specialists, four veterinarians and three medical doctors. Their journey began at different universities across the vast Cuban landscape in most cases six years ago and in the case of the medical doctors one extra year.

Graduating with degrees in Accounting were Phoebe Smart and Ren Jeffers; Civil Engineering Colin Francis, with Kurtis Cato, Rayon Murray, Rommel Olllivierre and Joycelyn Lewis joining the fraternity of Architects.

The medical field this year sees for the first time four graduates in specialized areas of health sciences never before pursued by Vincentians in Cuba. Ronnel Rodney took Microbiology; Indria Hadley, Optometry; while Kassinda Matthews and Rhonnelle Grant hold aloft their degrees in Physiotherapy. Their five year degree programmes in these medical disciplines is part of a new focus in medical studies being offered in Cuban medical universities.

Meanwhile, Katisha Douglas, Jossette Hull and Tamika Bennette will all join the health services as medical doctors, just as Natalie Toney and Tahoma Richards continue the established trend of Vincentian female veterinarians who have graduated from Cuba’s premier Higher Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The lone male vet graduate this year is Dwayne Pype.

Like their predecessors, all sixteen young professionals are looking forward to serving their country in their respective fields now with their university diplomas and a foreign language under their belts.

Meanwhile, the new batch of students from St. Vincent and the Grenadines has begun to arrive at Cuba’s Jose Marti International Airport. The first three arrived on Friday, 28 August, and were welcomed on arrival by Ambassador Dexter Rose.

Ramon Johnson, who is to study at the International School of Sports and Physical Education, arrived along with Anson Alvis, who will take medicine and Raisa Bruce Lyle who is to pursue Documentary Filmmaking at the International School of Cinema and Television in Havana.

Other students expected soon will include in Medicine: Kyrle Walker, Nicole Cupid, Jomo Laidlow, Nicole Cupid, T’Shaka Patterson, Keverna Williams, Daniele Myers, and lone architecture student this year Zando Rogers.

They will join the 107 other students currently pursuing tertiary level studies across Cuba, continuing a trend which began in 1980 and which has seen the continued cooperation of the Government and People of Republic of Cuba to the human resource development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines free of cost to the students.