“You are worth more than a dollar,” says Odle

The first ever matriculation ceremony of the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) was held on Monday, 27 September, 2010, at the Kingstown Methodist Church.{{more}}

Matriculation marks the enrolment of the students into the college. This year, over 900 new students have matriculated into the Division of Arts, Sciences and General Studies, the Division of Technical and Vocational Education, the Division of Teacher Education, and the Division of Nursing Education.

Reverend Adrian Odle, Superintendent Minister of the Kingstown/Chateaubelair circuit of the Methodist Church, in his brief sermon, used as the basis of his message a question that Jesus asked in Matthew 16:26 that says “What shall it profit a man if he should gain this whole world and lose his soul?”

He encouraged students not to sell themselves short because they can gain academic excellence but in the process can lose themselves. Rev. Odle urged the young ladies to have pride and dignity in themselves, especially those who ride the minibuses.

He said: “I want the ladies in this audience to have dignity and pride in themselves. You are worth more than a dollar fifty or a dollar, and lest I forget, that also applies to the young men.” He told them that they are created in God’s image and likeness and are worth something, but unless they believe it, they will sell themselves short.

Director of the College, Dr. Joel Warrican, in his charge, told the newly enrolled students that for them, the education that they are getting today is not a right but a privilege, and that they should treasure that privilege.

He demonstrated this privilege through statistics, and said in 1993, only 93 students did A’ levels, while today over 800 students are doing an A’ level programme. He said that in the year 2000, there were only 561 students enrolled at the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies, and 216 at the Division of Technical/Vocational education. Today, he said, there are over 800 students enrolled at both divisions.

He charged them to work hard and not take their privilege for granted. He noted that in the last five years, students who graduated from the institution won top awards in universities around the world, including two Rhode scholarships.

Dr. Warrican charged students to embrace Education, to embrace the concept of one institution with four divisions, to work together as a family and to lift up the name and image of the institution. He said that a truly educated person is always willing to give back.

Chairman of the board of governors of the SVGCC, Mrs Audrey Gilkes, said that the ceremony symbolizes the continuing thrust towards the delivery of excellence in tertiary level education. She said that there must be a foundation on which all of this is built, which she claims is the ‘bedrock’ of their existence. She said: “Without it we are doomed to failure, whether in the short or long term.”

Gilkes said that this foundation is grounded in the fundamentals of their belief in God. She urged the undergraduates not to see themselves as just students, but as people with a purpose. She said: “A purpose erected by God, a purpose that reminds you that you are part of humanity with a civil responsibility to make our world a better place.”

According to Gilkes, the Board of Governors, the Director and staff of the college, and the Ministry of Education will continue to work in the students’ interest. She said that they cannot promise perfection, but they are committed to deliver the highest quality of Education that their circumstances may permit.

Mr. Nigel Scott, Deputy Director of the SVGCC, noted that the Division of Nursing Education produces the best nurses in the region. This, he said, was proven in the regional exam for nurse registration earlier this year, in which St.Vincent and the Grenadines occupied the top spot.