Coastguard officers excel in academics

Three CoastGuard Officers have excelled in their academic pursuits.

Sub lieutenant Kemron Beache graduated from the Federal University of ABC, Sao Paulo, Brazil, recently, with a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering; leading seaman Gordon Charles from the Kushan University, Taiwan, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (major) and Business Management (minor); and petty officer Juanna Holder from the National Taipei University, Taiwan, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.{{more}}

Sub lieutenant Beache, a member of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) for the past 10 years, said his academic pursuit in Brazil was a challenging one, because all of his courses were done in Portuguese, but he succeeded by making friends with people who had done the courses before and who were able to guide him. He also gathered information on subject areas posted online by other universities and by using an App that helped people to learn the Portuguese language. He said his experience has helped him to become more independent, as well as proactive.

Charles, on the other hand, said his greatest challenge was returning to the classroom and learning the Chinese language. However, he said he has benefitted considerably by his experience in Taiwan, becoming more open-minded and acquiring a vast amount of knowledge. He said he intends to use this to be better able to develop himself and his organization.

“I got a better understanding of what management is. We did a study in automotive engineering, electronics, and labs. We did shop work; modern technology on a whole,” said LS Charles.

“I think that every area of my studies will enable me to work better in the Coastguard, whether it is in the engineering department, electrical, or navigation department, because the programme covered a wide variety of subject areas that deal directly or indirectly with work. For instance Automotive Engineering and Electronics were aspects of my studies that directly involved my work. The management component enables one to be a better manager or supervisor,” he said.

LS Charles, a former student of the Bethel High School and the St Vincent Technical College, also pursued a two-year programme in Electricals with Penn Foster University, prior to his studies in Taiwan.

PO Holder said her studies concentrated on international nursing and health care, which allowed her to gain in-depth knowledge in nursing, hospital management and health care administration.

“I realized at the Coastguard we do a lot of medevac and there wasn’t a qualified medic at the base, so I decided to do nursing. I had the option of doing it here or in Taiwan. I decided to do it in Taiwan, where I can pursue it in an advanced international country, as well as [learn] a second language,” said PO Holder.

PO Holder said she intends to utilize her training at the Coastguard by staging training sessions on health related areas, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. She said her studies also allowed her to concentrate on pathology, anatomy, epidemiology, psychology, organizational behaviour, innovative management and comparative study best practices and she intends to share her knowledge on these areas as well.

PO Holder is desirous of pursuing a Master of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. “We, in the Caribbean, use Western medicine, but there are benefits to traditional Chinese medicine, such as the curing of insomnia and fertility problems, etc,” said PO Holder.

“Where traditional medicine is concerned, sometimes as the old people die, it passes with them. So, I am trying to revive that,” said Holder.

All three officers expressed thanks to the Coastguard leadership and members for their support, as well as the respective entities that granted them the scholarships.