By Claudia Liburd
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Petal Parry |
(Charlestown; Nevis): Three Nevisians graduated with First Class Honours at the recent graduation ceremony of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus in Barbados. The graduation ceremony was held on Saturday, Oct. 28 2006 at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.
Petal Parry, 22, (daughter of Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry) of Colquhoun's Estate, Nevis recently set the gold standard abroad when she brought home a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honors in Economics and Accounting.
According to Parry, it was rigorous in terms of preparing for exams and submitting assignments.
"The preparation was more or less rigorous in a sense in terms of preparing for exams and as well as taking part in various activities such as St. Kitts, Nevis Student Association of which I was Vice President," she said.
She added: "I feel a sense of accomplishment in receiving the first class honors. You need a 3.6 grade point average which is based on your number of credits and credit hours and it required a certain amount of commitment and dedication."
Presently, Parry is working at Pricewaterhousecooper's which is an international Accounting firm which has a branch in St. Kitts. She also wants to pursue a career in Accounting or Finance working at Pricewaterhousecoopers which she feels will give her the grounding that she needs in the fields of accounting and finance.
Parry is no stranger to success as she received best CSEC results when she left the Charlestown Secondary School in 2000 and also received the best Cambridge A' Level results on Nevis in 2002.
She also received the award of best results for first year students in the entire Faculty of Social Sciences in 2004.~~Adz:Right~~
Parry urges young people to maintain their focus, never get deterred and to face the challenges presented to them.
"Just keep your goals in mind and persevere and always set high goals for yourself. Anything is attainable, once you commit yourself to the task at hand," Parry said.
Ellen Grant of Jessup's Village also graduated with First Class Honors in Education. She said that while she wasn't surprised when she heard the news she was still elated.
"It was not a surprise to me because I was keeping tabs on my grades and realized that I was doing well. Before I finished all my courses, I realized that I was pretty close to getting First Class Honours," she said. "However, when I heard the news I was shouting and jumping because I was so happy that I got the first class honours. I was so delighted that I could get such a good grade."
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| Sherry Ann Liburd |
Grant said that the key for success includes commitment and focus. "You have to be committed to your goal and you have to have a certain level of maturity so that you wouldn't get distracted by other things. You have to focus on your goal and ensure that you accomplish that purpose."
Grant was grateful to a number of persons who guided her through, supported her and prayed her through.
'I would like to thank God first of all for his strength and guidance. I would also like to thank my husband Mr. Mevrin Grant for being so patient with me. My professors for instilling with me knowledge as well as the Pastor and believers at the Jessups New Testament Church of God who prayed for me."
"I want to thank Mrs. Averil Elliot who is now the Education Officer for Language Arts. When I went to UWI in my first year, she was in her third year and she really helped me to settle down and showed me the ropes. I would like to reserve special thanks for my daughter, Mrs. Dion Hanley for assisting me in so many areas, while I was away."
Grant is presently employed at the Ministry of Education as the Co-ordinator of the Resource Center.
Twenty-five year old Sherry Ann Liburd daughter of Ridley (Brino) and Sheryl Liburd of Gingerland created history when she became the first Nevisian Law student to attain First Class Honours since the UWI Cave Hill Campus opened a law faculty some 36 years ago in 1970.
Liburd was in shock when she found out.
"In fact I found out the good news on my birthday. I will never forget. I was in a state of shock and disbelief for a few minutes. Then I told my boss at the time and it was only then it hit me the enormity of the whole thing. I was grinning for days. And even now I reflect on it I am still amazed," she said.
Liburd is no stranger to success having gotten the award for the best results for all Law Students for her first year in 2004.
The fact that she got this award created extra pressure for her to get First Class Honours.
"The faculty of law is a very competitive faculty, once other students realized that I had gotten that award I was seen as a potential threat. So I knew that a lot of persons would have loved to see me fall short. But with the help of God I persevered," Liburd said.~~Adz:Left~~
When asked about her tools for success Liburd's matter of fact answer was, "You have to pick up the textbooks, cases, legislation and get to know them. Its simple, you got to study."
Liburd too was profuse in her thanks; "I would like to say a special thank you to my parents Mr. Ridley and Sheryl Liburd for the sacrifices that they continue to make on my behalf so that I could complete successfully. I would also like to thank my sisters Sharon Liburd and Stacey Chapman and my Brothers Ridnie and Ridley JR and the rest of my family and friends for their prayers and well wishes. Shout outs to Miss Raynise Salters, a true believer in me."
Liburd is presently pursuing a Legal Education Certificate at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica.
