TWO hundred and thirty-one persons, inclusive of seven who pursued the historical Bachelor of Education degree with special emphasis in Mathematics, graduated from the University of Guyana (UG) Berbice Campus, on Saturday, with the usual pomp and ceremony associated with convocation ceremonies.

The two-hour programme, for the 11th such ceremony for the campus, was punctuated with musical renditions by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Band and a feature address by distinguished West Indian cricketer Clive Hubert Lloyd, but was, however, void  of the Director’s Report due to an administrative issue.
Despite the absence of the presenter, Professor Daizal Samad, Acting Director, Mr. Phillip Da Silva promised to have the review of year 2011-2012 available to the media shortly.
Meanwhile, the event saw the ‘fairer’ gender dominating in the various areas of study, although it was noticeable that the males surpassed the opposite sex in the Diploma of Computer Science.
Muniram Purnawasi copped the Republic Bank Award for the Best Graduating Student. Additionally, he graduated with distinction, specialising in Mathematics, earning for himself a Degree in Education.
Eighteen additional awards and prizes were also handed to students who excelled academically and culturally, as well as in other areas of University activities.
Addressing the hundreds gathered, including the Pro-Chancellor, Professor Prem Misir, along with other UG officials on the lawns of the campus, situated at Tain Village, Corentyne, Berbice, the former West Indian Cricket Captain, while  highlighting  the issue of new leadership and goal settings for tomorrow, listed several pointers that, if adhered to, can result in one becoming a successful leader in an unpredictable and turbulent economic world.
Real calling
He noted that, while some persons may have their future mapped out, others might still be wandering around and, thereafter, referred to Steve Jobs, who, having  wandered several times before finding his real calling and niche in life, subsequently, unveiling the iPhone 4Sand an Apple technological gadget, which he watched from his death bed.
“Know your goals; you invite the opportunities that will help you realise your ambitions only if you are clear on your aim in the first place. Be flexible, adopt a relaxed, open-minded approach in your thoughts and action. Break habits by changing your route to work.
“Assume responsibility as fortune doesn’t favour a victim. Take ownership of what happened to you and how you respond to it. It makes a big difference,” Lloyd advised.
He added:”Expect a good fortune. Luck operates like a self-fulfilling prophecy. If your glass is half full in the first place, it’s more likely that things will come along to top it up. Have hope. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and although his last lecture could have been a depressing experience, instead it was an affirming one. Look to the future, no matter how turbulent the current circumstances are.”
The 68-year-old speaker pointed out that one’s intuition needs to be trusted and he went on:”Your inner voice often knows best. When Steve Jobs’ partners faced early trouble, he trusted his colleagues and partners with his new dream of the IPod4. It’s your intuition you can trust in your work life. Plan, do and check accordingly.”
Lloyd emphasized, that while networking is important, humility with success allows one to befriend one’s enemies and he even referred to Nelson Mandela, who fought all odds.
“Don’t give up. Turn bad luck, to good. Persistence lies at the heart of success. Just keep trying, as the only person that can stop you is you,” he said.
In conclusion, Lloyd said leadership never ends, regardless of whatever the social mirror or the opinions of others or the past have ever given to you. Make it happen.”
Meanwhile, Valedictorian Purnawasi recalled the introduction of the Mathematics specialist course, which was never offered initially, but was allowed after he was advised to get ten trained teachers to join the programme.
“But it took us almost ten years to get the group. Then, at the end of the second year, we faced a challenge of a shortage of Maths lecturers, which threatened the programme,” he said.
But Purnawasi, beaming with pride, exclaimed:”We have created history. We are the first batch of Mathematicians,” a statement which resulted in an uproar of jubilation from his six all female colleagues, who remained seated under the tent in the university’s compound.
“I am inspired by the great mathematician Albert Einstein, who spent his time on  problems, which contributed significantly to my success.” With this in mind, he urged fellow graduates to think through problems, no matter how difficult, until solutions can be achieved.
The Berbice Campus, which allowed citizens in the eastern county to access a university education, became operational in 2000 when it offered the two-year undergraduate certificate programme in Education (various options) together with Diploma programmes in Accountancy, English, History, Marketing, Public Management, and Social Work. Degree programmes were offered in Agriculture and the Associate Degree in General Science (various options) became available in the 2001-2002 academic year and Degrees in Public Management and Education as well as the Post Graduate Diploma in Education were on offer in the 2002-2003 academic year.
The first Berbice graduation ceremony was held in November 2000 with a batch of ninety-three students.