– told they must become the ‘voice of business’ in Guyana

SOME 123 students graduated from the Nation’s School of Business and Management with their Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Degrees.

Addressing the graduates at their graduation ceremony held at the Pegasus Hotel on Sunday was Director of the School of the Nations Dr. Brian O’Toole, who noted that these students are among some of the best and brightest.

The students were involved in programmes offered by the Association of Business Executives (ABE), the Australian Institute of Business and the University of London. According to O’Toole, the grades of some of the students were among some of the top globally.

Acknowledging that the students have successfully completed one phase of their lives, the director said: “What I would like to see is that we produce a body that becomes the voice of business of Guyana.”

This body, he explained, must encompass local business persons who can firmly tell the government what strategies must be undertaken and detail what is needed to foster business. This is paramount, especially as Guyana readies to become a petroleum-producing nation.

Representative of the ABE, Kereesa Carrington Nunez, posited “Nations school has such an amazing number of students, your academic achievements in the Region today are almost second to none.”

She however told the graduates that it is now time to take what they have learnt and use it to make their country better.

“I believe in each of us there is something quite special,” she affirmed and noted that none would be better qualified to contribute to Guyana’s economy that a cadre of Guyanese professionals.

“You have not only achieved, but have gained more responsibility to contribute to Guyana,” Carrington Nunez said. “Graduating today is only the start, because we will look to you to solve problems; we will look to you for solutions; and we will look to you for that right you have earned to contribute to society.”

And in contributing to society, Dr. O’Toole highlighted that many students who have studied at the university went on to become prominent persons in the local job sector. But for him, all citizens must continue to better themselves.

“As we are entering a new economic reality in Guyana, with the recent oil discoveries, qualifications are therefore becoming more and more essential,” he stressed.

As such, O’Toole related that the school is in the process of initialising 12 new Masters’ programmes- including Journalism, Psychology and Business and Finance.

In addition to this lot of business persons graduating with their MBAs, 10 students graduated with their Bachelor’s Degrees in Law and another 87 students graduated with diplomas in various business disciplines.

Valedictorian of the MBA programme, Camille Bulkan, acknowledged that the road towards success had not been an easy one, but she is elated that she and all of her peers persevered. According to her, many of the graduates had to contend with studying as they also had to manage their families and jobs. Nevertheless, they have all succeeded and will now contribute to Guyana.