to be awarded both President’s Medal, Prime Minister’s Medal

AFTER successfully completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management with a perfect Grade Point Average of 4.0, 26-year-old Khushal Singh has emerged as the University of Guyana’s valedictorian.

Singh, a resident of Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, will be among 3,000 graduands as part of the university’s 57th convocation exercises, and has captured both the President’s Medal for the Best Graduating Bachelor’s Degree Student and the Prime Minister’s Medal for the Best Graduating Student with a Degree in Public Management.
According to a release from the university, upon hearing that he was named this year’s valedictorian, Singh said that he was extremely happy that he copped the coveted prize.
“I feel very happy, proud and fortunate. It is an incredibly rewarding experience. It is a sign that I have worked hard, achieved success, and earned the respect of my peers. It is a reminder of how far I have come and the potential I have to achieve even more. It is also a great opportunity to inspire others and show them what hard work can achieve,” he said.
The valedictorian completed this degree in three years and noted that doing so was no easy task. He added: “I had to pull additional courses and do summer courses. This meant lectures clashing, several tests in one day, and a greater amount of effort and work being required. With classes, assignments, work, social activities, and other commitments, it can be hard to balance everything.”

Explaining how he was able to manage and achieve this level of success, he said that he was able to overcome challenges by remaining disciplined, consistent and utilising goal-setting.
Additionally, Singh indicated that he had to prioritise lectures and tutorials and set both long and short-term goals, as taking on that much in a short time requires one to be persistent and extremely organised.

Singh, the second of three siblings, attended the Enterprise Primary School and then went on to acquire his secondary education at the Bishop’s High in Georgetown.
The valedictorian said that he came up in very humble beginnings but this never stopped him from dreaming big. His mother is a housewife and his dad works in the interior.
Further, noting that his family understands the value of education, they kept pushing him to do his best to complete the programme despite the challenges faced.
According to Singh, his academic journey was not all smooth sailing, as he was faced with challenges along the way.
“I was determined to continue pushing myself and expanding my horizons. I was also motivated by the feeling of accomplishment. Every time I gained an “A” I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction. This feeling kept me going and gave me the drive to continue pushing myself,” he said.
Singh related that this is not the end of his academic journey, as he has intentions to keep going after new knowledge, so that he is equipped with the skills to make a positive difference in his community.

“I aspire to develop myself academically with a master’s degree and a doctorate and serve in a capacity where I am able to positively influence policies, as I believe these greatly shape the future of individuals, societies and nations. Additionally, I aim at becoming a successful entrepreneur and creating fruitful businesses that will make a progressive impact on my nation,” he said.

Further, according to the release, in addition to Singh, several other graduands are expected to receive special awards.
These graduands include: Dhanraj Baljit who completed a Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) will be receiving the Prime Minister’s Award for the best graduating student in the School of Medicine; Keon Heywood, who will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Secondary) English will share the Council of the University Prize with Marleysa Bishop, who will graduate with a Degree in Food Science.

The Council of the University prize is awarded to the graduating student who has attained at least a “Pass with Credit” and has made the greatest contribution in other areas of university activities. Heywood will also share the Dennis Irvine Award with Shedella Hodge, who completed a Degree in Social Work and will be recognised for being the student who has made the greatest contribution to the cultural life of the university.