AS Valedictorians, Best Graduation Students receive President and Prime Minister Medals
The recipients of the President’s Medal stand aside His Excellency, Mohammed Irfaan Ali.
Recipients of Prime Minister’s Medal stand aside PM, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips.
Kaieteur News – The University of Guyana (AS) has boosted its assembly for the 2019/2021 academic year, and two graduating students have received the President’s Medal for outstanding academic performance, while two others have received the Chief’s Medal Minister.
Receiving the President’s Medal were the two Vandalists: Deepa Odit, 24, of the University’s Georgetown Turkeyen Campus, who completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy with a 3.9 GPA; and Savitree Budram, 36, from Tain Berbice Campus, who completed her Bachelor of Education – Administration Degree with a 4.0 GPA.
The handover ceremony was held in the State, the official residence of the First Family, in the presence of the members of the ruling family, which included Odit parents; Misri Odit and Amla Persaud, and Budram’s husband Mohamed Shariff and her two children.
The medals were presented directly to both students by His Excellency, Mohammed Irfaan Ali.
First Minister (PM), Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, awarded two Prime Minister’s Medals on Friday to AS students; Jonelle Europe, best graduate student in the School of Medicine and Desiree Noble, best graduate student in the Faculty of Social Science with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Management.
PM Phillips congratulated them both for their commitment and remarkable performance, despite the challenges that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic might have posed. “I know that COVID-19 would have presented challenges for students who would have had to attend classes more or less, congratulations on overcoming those challenges and being here today as exceptional University of Guyana graduates,” the First Minister told the pair .
The simple ceremony was held in his office and was attended by the parents of the graduates. He congratulated the parents by saying, “For every graduate student, there are parents or relatives who would have sacrificed a lot and I would also like to congratulate you.”
Both recipients were extremely happy to receive their medals. Dr. Europe, “I’m happy and proud to have achieved so much achievement after working so hard for five years … probably my biggest challenge is the consistency that the program requires.”
Kaieteur News learned that she is currently an intern at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and hopes to specialize in the field of medicine, but has not yet decided.
Noble also noted at the ceremony that she had always been a firm believer in herself and her ability to excel above the bar. “I have always believed in myself and know that I have the ability to achieve great things, and I have always told myself that if anyone can do it, I can do it,” he said.