AKASH SAMAROO
Senior Reporter
akash.samaroo@cnc3.co.tt
During Lane Cameo Amichan’s six-and-a-half-minute valedictory speech, the loudest applause came when he looked to the stands and personally thanked his mother for her sacrifice and hard work, which allowed him to graduate with first-class honours.
The tumultuous applause came from fellow parents and served as a reminder that although those in blue gowns were celebrating the crescendo of academic rigour, the path to their success was paved by those who cared for them.
Speaking with Guardian Media after the ceremony on Thursday, Amichan, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering, explained why he singled out his mother.
“My mom is the breadwinner in my life, I could not come to university without her. She makes the meals, she works, she does the work at home, she is the one that motivates us,” Amichan said with his emotions at times making him pause to collect his thoughts and catch his breath.
Amichan admitted that his studies were complicated by the family’s financial situation and credited his mother and a national scholarship for ensuring his education did not suffer.
“My dad would have lost his job sometime during my school life at Naparima (Boys’) College, and from that point forward, he worked on and off so my mom would be the one to constantly work and provide for the family. We would have moved from where I would have originally lived at the age of 12. Honestly, we did not have much space, me and my brother would have to share a room, share a bed,” Amichan said with a nervous and slightly embarrassed laugh.
“To manage doing CSEC, CAPE and UWI in that little confined area, I am somebody who has all my books spread apart, to manage doing that in that small, confined space was not easy,” Amichan added.
He sought to urge others not to see their financial limitations as a predetermined sign that they cannot achieve their goals.
“As they say, the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer right? When you come from where I came from, sometimes you feel disadvantaged, like you cannot move ahead in life but that is not the case. Once you have that motivation and that passion, you can do anything that you want to do, so don’t let your circumstances pull you down. Have your passion and just do it,” Amichan shared.
But while standing proudly with his seemingly shy mother next to him during the interview, another graduate was seen chasing a toddler who saw the University of the West Indies’ Sport & Physical Education Centre (SPEC) as his playground.
The young mother, who graduated with her degree in Law, aims to inspire her son Ayden, in the same way Amichan’s mother motivated him.
Rathina Juman explained that she got pregnant with Ayden during her university studies. However, her choice to persevere with her programme was to ensure she could be a role model for the child.
“It was really hard, but I want to show him that anything is possible, no matter what you can do it, and I want to be his biggest inspiration someday,” Juman said, glancing down at her son, who at that time was tugging at her hand, clearly showing his readiness to leave after the two-hour ceremony.
However, Juman said it was not an easy journey and there were many times when the simple choice would have been abandoning studies.
“It was so tough, this degree is three years, and I took almost four to five years to complete it because I became pregnant in 2020 and I work full time as well. “Then I got a divorce, all of that mixed up, but if you have supportive parents anything is possible. I took a year off because I was really sick with the pregnancy and at times I did want to give up, especially with the divorce. But I moved back in with my parents and I think the way they grew me up, my mother is one of the strongest people I know and you don’t stop, you keep going and I want to set a good example for this little one,” Juman said.
She underscored that balance is key and motherhood does not mean the abandonment of your own goals and aspirations.
