Congratulations go out to the nine graduates: Myrtle Looby [Antigua], Verona Rennals British Virgin Island], Yulanda Smith [Jamaica], Destine Baptiste & Vinishah Cudjoe [Grenada], Josephine Dublin-Prince & Roselyn Theodore [Dominica], Maria Lashley [St. Lucia], and Sharon Haynes [St. Vincent]. These successful graduates first entered the programme in January 2003[ Link]. They came from different backgrounds from seven countries in the Caribbean but all shared a common interest –to understand relationships between the sexes and the nature of gender socialisation in the Caribbean region.

Five of the nine graduates were able to visit Jamaica for the official graduation ceremony.

The happy group visited the Mona Campus for the first time. Accompanied by the Programme Coordinator, Yasmeen Yusuf-Khalil they had a tour of the Centre for Gender & Development Studies, Mona Unit and the Regional Coordinating Unit where they met with the Regional Coordinator, Prof. Barbara Bailey, instructors Althea Perkins and Suzanne Charles and other members of staff of the two Units.

Graduates expressed their joy at reaching this academic milestone in their lives. According to one graduate, “ The experience of graduation was wonderful and today is a proud moment for me...The experience has opened my appetite for higher level of study maybe in the same area [i.e. gender studies] or social work if it can be made available via distance or something like that..."

After the graduation ceremony on Saturday evening it was time to get together to socialise for a short while before departing to their respective countries on Sunday and Monday.