NCU Graduation | Commencement | First Ceremony | 2021

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ladies and gentlemen the 2021 commencement of northern caribbean university is about to begin dr lincoln paul edwards presiding [Music] the grand marshal dr nicole white [Music] [Applause] [Music] university gone for an air miss ayanna suku president of the graduating class of 2021 [Music] the gun fouliners for the college of business and management the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing school of religion and theology [Music] the deans of northern caribbean university [Music] the university registrar [Music] and the vice presidents of northern caribbean university [Applause] [Music] the university president and the president's party [Music] um [Music] and now ladies and gentlemen the national anthem of jamaica [Music] [Music] invite you to bow heads with me as we pray sovereign god of this vast universe the embodiment of wisdom knowledge and understanding we thank you for today we thank you for life thank you for northern caribbean university the graduating class of 2021 your hands have been guiding this noble institution since its inception in good times and difficult times in educating and changing the lives of men and women for service to god country and humanity today our graduates through resilience and determination have achieved their goals amidst the kovit 19 pandemic we thank you for them the administrators professors and staff of ncu who made this possible as we celebrate this occasion with them we invite your presence to be with us and guide the proceedings in accordance with your will grant our speaker clarity of mind as we inspire the minds of our guardians to face the new chapter in their lives may we all listen with understanding and be true recipients of your blessings today in jesus name we pray amen ladies and gentlemen we received it doctor lincoln edwards president northern caribbean university and mrs edwards members of the jamaican government and parliamentary opposition pastor peter kerr president atlantic caribbean union conference of seventh-day adventist and vice chairman of the university board and mrs kerr other members of the university board dr angel guzman iats vice president for academic administration inter-american theological seminary mr andrew ingram president and chief executive officer for the national association of black hotel owners operators and developers inc and first commencement speaker and mrs ingram and their support team mr jeffrey butler former executive director of the inter-american development bank and friend of mr andrew ingram our commencement speaker mr ordain james acting senior occupational officer center for occupational studies ministry of education youth and information other guest speakers and commencement honorees presidents officers and workers of the inter-american division the jamaican union conference and the atlantic caribbean union mission of seventh-day adventists specially invited guests civic leaders members of the diplomatic corps administration faculty staff students of the northern caribbean university alumni family guardians and friends joining us on our social platforms this morning members of the graduating class of 2021 ladies and gentlemen this morning i am delighted to welcome you to the main campus of the northern caribbean university we we welcome those of you who are present with us physically and those of you who have joined us virtually here in jamaica and from the commonwealth of the bahamas the cayman islands the turks and caicos islands and other areas across the globe we welcome you to the 98th commencement exercises of the northern caribbean university for the 2021 academic year members of the class of 2021. ladies and gentlemen on behalf of dr merrick walker secretary and pastor bancroft barwise treasurer of the jamaica union conference of assembly adventists dr peter kerr president atlantic caribbean union and vice chair university board of governors dr cheryl rules secretary and elder rodrick sans treasurer of the atlantic caribbean union on behalf of the members of the board of governors of ncu the administration workers and members of conferences and institutions in jamaica and the atlantic caribbean union i bring you warmest greetings and all for you our proud graduates or heartiest congratulations dr edwards i'm pleased today to join pastor peter kerr president of atku and vice chair of the university board in congratulating you [Music] your colleagues in administration the faculty staff and members of the graduating class of 2021 for all that you have done to make this a triumphant moment a moment of reality as a team you have successfully meandered the contours of one of the most challenging academic year on record in the history of this dynamic institution class of 2021 we know that completing your courses of study and qualifying for graduation in times like these and under these challenging circumstances that you had to master is no ordinary achievement you defied the arts you had to swim as it were against some rough and strong currents and crossed many rivers to get here you surmounted countless barriers and obstacles along the way and you successfully navigated your way through the many disruptions and inconveniences caused by kobe 19 but but you kept your eyes on the mark you focused on your goals and aspirations and just look at you this is truly a triumphant moment in your life so today as you make your exit from this sacred institution i believe you are all doing so with immense gratitude in your hearts gratitude to almighty god for his sustaining grace towards you in seeing you through to this point gratitude for this university and its administration and for the hard-working dedicated and committed faculty and staff who help you to make it to this successful completion of your courses of study you have to be thankful i'm sure for all the support systems and persons that were always there for you congratulations to you proud parents of the graduates you have sacrificed much to make this occasion a reality now it is your moment to exhale and celebrate the achievements of your children my remarks this morning ladies and gentlemen would be incomplete if i did not pause to celebrate with my colleague and friend the communication director of the jamaica union elder nigel koch and his wife bobbitt as they celebrate the achievements of their son chad anthony koch and romer koch members of the graduating class congratulate shans nigel and bobbitt as you exit these hallowed walls to serve god and humanity please remember remember your alma mater and see you graduates ncu is counting on your financial support as she continues to prepare others to take their rightful places in society today i invite you and the wider stakeholders of ncu to partner financially with those who have gone before you in the timely erection of the university church building complex as we seek to serve our members our students and the wider community class of 2021 i pray that as god continues to empower you that you might indeed overcome all the hurdles that are yet ahead of you and become the anticipated change that god wants you to be graduates an anxious troubled world is waiting for you to take your rightful places in society and to be the anticipated so much on my dear friends and show to everyone you need what true success looks like what true success feels like god has a place and a purpose for you fear not for god is with you go with god class of 20 21 congratulations and may god continue to bless you and bless northern caribbean university will the recipient for the president medallion 2020 please approach the bench mr president upon the recommendation of the honors awards and recognition committee i am pleased to present to you the nominee for the northern caribbean university 2021 president's medallion mrs perlin dawes higgins christian educator para excellence perline dawes higgins a native of newport manchester was destined for academic greatness from an early age at age four her education began at bathara infant school where she progressed quickly through elementary skipping grades on the way to high school she succeeded at three jamaica local examinations then served as pupil teacher at the bethabra school mrs dawes higgins who attended the newport sda church was recommended to attend west indian training college now the northern caribbean university after passing the cena cambridge external examination she entered junior college and upon graduation served as teacher principal at joint wood sda and springfield sda schools both in west jamaica conference accepted for undergraduate studies at oakwood university to pursue a bachelor of arts in english mrs dawes higgins spent her summers and every break from school as a literature evangelist in new york city during those canvassing trips she became a member of the then park place seventh day adventist church now known as hanson place seventh-day adventist church where she served in numerous roles for more than 60 years she attended long island university for a masters in early childhood education studied secondary education at fort ham university and later received a certification in educational administration and supervision from brooklyn college kooning after working in the new york public school system for 20 years as a teacher educational supervisor parent-teacher advocate and a school administrator mrs higgins embarked on a 30-year entrepreneurial journey establishing her own school the cycle educational center she remained with the center until her retirement perneen higgins was instrumental in establishing the northern caribbean university alumni association new york chapter with the primary goal of fundraising for its alma mater an avid campaigner she has organized multiple fundraising initiatives to secure scholarships for needy jamaican students mrs higgins has received numerous awards for faithfully serving her country her church her alma mater and the greater new york and jamaican community which she has done for decades perline higgins has two children five grandchildren and one precious great grandchild a host of nieces and nephews and other family members who are extremely special to her today the eighth day of august in the year 2021 northern caribbean university is pleased to present one who by her lifelong commitment to christian education is indeed worthy to be awarded the president's medallion for 2021 [Applause] as president of northern caribbean university i am proud to identify you mrs dawes higgins as the recipient of the president's medallion for 2021 we are pleased to see how you have embraced and continued to embrace the vision of your alma mater in your service to the university and its stakeholders may you continue to follow the lord's leading being a role model to your colleagues current student and fellow alumni include holding high the banner of our alma mater till he comes congratulations thank you thank you [Applause] uh will the candidate for the honorary doctor of business degree mr andrew ingram please stand and approach the platform doctor of business honoris causa andrew ingram can be described as monumental in his influences and advancement in the fields of multicultural tourism hotel investments and the travel industry and african american heritage in north america the bahamas and the wider caribbean he founded the national association of black hotel owners operators and developers inc with the growing minority population and lack of diversity in the travel industry he sees the opportunity to fuse multicultural tourism and hotel ownership and pursued ways to bring about hotel ownership investment by african americans and other minorities forging partnerships with many leading hotel brands the reach of this benefactor who managed to increase the number of women owned hotels vendor opportunities and executive level jobs for minorities thereby creating wealth within the african-american community has also extended to create a hospitality student leadership summit to provide scholarships and attract more diverse talent to the industry mr ingram's achievements are many he has been appointed to the national tourism advisory committee for the national association for the advancement of cultural people and the white house sorry colored people sorry and the white house conference on tourism he is the creator of the greater fort lauderdale convention and visitors bureau to attract african american tourism and consultant for saint martin working specifically to increase the island's visibility among african americans andrew andy ingram is a distinguished alumnus of northern caribbean university and florida international university so today mr president on behalf of the faculty of northern caribbean university i am pleased to present mr andrew ingram as a most worthy candidate for the degree of doctor of business honoris council [Applause] i am delighted to accept the recommendation that mr andrew ingraham be conferred with the honorary doctor of business degree from northern caribbean university as an institution that produces numerous business graduates ncu is pleased to recognize outstanding business leaders like mr ingraham whose contribution to the business world in particular the hospitality industry is noteworthy so today mr ingraham northern caribbean university pays tribute to you for your outstanding contribution to the north american and the caribbean hospitality industry and bringing to the fore the strengths and achievements of the people of color thank you [Applause] so mr ingraham by the powers vested in me by the board of governors of northern caribbean university as president on this eighth day of august in the year of our lord 2021 i confer on you the degree doctor of business honoris causa with all the rights privileges and honors they are on to appertaining thank congratulations i said mrs sandra edwards spouse of the president of northern caribbean university members of the jamaican government and the parliamentary opposition pastor everett brown president jamaica union conference of seventh-day adventists and chairman of the university board of governors and mrs brown pastor peter kerr president of the atlantic caribbean union mission of seventh-day adventist and vice chairman of the university board and mrs kerr other members of the university board dr angel guzman iats vice president for academic administration inter-american theological seminary mr dr andrew ingraham president and chief executive officer of the national association of black hotel owners operators and developers nabhood and first commencement speaker and mrs ingraham and their support team mr jerry butler former executive director of the inter-american development bank and friend of mr andrew ingraham our commencement speaker mr odain james acting senior occupational officer center for occupational studies ministry of education youth and information our guest speakers and commencement honorees presidents officers and workers of the inter-american division the jamaica union conference and the atlantic union mission of seventh-day adventists specially invited guests civic leaders members of the diplomatic corps administration faculty staff and students of northern caribbean university alumni family guardians and friends joining us on our social media platforms members of the graduating class of 2021 ladies and gentlemen today is a special day today is a historic day in the life of northern caribbean university this commencement ceremony under the theme empowered by god overcoming hurdles to become the anticipated change is our first hybrid graduation and is occurring during the second year of the second century of ncu in manchester i welcome all of you who are joining us online and those in person in the gymnatorium to the 2021 commencement ceremony here at northern caribbean university i welcome you on behalf of the class of 2021 this historic class whose achievements we are here to celebrate well i welcome you on behalf of the board of governors who provide policy direction oversight and guidance to this outstanding institution i welcome you on behalf of the faculty whose dedication to duty commitment to excellence and success of our students is unparalleled among educational institutions in this region i welcome you on behalf of our administrators who spend countless hours wrestling with difficult challenges and implementing strategies to keep the university functioning in a cohesive manner during this pandemic period i welcome you on behalf of our dedicated and industrial staff who accomplished so much for us sometimes functioning on the less than ideal conditions and i am pleased to announce that today we have a total of 524 students graduating from our four colleges and one school our special awardees today are mr andy ingraham honorary doctor of business degree and mrs perlin dawes higgins president's medallion recipients here at ncu we have a deep and abiding commitment to a holistic model of education and as such we offer a christ-centered values-based education that is underpinned by strong work ethics and an emphasis on service the result is that ncu builds character creativity and competence in our students at ncu we do usual things unusually well and in this academic year our students have once again demonstrated both nationally and internationally what is possible when they are provided with opportunities the right guidance and an atmosphere in which they can unleash their creative energies during the 2021 academic year ncu operated under the theme empowered by god equipped to forge a new normal acting in concert with god we achieved the following classes were offered remotely and online and provision was made to facilitate those students who needed to be on campus additional training and equipment were provided to faculty to ensure optimal performance the department of teacher education launched a new course bachelor of arts in special education mr steve lawrence has rejoined the distance education department and the team is working to actualize the virtual learning delivery ecosystem implementation plan this will streamline our online offerings and assure quality relevance and potential market share approximately 150 students have benefited from the restoring every student's confidence using education or rescue campaign since its inception in 2017 and approximately 27 million dollars have been awarded in rescue scholarships designed to attract those students from underserved communities and allow them to have a chance at success a 12 bedroom house was donated by roy and grace williams to support the rescue initiative and i'm also delighted to announce that two recipients of the rescue scholarships are graduating today we solicit your continued financial support of the initiative so that we can continue to offer scholarships to deserving students the ncu alumni federation has provided over 100 scholarships to assist students to be financially cleared for graduation so they may continue their studies and the federation president mr clayton is here and you will hear more from him dr errol bryce provided 40 000 u.s dollars towards the setting up of a scholarship in honor of his grandmother mrs caroline reese members of the san diego 5b class of 1977 that's my high school class has donated a scholarship valued at 1.2 million jamaican dollars tenable over four years to assist a san diego graduate to attend northern caribbean university under the leadership of dr jacqueline vigilance the research field is having an impact with 69 abstracts six papers and one book being published during the 2020 2021 academic year at ncu we have now achieved a 95 graduation rate thanks to the hard work of the team the academic team the construction of the university church has restarted and is receiving the full support of the jamaica union conference and atlantic caribbean union conference as well as the support of many of our stakeholders phase one has been completed and phase two is underway mr desmond young is the project manager and doctors owen roberts and neil reed along with pastor joel haye are leading the charge in fundraising for the project the georgia cumberland conference the atlantic union jamaica union along with the conferences has so far made significant contributions on friday april 30th 2021 the indian high commissioner his excellency mr roon masaqui visited ncu he was instrumental in providing two scholarships for ncu workers ryan mccalla and orlando tracy to pursue master's degree in the area of computer science at a prestigious university in india ncu student ms crystal scale communicate who is doing communication studies here received the 2020 governor general's achievement award for the parish of manchester while conroy thompson training and development manager at half moon resorts and a mba student at ncu received the 2020 governor general achievement award for the parish of saint james most recently mr rajeh danvers who is graduating today was awarded the 2021 governor general's achievement award for the parish of manchester two ncu students patrina stewart and leticia white were selected to represent jamaica as delegates of the arab youth international model united nations to be held from the 17th to the 20th of september 2021 in dubai united arab emirates ncu professor mark harris was awarded the silver musgrave medal for outstanding merit in the field of science by the council of the institute of jamaica the ncu international education development foundation will be constructing a memory garden on campus to permanently honor the memory of individuals who directly or indirectly have made northworthy contributions to the university or whose lives have been touched by their direct or indirect engagement with the university this is a fundraising venture in which all who desire can participate the ncu water bottling plant is now operational the plant utilizes a technology that converts moisture from the air into portable water and it's labeled heavenly springs and this is what ncu now produces heavenly springs water three students shertona byfield nevada green and patron appeared have won paid internships at the united nations development program undp multi-country office in jamaica they were part of the team that won the development challenge competition ziva technology solutions jamaica limited has donated an additional 18 tablets to assist our students bringing the total number of tablets donated by the company to 73. seven students completed a semester at brandon university in canada under the emerging leaders of the americas program this is part of an effort by the university to provide greater international experience for our students erica lumsden a communication studies student at ncu recently won the jamaica cultural development commission gospel star competition so erica is now a star [Applause] in terms of special mentions chevelle royal from the western jamaica regional campus has the highest gpa of 3.93 she is graduating with a bachelors of social work anthony lennon has the second highest gpa of 3.90 he is graduating with a bachelor of science in mathematics it is always a special moment when we have spouses graduating together and today we have mr ricardo mccalla and his wife mrs nuvia jones mccullough she's an enrollment officer in the office of recruitment admissions and retention here at northern caribbean university and they are graduating together mr mccullough will graduate from the school of religion and theology with a bachelor of arts degree in religion and theology with a minor in family life education mrs mccalla will graduate from the college of business and management with a bachelor of science degree in management studies with a major in hospitality and tourism management we are always delighted to see siblings graduating together and today mr chad anthony koch and mr ramoy koch children of mr nigel koch director of communication public affairs and religious liberty at the jamaica union conference of seventh-day adventists and mrs bobbitt inc graham cook assistant director for special events and hospitality services and supervisor of university business services here at ncu will each graduate from the college of business and management with a bachelor of science degree in business administration with a major in finance yes they deserve our congratulations the first group of six students conferred on march 21st 2021 and participating in today's commencement ceremony from the partnership between the center of occupational studies costs in the ministry of education youth and information and northern caribbean university through the vocational educational empowerment training institute vt here at ncu are graduating from the college of business and management with the occupational associate degree in business processing outsourcing [Applause] of node 2 is that the executive of the 2021 graduating class is comprised of all females and is led by the vibrant president miss ayana suku [Applause] graduating from the department of behavioral and social sciences in the college of humanities behavioral and social sciences with a bachelor of social work degree six of our workers are graduating and we are excited vivienne dyer executive assistant in the office of the president with a postgraduate diploma in education karisha mccoy with the associate of science in business administration nuvia jones mccullough with a bachelor of science in management studies janelle forrester with a master of science in counseling psychology sandra brissett with a bachelor of science in industrial and organizational counseling richard thorpe with a bachelor of arts in religion yes the western jamaica regional campus has its first graduate from the bachelor of arts in early childhood teacher education she is carine daily and she's graduating with laude degree mrs beverly henry stands today as a model of perseverance battling serious health challenges but still striving to achieve our goal and today she will graduate with a master of business administration degree so once again congratulations to all our graduates you have done well you have made yourself your parents guardians sponsors spouses children your teachers and ncu proud and as you leave these halls and venture into other pursuits remember you are never alone jesus is only a prayer away may god bless all of you and again congratulations [Music] uh [Applause] oh [Music] is [Music] you took [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] our commencement speaker for this morning ceremony is dr andrew ingraham he's a distinguished alumnus of northern caribbean university and florida international university and he may be described as a mon as monumental in his influence and advancement in the symbiotic fields of multicultural tourism hotel investment and the travel industry and african american heritage particularly in north america the bahamas and the wider caribbean support for the vision came from the asian american hotel association and he founded the national association of black hotel owners operators and developers nabhood then there was only one branded african-american-owned hotel in the u.s and today there are over 800 hotels domestically and internationally as president and ceo of the non-profit neighborhood he also carved out of a niche market strategy horizons marketing group international a marketing and public relations company specializing in multicultural heritage and african-american travel with the growing minority population and lack of diversity in the travel industry he sees the opportunity to fuse multicultural tourism and hotel ownership and pursued ways to bring about hotel ownership investment by african-americans and other minorities forging partnerships with many leading hotel brands the reach of his benefactor of this benefactor who managed to increase the number of women-owned hotels vendor opportunities and executive level jobs for minorities thereby creating wealth within the african-american community has also extended to create a hospitality student leadership summit to provide scholarships and attract more diverse talent to the industry dr ingraham has been featured or quoted in several outstanding publications including the wall street journal new york times and has had appearances on national public radio several times many are his achievements appointments to the national tourism advisory committee for the national association for the advancement of colored people white house conference on tourism creator of greater fort lauderdale convention and visitors bureau to attract african-american tourism and consultant for saint martin working specifically to increase the island's visibility among african americans ladies and gentlemen please help me welcome dr andrew ingraham to the podium thank you very much president edwards board chairman pastor everett brown members of the administration ladies and gentlemen today's graduate class of 2021 our leaders of tomorrow i would first of all like to thank the university for this honor and inviting me to speak when i told my wife about what i was going to do she said what are you going to speak about i said i don't know her response was okay just don't be boring and don't be long today i intend to follow her advice but if you permit me a moment of personal privilege to acknowledge my wife who's been my partner on this incredible journey to make sure that i stay on track and where i am today my wife maria thank you i was born in the bahamas my family is from a small settlement called tarpon bay eluthra it's a small fishing village much the same today as it was when i grew up as a little boy traversing the farmlands fishing and being mischievous so my parents packed me up my brother and i and shipped us off to west east college at that time and i like to tell the joke that they promptly moved so i couldn't find them again but that was a joke but i think they had a plan for me and the interesting part is i did not know but the foundation to what i do today was started on this hilltop as a young man dreaming looking for opportunities counting the cars that passed by my roommate and i nigel tullock and conrad um conrad reed would stand on the hill we didn't have any money unless our parents sent it to us we got into trouble very often um i believe i can say this the statute of limitation may be gone but i spend a lot of time going down to the farm at night with my pillowcase taking oranges and i was talking with miguel yesterday and we also would go when the when they parked the bakery van get some sweet bun so i apologize for that but i'll make it up to you what is important what i learned don't be afraid to take risks and what i do today what i've done yesterday what i will do tomorrow is i'm never afraid of failing or taking risk as these new leaders go out into the field please rest assure that if you fail to start again planning is important very important you plan you plan but you've got to focus i'm lucky with the network of people that i have i have a focused network nothing has ever wasted i remember the first time my good friend who i have to acknowledge past the clock pastor clark thank you for reuniting me with this university came to florida and we started to talk and he said to me you should be involved with the university and we do a lot of stuff i always get concerned when people call me or they show up and they want me to get involved in something else for those of you that are married you know when you spend a million miles or you travel a million miles a year your wife sometimes think there's something funny going on but it's business and when i thought about a focused network and my my friends perseverance graduates never waver persevere there will be adversities be thankful and remember paying back today tomorrow for the rest of my life i will be paying back for the foundation that this university put me on a course to what i do with every member of my companies my organizations and my friends when i went to the u.s i kept thinking where the opportunities couldn't figure it out and i remember and my wife used to once we got married used to ask me all the time or say you can do it sometimes you questioned but that's that's a wife but i can tell you she never wavered and when i started to talk about hotel ownership i went to a buddy of mine who who was at that time the president of one of the most prestigious african-american organization in the united states and i said we should buy a hotel he looked at me he said boy are you nuts said no he said some other stuff i can't repeat but he said where are you from i said i'm from the bahamas he said oh that's the problem i did not let that stop me i started doing research started getting my friends together my network and when i looked around i kept wondering why are people of color spending so much money but have nothing to show for it i think i had something and my first research i found a little hotel of best western in memphis tennessee i called the biona made the holy feel and i said how did you get into the hotel business he said by mistake and default the owners owed us some money we were the accountant and they couldn't pay us so we took possession of the hotel i wanted to be more deliberate and so we started looking around and pulling folks together and i realized something i talked about building that network i realized that there were not a whole lot of people discussing buying investing and operating hotels we had a history of being in the hotel business we were dormant we were made and there's nothing wrong with that but i always want people to have an opportunity to go to the next level you know president edwards when you gave that young lady the president's medallion i said look at what her life work had paid she persevered she's here with us today i want to congratulate thank you i asked about her earlier and i know members of her family are here to support her that's the and started to purchase hotels marriott and hilton hotel chain recognized it and they called me to washington d.c marriott and said we are going to financially support this organization almost 20 years ago and we're going to help you with this vision you see how easy that was i had a vision shared it with other folks and people got on board the president said we had close to 700 800 hotels there are 58 000 hotels just about in the united states 42 percent of them are owned by indians almost 20 000 hotels we started about 20 years ago or so we owned just over a thousand hotels in the united states and around the caribbean this is only to thank you i say this often in five years we will be the largest minority group in the united states that own hotel rooms we're creating a group of leaders our new leaders that i created many years ago a young people that we train and bring them into our summit so they see role models like we have today imagine what you see imagine that i was talking to corrine earlier who's who's worked with me to get us here my wife and my colleague jerry butler and i always bring jerry butler with me because he understands global and international finance and if i ever need some money i can always call jerry butler but those major hotel brands has helped us that today out of the three largest hotel companies in the united states today two of them are owned by african americans or controlled by african-americans rlj who's president is leslie hale the only african-american woman in the united states that's running a hospitality hotel reit hilton marriott none of the major brands own hotels any degree that people like you that people like jerry hopefully the people will be people like president edwards will get him to get into a hotel and own one or invest in one and they're groups that we talk to every day you know i once heard a speaker in washington dc by the name of willie jolly i was attending a conference and he got up to speak and instead of going to the podium he stood in the chair and he said 60 i'm sorry you have one minute to change your life 60 seconds you use it or lose it 60 seconds can change your life and put you on a course that can impact every one around you you can be afraid and not use it i always tell people i tell my kids failure is not an option if you're afraid of failing then that tells us you're not doing a whole lot and you probably wouldn't do a whole lot anybody know a guy i didn't get a chance to see him this past week call you seeing bolt joe you've heard about him did you know that in the 2004 olympics in athens he placed last i'm sorry in the 205 world track meet championship he came in last he didn't give up you cannot talk about track and field today without you seeing both i wish i was a sprinter i wish i was a track sprinter i know my friends would say you can't run that fast but i believe i have other talents that allow me to do what usain has done i remember one day i came out of my house early in my career and i went back in went back to bed why because my wife was going to go to work that day and i didn't see my car i didn't panic she ran out came back and said where's your car i ran outside i said where'd it go but i knew the folks that owned my car that was letting me drive it because i paid them every month and i couldn't pay them came and got their possession i said it's only a car many years ago i couldn't pay my rent my office rent my wife would say when are you going to figure this out but here's the beauty she didn't leave she didn't threaten to leave and i have a lot of friends that sometimes when it gets tough you know some of those folks thank you i was in jamaica earlier in my career when a young man said to me why don't you come to sin martin the country of saint martin help us i said no i had just finished creating a program for multicultural tourism for the greater fort lauderdale convention and business bureau i'd been working with um [Music] the bahamas and i was kind of trying to turn the road didn't want to go to saint martin but they made the office so attractive financially i said yes wasn't afraid to go now they had never been there before by the way i talked about that network a buddy of mine called me and said hey i've got a client uh he wants to have an event i'm going to give you a million us dollars to put an event on he said you're from one of those funny islands figure out a place he said that client was fubu didn't know who fubu was i came home told my kids i'm doing something for fubu they were elated and i thought well who's fubu anybody anybody see shark tank today anybody know what shark tank is damon john for them we had a big party in um sin martin but what i did while preparing that party i began to grow my network larger and so and we had all this success with our network but one of my worst moments in my life was seeing my young my youngest son being carted away on a gurney because we thought there was something wrong with him he wouldn't eat and we took him to all these specialists and my wife said what are you doing i said there must be something wrong he's not eating i remember the doctor saying to me i think he was only 14 months he said he gets up at night and he goes in the refrigerator eats what you want go back to sleep there's nothing wrong with him but it shook my confidence then but i remember my pardon and my wife on this incredible journey stuck with me and today my son is a young man and we have a 14 month old grandson that i spend more time with than probably working today i hope that's okay jerry we're committed to giving back the beauty about having a foundation here it prepares you for life you meet the first set of people many of them will go a lifetime with you you go out into the world you won't be afraid because the confidence that you receive at this institution is par excellence the administrators are committed thank you [Applause] the administrators are committed to your success you think about it past the clock of doing something else president edwards could have been doing something else but they're here for the graduates and people like you like me i'm grateful for that and um i always wondered what is it that i can do we have a number of foundations in the united states that one of the joyous things i get now is giving away dollars to help people educate i have a one of my colleagues a multi-billionaire in the u.s and he said he didn't dream big enough and that's after he borrowed 150 million dollars and paid it back in seven years and i was having dinner with him and the governor general of the bahamas a couple of weeks ago and he said i didn't dream big enough and every year he gives away three million dollars in a wonderful u.s city and he made a commitment to us two million dollars that were given with friendships scholarships in three areas four areas hospitality aviation agriculture a missing one what am i missing jerry you sleep so the issue is those dollars that are committed is for one thing to create a new generation of leaders we're going to make a long-term commitment to this institution not for what it did for me but of what it did for many leaders around the country including today's graduates i want to see more graduates and part of our commitment is my good friend with the mass i can't see all the way over there but we talked about this and working on it we're going to commit 1.7 million jamaican dollars today as part of a long-term commitment to a scholarship fund to help fund young people and that's only the beginning [Applause] when i look around and i see the work that has to be done and i wanted the governor general the bahamas to be here with me i wanted bill picard to be here with me because i have a team of people men and women that are committed to the vision of giving back and improving our community and leaving it better than we found it that's important to us it's important to my 14 month old grandson it's important to the people that work for me it is important to the young man and young woman that clean our rooms every day to ensure that our guests will enjoy a great time in our hotel and come back and that's why when i say we've only just begun and president if you would allow me to give you that gift that we brought and passed the clock this was incredible journey just to get here i know dean rugles who i gave a lot of problems to as a young man on campus may be surprised that i'm here but would be pleasantly surprised because he too had a vision for me because he put up with me to graduates i see a clock here and my wife said don't be boring is that a time signal wrap it up i'm following your advice hope i wasn't boring i wanted to keep it short today's graduates congratulations thank you for what you've done in persevering thank you for what you intend to do and remember we and members of my organization and my companies will always be there to help guide and answer any questions that you may need thank you very much god bless you and have a pleasant rest of the day thank you president edwards it gives me great pleasure to present to you and to the vice president of the inter-american adventist theological seminary six candidates who according to records submitted to me have successfully completed the prescribed programs of study designed and outlined by the inter-american theological seminary and the association of theological schools and are eligible to be conferred with a degree from the intra-american adventist theological seminary northern caribbean university is pleased to share this graduation ceremony with the inter-american adventist theological seminary iats the fully accredited seminary of the inter-american division of seventh-day adventists iats offers graduate degrees in theology and religion in the affiliated institutions within the territory of the inter-american division as one of the 10 university campuses within the inter-american division territory northern caribbean university is proud to have been a founding institution when the seminary came into existence operating on our campus under an affiliation agreement between our two institutions the iats has its administrative offices at the division headquarters in miami florida and its academic headquarters on the campus of antillean adventist university in puerto rico therefore it gives me great pleasure to introduce and present dr angel guzman academic vice president of the inter-american adventist theological seminary dr guzman [Applause] good morning and thank you president edwards receive warm and sincere greetings from the whole atheist staff especially from our president dr velazquez dr brown our greetings also it's a joy and a privilege for the inter-american adventist theological seminary to operate a site in this campus at northern caribbean adventist university in compliance with the mandate of our world church and now i call upon dr newton clayhorn our site coordinator here at northern caribbean university to kindly come forward to present the candidates who are eligible to be confirmed with the iats degrees mr vice president of the inter-american adventist theological seminary i am pleased to present to you today six students of the inter-american adventist theological seminary who are eligible to receive the master of arts degree in pastoral theology for the master of arts in pastoral theology there are six candidates and all of the candidates from the inter-american adventist geological seminary will be presented on screen at the appropriate time we congratulate and applaud the candidates who will be conferred with the master of arts degree in pastoral theology today so now in virtue of the authority conferred upon me by law the accrediting association of seven day adventist schools colleges and universities and the association of theological schools our accrediting organizations and the ministry of higher education of the free and associated state of puerto rico the inter-american adventist theological seminaries board of trustees and on behalf of its faculty i now confer upon all of the candidates the degree for which they have been presented master of arts in pastoral theology i declare all of them graduated [Applause] congratulations mr president it gives me great pleasure to present to you today august 8th 2021 518 candidates who are eligible for degrees from northern caribbean university according to records submitted to me each of these candidates has successfully completed our prescribed programs of study and is therefore eligible to receive the degree earned for his or her program of study the total number participating today including those conferred in march 2021 is 518. of that number 255 will be conferred in this the first commencement ceremony and 257 candidates will be conferred in the second commencement ceremony the candidates in the first commencement ceremony are from the college of business and management the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing and the school of religion and theology they will be presented to you by the dean of the college of business and imagine management ecklands the dean of the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing dr vincent wright and the dean of the school of religion and theology dr simon bambali i now invite dr oldie echols to present the candidates from the college of business and management mr president i now present from the college of business and management 129 candidates who are eligible to receive degrees from northern caribbean university each candidate has completed the prescribed course of study in harmony with the stipulations of the accrediting association of seventh-day adventist schools colleges and universities and university council of jamaica for the masters in business administration there are eight candidates for the bachelor of science degree in business administration there are 53 candidates for the bachelor of science in hospitality and tourism management there are 10 candidates for the business the bachelor of science in management studies there are 39 candidates for the associate of science in business administration there are 11 candidates for the associate of science in hospitality management there are two candidates and for the associate degree in occupational studies there are six candidates representing the college of business and management are melissa brown [Applause] [Applause] nicole scarlett [Applause] shanae turner [Applause] amoy white tina young all of the other candidates from the college of business and management will be presented on screen we congratulate and applaud the candidates who are being conferred today [Applause] master of business administration nordah brown karen bury beverly henry chantal jamison vincent leslie k scott alicia smith michaela stevenson of science in business administration accounting emphasis nikkisha thompson anglin anglin thompson sorry sanjay barkley driselle giselle burchell a shantana dixon roshana donkly julia jelena garcon rohan gregory quasi griffiths shellyanne hall laude racine harrison hanson racine hanson yes julia jackson nicolette carr daedra lions marlon mitchell lord nicole scarlett tony thompson daniel tobias chantel vassell tashell watson hope wellington [Music] tamara williams shellyanne williams [Music] nicole wilson [Music] michael wright tina young magna laude bachelor of science and business administration finance emphasis nikkei brown odesha campbell [Music] chad anthony koch [Music] progress davis [Music] alicia green [Music] sabrina green [Music] nevada green hudson [Music] kemoy hutchinson monique johnson [Music] brianna lee sean malcolm [Music] brianna powell [Music] nerdya roberts [Music] nicola roll [Music] tony anne dwayne saunders [Music] [Music] kamisha thomas [Music] shanae turner [Music] renik walker fallon walsh somebody has a lot of friends [Music] delissa williams [Music] simone williams bachelor of science in hospitality and tourism travel and tourism management emphasis [Music] ivana dean casey ann harrison [Music] harriet henderson candace low [Music] nicolet walters chanello williams [Music] bachelor of science and hospitality and tourism management food and beverage operations management emphasis lancelot ball orin malcolm laude bachelor of science and management studies entrepreneurship emphasis wendy mcfarland [Music] bachelor of science and management studies hospitality and tourism management major nubia mccalla laude bachelor of science and management studies human resource management emphasis shia brian cumlaude tyra carter esme clarke avis gordon [Music] cassandra grant camille hansen [Music] andre howell come lord johnson jessica kelly [Music] kenisha lloyd [Music] cheryl nelson latoya newell tracy anne patrick burton colleen richards grass new roach [Music] aldith wisdom [Music] bachelor of science and management studies marketing and sales emphasis anne-marie brissett monique rhoden melissa brown [Music] tafari duhaney karetta don ewart [Music] desean leach [Music] kemar lewis [Music] keon nezbeth sashika powell [Music] michael riley maisha shaw [Music] white sharika wright tiffany wright bachelor of science and management studies tourism and hospitality management emphasis andrea harvey [Music] associate of science in business administration sharian anderson [Music] shanice blackwood [Music] sasha borland camaresha dixon walters korean francis mitchell [Music] sofia ferran danielle james [Music] sadari mcintosh [Music] karesha mccoy [Music] acacio walker associate of science in hospitality management shanika barker chanel campbell associate degree in occupational studies shanica barker tiffany bloomfield oops yes [Music] ecclestone [Music] scott yolanda young [Music] i'd sciences allied health and nursing mr president i now present from the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing 122 candidates who are eligible to receive their degree from northern caribbean each candidate has completed the prescribed course of study in harmony with the stipulations of the accrediting association of same-day adventist schools colleges and universities the university council of jamaica the nursing council of jamaica the council of professional allied to medicine the dental council of jamaica and the jamaica association of professionals in nutrition and dietetics for the masters of public health there are five candidates for the masters of science in biology there are three candidates for the masters of science and information system there are three candidates for the postgraduate certificate in information security there is one candidate for the bachelors of science in applied environmental geography there are two candidates for the bachelor of science in biochemistry there are six candidates for the bachelor of science in biological sciences there are 15 candidates for the bachelor of science in biology education there is one candidate for the bachelor of science in computer information system there are 25 candidates for the bachelor of science in computer science there are nine candidates for the bachelor of science in information system there are two candidates for the bachelor of science in information technology there are two candidates for the bachelor of science in dental hygiene there are three candidates for bachelor of science in dietetic dietetics there are three candidates for the bachelor of science in environmental science there are three candidates for the bachelor of science in mathematics there are three candidates for the bachelor of science in medical technology there are 15 candidates for the bachelor of science in nursing there are 10 candidates for the associate of science in biology there is one candidate for the associate of science in dietetics there is one candidate for the associate of science in information technology there are five candidates representing the college of natural and applied sciences allied elder nursing there are three representatives brian simmons malaika honorary jesuri osborne all of the candidates from the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing will be presented on screen we congratulate and applaud the candidates who are being conferred today thank you master public health health education and promotion nikola charlton james [Music] charlene hamilton master of public health medical epidemiology [Music] melbourne bailey [Music] master of science in biology microbial microbiology emphasis richard logan [Music] master of science in biology molecular biology emphasis tyrone knight reanne simmons master of science and information systems application development specialization marisa gakpo master science and information systems networking and information security specialization arnold cooper anthony knight post graduate certificate in information security lawrence james bachelor of science in applied environmental geography daniel blake davian brown bachelor of science and biochemistry ronique brown come lord tajira jacobs tabita samwells neograz simpson lino shannon walters bachelor of science in biological sciences andre campbell [Music] francis rihanna james nastasia johnson rasheem mcdonald [Music] osbourne janelle phillips [Music] sutherland danielle sutherland khalila waddle janae walker prince willis [Music] bachelor of science in biology education bachelor of science in computer information systems tafari beckford [Music] carol bogle colleen brown mikhail campbell kirk patrick chambers philbert chisholm winston edwards brandy evans magna laude xavier ewing hakeem gooden meeks [Music] anne-marie reed [Music] raheem robinson ruth and samwell's laude courtney smith oh shane smith laude brian walker adrian west [Music] bachelor of science in computer science sabrina atkinson magna laude romaine hunter lisa joe mckay edwin miller ashani pitts [Music] scarlett [Music] albert walker [Music] bachelor of science in information science archie hilton jermaine smith bachelor of science and information technology travis anderson [Music] bachelor of science in dental hygiene oshika sabrina mcintosh trisan nelson [Music] bachelor of science in dietetics tyce dawes [Music] janik gordon michaela smith bachelor of science in environmental science danielle campbell [Music] kenya [Music] bachelor of science in mathematics [Music] bachelor of science in mathematics actuarial science emphasis michaela morant bachelor of science and medical technology shamoya black tasha brown karja bryan peter gay donkly [Music] georgian morgan stevonne morris taj marie nevins don j reid laude shanee robinson kellyanne smith sarah spence synovia wilkinson [Music] bachelor of science in nursing bennett [Music] chelsea day [Music] derica powell shanika robinson janelle smith crystal thomas shakira watson shalesia white bachelor of science in nursing rn bsc upgrade [Music] kimberly henry [Music] associates of science in biology shanique sukra associate of science and dietetics ed marla brown associate of science and information technology darren anderson kirk patrick chambers davon murphy diploma in information technology kadeem blair sashana atkinson vanessa martin mcfarlane magna laude terry ann shorter now invite dr simon bambali to present the candidates from the school of religion and the theology mr president i now present from the school of religion and theology 10 students who are eligible to receive their baccalaureate degrees from northern caribbean university each candidate has completed the prescribed course of study in harmony with the stipulations of the accreditation association of seventh adventist schools colleges and universities and the university council of jamaica for bachelor of arts in religion there are 10 students and they are represented by the names below roosevelt hudson sylvan stewart uh all the students all the candidates graduating from the adventists from the from iats with masters and those graduating from the school of religion and theology will be presented on the screen and we congratulate and upload the candidates who are being confirmed today master of arts and pastoral theology christopher mighty adeline mort kirkwood parkinson sheldon schooler roland vassell andre wallace bachelor of arts in religion javain billings romario banik wayne clark roosevelt hudson lincoln liking master of arts and pastoral theology bachelor of arts in religion javain billings romario bonnick wayne clark roosevelt hudson lincoln liking ricardo mccalla samwell miller selvin selvin stewart richard thorpe nicolas harwood graduates commit the moment for which you have long waited so through the powers vested in me by the board of governors of northern caribbean university as president and by the authority of the university council of jamaica adventist accrediting association joint board of teacher education council of professions supplementary to medicine nursing council of jamaica and the dental council of jamaica i now confer on each of you the degree for which you have been presented from the college of business and management master of business administration bachelor of science in business administration bachelor of science in hospitality and tourism management bachelor of science in management studies associate of science in business administration associate of science in hospitality management associate degree in occupational studies from the college of natural and applied sciences allied health and nursing master of public health master of science in biology master of science in information systems postgraduate certificate in information security bachelor of science in applied environmental geography bachelor of science in biochemistry bachelor of science in biological sciences bachelor of science in biology education bachelor of science in computer information systems bachelor of science in computer science bachelor of science in information science bachelor of science in information technology bachelor of science in mathematics bachelor of science in dental hygiene bachelor of science in dietetics bachelor of science in environmental science bachelor of science in medical technology bachelor of science in nursing associate of science in nursing associate of science in biology associate of science in dietetics associate of science in information technology from the school of religion and theology bachelor of arts in religion with all the rights privileges and honors thereon to appertaining this eighth day in the month of august in the year of our lord 2021. congratulations for those graduates who are physically present in the gymnatorium you may now shift your tassels for those of you who are elsewhere you may join in as you choose and congratulations you are no graduates of northern caribbean university today as i graduate from northern caribbean university i pledge to maintain in my personal life and professional practice the moral and ethical principles taught by this institution and i will with god's help do so wherever i'm called to serve in all my dealings i will conduct myself with honest honesty and integrity always taking responsibility for my actions and respecting the rights opinions and dignity of all i will seek to apply the knowledge experience and skills i have acquired to build up any organization of which i am a part advancing its well-being that of my profession and of the society as a whole i will strive to better my community through active participation and good citizenship i will commit myself to keeping abreast of development in my chosen field embracing the value of of life long learning i'll be a loyal ambassador of northern caribbean university always seeking to promote its welfare and maintain its reputation while striving always to provide committed professional service to country and to god god at the center of it all i am honored to have been chosen to deliver the valediction for the 2021 graduating class but i would have no purpose here had it not been for the resilience of our graduates the support of their friends and families the effort of this administration its faculty and staff and finally but most importantly the faithfulness of god my heartfelt congratulations to all my fellow graduates on reaching this del mar stole in your scholastic journey today my friends is rightly ours yes now that i am reflecting on four years of legacy that we've all made together we have overcome hurdles and today we are empowered we can humbly say that we are the anticipated change we searched on like the famous olympic herd laws four unforgettably years do you remember those sleepless nights 11 59 deadlines walking up steps to christ just to get to another class those pe classes on a friday morning and having financial instabilities this is why today we reminisce and celebrate or perseverance sweat and yes even tears that went into the hard work that has brought us this well-deserved success and how could i stand here and give no credit to the places and things that became our closest and dearest friends special pickups to the library google and all the other platforms that were ever present when we needed them to the lecturers chaplains services friends and families who helped us along the way and lent a sympathetic air to our frustrated rants we thank you in my time here i've encountered some of the most promising scholars we must be proud of who we are we are graduates of northern caribbean university people who are godly intelligent resourceful grounded and above all people who can contribute significantly to today's ever-changing world we may not yet fully comprehend the things that we've learned here but recognize that if we do the things we're capable of we would astound ourselves the world requires a new generations of scholars who will affect a positive change and go beyond the call of duty we are a part of that generation it is our responsibility to go into the world and do our part in bringing about this change by effectively applying our skill sets while depending on god making not only ourselves proud but our families and or university now that we've been empowered by god to overcome hurdles and become the anticipated change let us go for displaying the character creativity and competence that this beacon on the hill has molded to the graduating class of 2021 congratulations and as the jamaican michael jackson would say hey who would do it with all protocols respectively observed where alumni induction is a long-standing tradition where we celebrate the transformation from being ncu graduate to that of becoming ncu alumni as a president of ncu alumni federation the umbrella body fall nc alumni chapters along with vice presidents alanza smith and trevor cameron all chapter presidents executive members and alumni in the diaspora and jamaica we warmly welcome you to the alumni body the largest take holder constituency of this or loved and blessed institution on the hill it was a collective effort of of all our chapters and that allowed us to provide direct financial support to your graduates today to over 100 graduates today and countless others as we serve to facilitate academic and student success through other means that year at the university but i want to share that equal to that of the good samaritan that gave the tax affair to a recent 110 meter hurdler and facilitated him being at a at the race and the rest is history there are many alumni and friends being good samaritans and facilitated your being in the race and to to to have surmounted these hurdles so even today as we join and we express appreciation to those we want to celebrate with you the real victors you are our victors you are our winners you are our champions and we are excited to have you joining our ranks but before you sprint away let me quickly remind you that the hurdles that you successfully cleared and that we are celebrating with you today the reality is that they still remain here at ncu some hurdles are known while others will be novel in other words never seen before and with unknown and literate effect but let me share with you you have the talent you have the expertise to make this better for those who come behind so our alumni chapters we need you we need your involvement we want to remind you that your first alumni engagement will be on november 4th to 8th and this will be on on an opportunity where we can come for an alumni reunion and to celebrate with our alma mater at this time i'm going to ask if you are standing wherever you are to stand as we do our ncu alumni pledge and if there are alumni in the in the in the in the audience here we are also ask that you stand and as you we say the alumni pledge together we will do this in the first person i will read and you will follow after i harold clayton you'll put your name hereby pledge my loyalty to northern caribbean university my alma mater and the high christian ideals upon which she was established i pledge to nurture support and give generously of my professional expertise in helping her to achieve plans and projects that she may propose to advance our society and improve standard of living for all i recommit myself to her continued progress through my support of alumni chapters and other forms of expression of gratitude for the way in which she has helped us to realize our dreams i will ensure that for present students and the generations yet unborn my alma mater will be able to continue our long-standing tradition on whatever forward ever or alma mater and see you [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh my gosh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] is my gosh [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] please bow your heads for the benediction almighty god we lift our hearts and hands in total praise to you as we rejoice with our precious graduates on receiving their hard-earned degrees today we thank you for each word uttered each song rendered and each action displayed that caused our cups of joy to overflow we especially thank you for the commencement address given by mr andrew ingram may his words inspire not only the graduates but all of us to depend on you to make a difference in this troubled world now as we conclude this celebration we ask you dear lord to fill us with your holy spirit so that we can fulfill your plan for our lives and so that we can bless others by serving them gladly with practical expressions of your love in your holy name i pray amen [Music] two dreams [Music] let's [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] ladies and gentlemen the 2021 commencement of northern caribbean university has ended [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you

Channel: Northern Caribbean University

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Keywords: NCU Graduation | Commencement | First Ceremony | 2021, NCU, Graduation, Commencement 1, 1st Commencement, Northern Caribbean University, Andrew Ingraham, NABHOOD

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Length: 162min 8sec (9728 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 08 2021