Each year, Northern Caribbean University (NCU) pauses to acknowledge the academic achievements of its students at the highly anticipated and prestigious Honours Convocation Ceremony.

At the university's Montego Bay Campus, more than 150 students were awarded for their academic pursuits. The university president and keynote speaker for the ceremony, Dr Herbert Thompson, delivered the charge as he commended the awardees for their achievements. The ceremony was held under the theme, 'Celebrating Opportunities ... Visualizing Possibilities'.

Dr Thompson posited that the academic exploits of students at the university's extension campuses must receive special recognition as they are all professionals who hold full-time jobs while studying. Students inducted into the highly coveted Dean's List received accolades for their academic performance in the categories, Summa Cum Laude (3.90-4.00 GPA), Magna Cum Laude (3.70-3.89 GPA) and Cum Laude (3.50-3.69 GPA). Students who acquired a GPA of 3.00-3.49 were incorporated into the honour roll.

male students

The university is particularly proud of the achievements of its male students. In the presentation of awards and certificates, there was an almost even mix of males and females who received awards and commendations. Also worthy of note was the awarding of the Byron Robinson and the North American Alumni Association scholarship to financially challenged students.

The highlight of the awards segment was the introduction of the President's Award for Excellence which Dr Thompson presented to Aubyn Green and Rochelle Gourzong, two Summa Cum Laude awardees. Both awardees are active members of the United Student Movement (USM), Montego Bay, where Green serves as vice-president and Gourzong as director of academic affairs.

growth and camaraderie

Dr Thompson expressed his satisfaction with the growth and camaraderie of the team at the Montego Bay campus in providing men and women of western Jamaica with quality Christ-centred education. For those students who were unsuccessful in their efforts to make it onto the Dean's List, Dr thompson encouraged them to stay the course as failure is not an option.

The Honours Convocation Ceremony for the Montego Bay campus was an exciting affair in which members of the university family gathered to show their support for students who had met the challenges and achieved recognition for their academic exploits. Custos Rotulorum for the parish of St James, Ewen Corrodus, was also on hand to commend the awardees.

Summa Cum Laude awardee Petreena Freemantle creatively shared the life of a typical student whose mission and purpose is to achieve the very best. Speaking on behalf of the awardees, she expressed gratitude to those who guided them on the path to their achievements and promised continued excellence in making their dreams a reality.

Graduates prepare to shift their tassels after being conferred with their degrees at a recent Northern Caribbean University graduation ceremony.