"One UWI, One Alumni Family" 

An ‘alumnic’ legacy

It is said that “to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48), a phrase for which I have seen a number of related interpretations of varying depth and colours. To me, the interpretation is best rendered as this: from those of us who have more or have been exposed to more, much more is expected. I see the verse as an important guideline for “paying it forward”, or more specifically, building and or leaving a legacy among those who cannot reward you at the time for your services or contribution to their lives in any way, except for the intangible rewards that come from knowing that you helped to change or shape a life or lives in a positive way. You may ask, “in what way can this be accomplished?” I respond that you can, through various means such as mentoring a student, adopting a school, or volunteering in your area of expertise at a school or community level.

Mentoring is an easy and rewarding way of building a legacy. Many students need direction, even at the tertiary level. This guidance may be on both a personal and professional level, as your experience as a graduate who has entered the world of work, will enable you to guide younger students as to the employability skills they need to embrace and the personal choices they need to make, as well as helping them to recognize which fields of study and subject areas will make them most marketable. Joining the UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA) may be a formal way of being a mentor, but an even more personal and impactful way without any fanfare, would be to choose to mentor a student in your community whether from the secondary, sixth form or university level.

Adopting a school, even your alma mater, is another excellent way of leaving a legacy. Is there something that you and your friends felt was missing at your school while you were there? Did the school need a library, a ping pong table, football gear, a student lounge, an IT room or better fencing for example? Are you and your friends able to give back to the younger generation of students now that you have accomplished? This giving back can be a onetime gift, a perennial trophy or an annual contribution from the ‘Class of 2000’. Employing a past student in your firm or providing an opportunity for internship or apprenticeship, are other means of giving back to your alma mater. Even something as simple as going back every year on September 6 for Read a Book Day, can positively impact the lives of younger students in a lasting way.

Volunteering in your area of expertise, is a meaningful way of building or leaving a legacy as alumni. Your expertise should not just be for monetary gain, but also for making the lives of others better. Engineering graduates can certainly guide their communities on best practices for clearing land and constructing buildings, so that contractors do not negatively impact the environment. Medical graduates can volunteer on community health outreaches organized by the Rotary Club in their region for example, or give a talk to students about dental hygiene. Educators helping to teach others to read and write, and overcome their fear of failure, create a legacy that can change the fortunes of an entire family or generation caught up previously in a circle of poverty.

Alumni, your legacy is not just about your academic or professional accolades. There are numerous ways you can pay it forward by finding avenues to give back to individuals or groups/communities in tangible and intangible ways. Let’s all challenge ourselves to leave an ‘alumnic’ legacy today.

Samantha S P Mitchell

Class of 2000 & 2009

Faculty of Humanities and School of Education

St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

July 2022