Davendra Kissoon, University of Guyana’s 2020/2021 Valedictorian, receiving the President’s Medal for the Best Graduating Bachelor’s Degree Student, from His Excellency President Irfaan Ali on Monday.

Davendra Kissoon, 27, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, is basking in academic glory for copping the coveted title of the University of Guyana’s Valedictorian for the Class of 2020/2021 after successfully completing the requirement for a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil with Environmental Engineering with a 4.0 GPA. A perfect score!

Kissoon, an engineer by profession, was presented with the President’s Medal for the Best Graduating Bachelor’s Degree student amongst 2600 students who form this year’s graduands.

The young engineer explained that he grew up in a single-parent home and experienced severe financial hardships during his earlier years. He recounted, "Growing up was very difficult. You know, growing up poor in Guyana, could be very difficult especially at the secondary level. You see, at the primary level you grow up in a community that is not very rich so you have people with a lot in common with you, but at the secondary level it was different because assignments cost a lot, transportation was expensive. So, it was very difficult for my mom to afford.”

"So, we had to cut corners. My brothers had to make some sacrifices for me to go to Queen's College, the premier secondary institution. Nevertheless, I was determined to persevere in spite of my economic challenges, I was not prepared to let that get to me or cause me to fail at what I do," expressed the valedictorian.

According to Kissoon, he was a very delinquent student while growing up, “I used to skip school and get into all sorts of trouble, but Miss Somwattie and Sir Ariff cared about and helped me a lot with my discipline.”

Kissoon attended the Lusignan Primary School and after writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) he was awarded a place at Queen’s College.

However, he explained: “When I reached Sixth Form my behaviour toned down but I ended up failing CAPE because I took it for granted and thought I could have done the last minute studying I did for CXC and still pass. But it turned out that CAPE was far more complex. So, because of that, I had to drop out of Sixth Form, that inspired me to continue my education at UG and to excel.”

He added that he was determined to beat the odds and make his mom proud in spite of the challenges they faced. He noted that when he started UG in 2016, he was fortunate to have one of his friends sponsor his first two years. Following that, he was lucky again to have received a Public Service Ministry scholarship which enabled him to complete his studies.

The young engineer expressed appreciation and thanks to his immediate family, sponsors, Mr. Jackson, lecturers, and peers who made his UG journey one of true success.

In offering words of advice to future engineers, he said: “Enjoy doing engineering, you have to work hard but you also have to enjoy it. One of the things that made me do so well is having friends that wanted to study as well. Rather than being all over the place and going home doing nothing, what we did is that we took turns to teach each other and I think peer teaching is very important to learning. When you could teach a topic it’s because you have mastered it. So, I would advise students to try to help their colleagues.”

Kissoon is currently employed with the Ministry of Home Affairs as a Civil Engineer with a special interest in the Drainage and Irrigation aspect of his discipline.

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UG IN BRIEF

The University of Guyana is the 58th-year State University of Guyana. It offers 136 programmes in over 60 disciplines online and face-to-face in 8 campuses across Guyana. With a student population of now 10,000, UG has provided education, learning, and research for over 50,000 alumni. The mission of the University is to discover, generate, disseminate and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation, and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical inquiry. UG's forward-thinking Blueprint 2040 is currently setting the course for the University's future design and institutional response to the changing needs of Guyana.

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