A promising young scholar from The University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus has earned top honors in a prominent national essay competition focused on reparations, drawing praise from her campus’ student governing body.
Elena Etinoff secured first place in the university-level division of the 2026 Essay Competition hosted by the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, an achievement celebrated publicly by the UWI Five Islands Campus Guild of Students.
Competing as the official representative of her institution, Etinoff impressed judges with her submission titled “From Chains to Change: Reflecting on the Past, Projecting a Just Future.” In its congratulatory statement, the Guild of Students emphasized the nuanced perspective woven throughout Etinoff’s work. The winning text balances rigorous critical reflection on the historical harms of chattel slavery with forward-looking vision, outlining a path toward a more just and equitable society for people of Caribbean descent.
“We are proud to see our students using their voices, knowledge and ideas to contribute to important conversations,” the Guild shared in its official statement. The student body organization extended its warm congratulations to Etinoff on her outstanding accomplishment, while issuing a heartfelt encouragement to continue advancing meaningful dialogue around reparations and racial justice, urging her to “keep the fight alive.”
The competition itself, focused on centering local and student-led engagement with the ongoing global movement for Caribbean reparations, provides a platform for emerging scholars to contribute their perspectives to a conversation that carries profound social and political weight for Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean region.