On Saturday, 10 October 2026, The University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus marked a landmark moment of achievement as hundreds of its distance learners crossed the graduation stage at the UWI Five Islands Campus, capping off years of deliberate effort and personal sacrifice. Thousands of guests, including proud family members, supportive friends, university faculty and community well-wishers, filled the venue to cheer on the new graduates and honor their relentless perseverance through their academic journeys.
Graduates from three distinct academic faculties were recognized during the ceremony: the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Humanities and Education, and the Faculty of Sport. The cohort earned degrees spanning undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with a notable share of undergraduate students collecting First Class Honours, and many postgraduate graduates walking away with Distinction or Merit classifications for their outstanding academic performance.
As the UWI system’s flagship online learning institution, the Global Campus was designed to expand access to higher education across the Caribbean, currently serving enrollees across 16 regional nations. Its flexible model was built specifically to accommodate working adults, allowing learners to advance their education without stepping away from their full-time jobs, family care responsibilities, or local community ties. This year’s graduating class embodied that mission: the vast majority of graduates balanced full-time employment, caregiving duties, and active community service alongside their course requirements, making their academic success all the more extraordinary.
One standout graduate is Malika Ward-Gomes, who served as the 2025/2026 Past Chapter Chair of the UWI Global Campus Guild of Students Antigua Chapter. Ward-Gomes earned a Master of Science in Management Studies with a concentration in Human Resource Management, graduating with Merit. Her achievement shines a light on the unique dedication of student leaders, who commit hundreds of hours to supporting their peers while pushing forward with their own academic goals.
The Antigua Chapter of the UWI Global Campus Guild of Students issued a formal statement of congratulations to the entire 2026 graduating cohort. “Today we celebrate not just degrees, but the determination, resilience and commitment behind each one,” the organization noted. “Our graduates have shown that with sustained effort, success is within reach. We are so proud of you.”
Looking ahead, the Antigua Chapter has planned a follow-up event to recognize top-performing students: its annual Honour Roll Ceremony and Guild Induction, scheduled for Sunday, 15 November 2026. The event will honor students who earned outstanding academic marks across the first and second semesters of the 2025/2026 academic year, and welcome the new cohort of student guild leaders for the coming term. To the entire UWI Global Campus Class of 2026, congratulations on this transformative achievement.