President's End of the Academic Year Address

Greetings my fellow students,

The month of June is upon us and for us in the student community, that means two things; exams and graduation. All of us look forward to these significant events at the end of each academic year. Preparations for graduation are made months ahead of time and for exams, that preparation period began from the first day you set foot in class. These events are debatably, the most significant events we must prepare for as students. So understandably, there is much anticipation, excitement and anxiety surrounding them.

However, the academic year 2021 has been everything but a normal year for all of us. We as Belizeans, have had to contend with the effects of a changing climate, in the form of severe heat, a distressing drought and a forecasted highly active hurricane season; and a cataclysmic pandemic which is wreaking havoc in many parts of the world and one which has completely reconfigured our daily lives and routines.

To our graduates, I am well aware that given the current circumstances, most of you all have been stripped of the opportunity to have a traditional graduation. Some of us won’t get the excitement of buying new shoes and outfits, some of us won’t get to rehearse those speeches, to practice for hours the pomp and circumstance, we don’t get to hear the cheers of our loved ones our names are called to pick up that degree which we have invested so much time and energy into. Even without all that fanfare, I want you to know that the journey was still worthy. We are still so proud of you for pulling through on the other side and can’t wait to see the great contributions you will make to Belize’s development.

I want to let you all know that you are not in this alone, in fact, all of us in the student community are in this together. We face similar challenges and likewise similar triumphs. It is in that spirit that I encourage to all to reach out to each other be it in tutoring, sharing resources such as internet or laptops, advocating for each other’s student rights or simply sharing a word of encouragement that in some cases is the only thing needed to pull a person across the finish line.

We also take this opportunity to reassure you that you can continue look to us to advocate for and amplify your voices!

So, on behalf of my team at the NSUB and all our members, I, as your president, want to congratulate all our graduates and promotees on their significant achievements. We see you and we’re immensely proud of you!

Yours truly,

Kevin John Chen