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Celebrating 2015 and surviving it!

This post is dedicated to Celebrating 2015 and surviving it. What a year it most certainly has been and our comfort lies in know that our loved ones who have been ailing for some time and suffering are no longer enduring such a fate.

2015 was a year unlike any other. So much happened and this is probably one of the ways to describe it:

As I said to so many I spoke to in the past couple days, when 2015 began, we did not expect so much of what happened or for it to turn out the way it did. Our comfort lies in knowing that that our loved ones who have been ailing for some time and suffering are no longer enduring such a fate. We survived the year and all that it brought us, and we are stronger because we saw the year through  in spite of what it presented us with.

With regards to this blog I am happy to enjoy sharing my messages with everyone! I  really am! Here is how it did: https://rachaelathomas.wordpress.com/2015/annual-report/

Like everyone else experienced, the year was filled with prayer, laughter, smiles, tears, courage, faith, hope, gratitude, sadness and pain. Some were experienced more than others as expected. Whatever it brought we got through it both as a family and for our respective selves, rallying for each other along the way.

Apart from these experiences I can look at a few things in 2015 about me:

  • I am more confident about cooking. I not only cook more but I have more confidence about what I cook. Baking  is also something I am better at. In 2016 I will be able to add to my list of things I bake and things I cook.
  • I have become better at clearing away clutter. Sometimes it’s just too much procrastination and needing to have the right mindset but it usually becomes easier once I get started.
  • I continue to establish myself as a writer and a blogger. This blog is my proof! 30 new posts were published in 2015. The busiest day of the year was March 25th 2015 which received 45 views. The most popular post on that day was the post dedicated to my grandpa, the late Mr Ramlal Dookie. Its title is Celebrating the life of my grandfather, the late Mr Ramlal Dookie!
  • I graduated with the Associate Degree in Journalism and Public Relations from COSTAATT’s Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies.
  • With great company-that’s Shiva- I have been able to appreciate music and movies more. In saying this I refer specifically to the fact that he is a big fan of “The Voice“. I understand music more as well as the lyrical content. Also we appreciated not just the great acting and plot of “Bridge of Spies” and “Everest“, but also the fact that they were based on true events.
  • I realized that I am good at transcribing.  I began transcribing in COMM 120 class – Critical Reading and Writing Skills for Journalism and Communication Majors- with Ms Michelle Mitchell. Outside of the class setting I have been able to do some professional transcription.

Ask yourself, in spite of how tough the year was, what did it teach you? Give yourself the credit you deserve because I am sure there is something from 2015 that makes you a better you! What is it?

Here are the trailers to “Bridge of Spies” and “Everest“:

Take life’s challenges one by one. Don’t give up! Always believe you can!

 

Posted in COSTAATT, Uncategorized, You Tube

Celebrating Success: COSTAATT Graduation 2015!

Today I Celebrate Success: COSTAATT Graduation 2015!

Do you remember this song? This is how the ceremony started and it truly was a perfect start!

It did not dawn on me until I sat in the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt that the theme blends in so perfectly with my blog. I know it’s been a while since I have been here but it’s been a super crazy  period in these past weeks. I know the light is at the end of the tunnel.  I can see it and trust me, it’s beautiful!

I’m here now and I’m celebrating! All days are special but November 22, 2015  was different. Not only does this year mark COSTAATT’s 15th Anniversary but it is also the year with the most students graduating from this dynamic institution (1,400 plus). On  November 22, 2015 I joined with hundreds of other worthy COSTAATT students  who graduated with their degrees. I graduated with the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Journalism and Public Relations from the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communications Studies.

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Every part of the ceremony was filled with excellence- COSTAATT Excellence.The decor, the positive and meaningful addresses from each of the  speakers, the powerful musical interludes and serenade as well as the responses from the audience. The truth is that at COSTAATT we have so much to celebrate that some may not see or may choose not to see and it starts from the very helm with the President Dr Gillian Paul and the Board of Trustees.  It is evident at all levels- the Executive Management, Administrative Staff of Main Campus and all other Campuses, the Chairs, Deans, Lecturers, and the Students.

I am sure we each left with more than we know of our esteemed college COSTAATT, our President Dr Paul,  the Board of Trustees, our Lecturers and COSTAATT talent.We were delighted to have as our Keynote Speaker, Dr The Honourable  Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts who served as Senior Lecturer- Chemistry  at COSTAATT from 2009.

Her very powerful speech focused on the importance  of the words”I AM”- As Dr The Honourable  Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts said, “I AM are powerful words…I AM a transformer of lives, I AM the hope for a better country…” and indeed they need to be used wisely!

On this most memorable day too the College Song which was written and composed by  Ms Glenda Charles-Harris, Department Chair-Environmental Studies (our prayers are with her and her family members for her safe return) was sung. We were privileged to be among the first to hear the College Song sung and the Staff members and Students of COSTAATT really did it justice in the true COSTAATT Spirit.

Then a few months ago while I was in the process of compiling a Media Contact list for my internship I approached someone in the Industry and when I identified myself as a COSTAATT Student, I was asked in a tone I did not appreciate, I was asked, “Why didn’t you go to UWI like my son, instead of COSTAATT?”

I smiled and I responded. I told her, “I have always been happy to be a student of COSTAATT. We work hard for our grades and it is because of what I have been learning at COSTAATT that I have been able to establish myself as a writer working for clients internationally.  It is also why I have been able to get the experience I have acquired.” This experience includes Press Release Writing, Content Writing, Article Writing, Blog Writing and “About Us” pieces for websites.

Years ago when I knew that a career switch would be in the making I started calling around to find out about Degree Options which would complement the BA English I earned from the University of London. I did not know much about COSTAATT at that time (some years ago) and thankfully the institution that told me I should go to COSTAATT, and then apply to them set me on a journey I would not deviate from. They did not realize they led me on a different path of realization and discovery I would see through to the very end, confident in my choice. At COSTAATT I feel at home and I know my decision has been the right one.

I remember my entrance into COSTAATT and it started with Gabrielle Alfonso in COSTAATT’s Admissions Department. She was the first person I spoke to at COSTAATT regarding starting my BA Mass Communication Studies there. From there on it was a journey I have never regretted being on!

Here are some pics from Graduation Day:

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Students from South Campus-all students of the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies-  ( Class of 2015 BA Mass Communication; AAS Journalism & PR): Earl Edmund, Alette Williams. Marissa Marjadsingh, Nicholas Lutchmansingh, Wavel Fraser

 

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From left: Rachael Ann  Thomas-Jeremiah (me), Tara Ramsingh, Anniesha Alexander (front), Earl Edmund, Misha Garcia, Nicholas Lutchmansingh, Brendon Julien; Back row: Alette Williams, Marissa Marjadsingh, Wavel Fraser, Germine Carlotta Alexander Rivas, Carla Britton-Procope,

Happy to join other Students from South Campus- all Students of the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies – ( Class of 2015 BA Mass Communication;  AAS Journalism & PR)

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We were delighted to be joined by Mrs Sophia Edwards-Knox, Department Chair -Communication Studies with Students of the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies

 

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Here’s another picture my darling husband Shiva took after the Graduation Ceremony

 

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A happy couple aren’t we…Shiva and me after the ceremony!

Congratulations to our Valedictorians:

Arnold Ramkaran- BSc Environmental Health

Rachelle Deonarine- AAS Environmental Health

Congratulations COSTAATT’s Class of 2015! I am a proud COSTAATT Student! Fellow Graduates another chapter in our journey has started! Let’s embrace it and let’s enjoy it!

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Celebrating COMM350 classmates

To the readers of this post, it’s an opportunity to be retrospective. We started in September, we worked together, we defied odds and overcame challenges but we persevered and completed our projects in December.

Our paths have crossed and for most of us our paths will cross again. To all the students of COSTAATT’s COMM350 Class of Semester 1 of the 2014-2015 Academic Year taught by Mr. Kayode James,  Senior Lecturer at COSTAATT’s Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies, it was my pleasure to meet you and to work with you.

To Mr. Kayode James, Sir thank you for your guidance and support. It was my pleasure to be in your class.

Many of my classmates will be continuing their blogs and they need your support. I ask that you please lend them your support as they offer a lot to learn. Here are the links to their respective blogs. The list is not exhaustive and though it may seem lengthy I am sure there is a thing or two here that will surely pique your interest.

To all Happy Reading! To the bloggers, Happy Blogging!

Stay safe everyone and continue being blessed! All the best!