The 2025 Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholar is Saint Lucian Rehym Augustin-Joseph.
The announcement was made on Tuesday at State House. Augustin-Joseph was selected from among 12 candidates.
Speaking to the media following the announcement, he said it felt incredible to receive the scholarship that he has worked towards over his academic journey.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to add value as part of the academic journey and give back to the region,” said Augustin-Joseph, the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus graduate who plans to purse studies in law at Oxford University.
“Most of the issues that we face on a national level are somewhat replicated across the region, whether it be crime, violence, ensuring young people have avenues away from that, whether it be some of the economic disparities in income and equality or, more importantly, the deepening of democracy across the region.”
Augustin-Joseph also believes there is a lack of regional scholarships compared to those available globally. He intends to address this issue and represent others who have not been successful in attaining scholarships.
Candidates (from left) Denzel Persaud and Thomas Singh of Guyana, Ronaldo Ramkissoon of Trindad, Enna Weech of The Bahamas, Nazim Mohammed of Trinidad, Khadijah Halliday, Rehym Augustin-Joseph, and Sergio Charles of Saint Lucia, Rhobyn Barnabe of St Vincent, Shawnalee Gordon of Dominica, Roydon Glasgow of Guyana, and Aiden Watler of the Cayman Islands. (LG)
Among the 12 candidates, represented for the first time was the Cayman Islands. Aiden Watler, a 21-year-old Political Science and French student, said he was honoured to be the first to represent his country.
“In the Caribbean, there’s so much of a perception of the Cayman Islands and that comes largely because we’re so small and…I think this is a good first statement that we are here, we’re Caribbean and we want to be involved, whether that’s academically, culturally or otherwise,” Watler said.
He has ambitions to study international relations at the University of Oxford.
Watler shared his experience of being sick often as a child and having to push through in his second year of university when a stomach condition he was born with resurfaced while he was away from home. He said his experiences have taught him faith and tenacity in the face of adversity.
(LG)
