Valedictorian of the University of Guyana’s 45th Convocation, Vineeta Persaud, who graduated with a degree in Computer Science while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, says she enjoyed her time as a student although dedicated work was required and believes the ongoing brain drain has to end if Guyana is to move forward.
In an interview with Stabroek News, Persaud said she was thrilled to have brought back the honour to her department, but was not surprised at her success since she was always determined to excel in her courses. She was well aware that this would have taken much sacrifice and tremendous dedication but she did her absolute best to accomplish her goals.
“Receiving my grades after each semester was a series of small victories, which led up to the final moment of graduating with a perfect GPA,” the 23-year-old said.
She explained that although the programme was challenging she did not take any summer courses to “lighten the load” during the semester which perhaps added to the perceived difficulty.
“The computer science courses were not a struggle for me, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed each and every core subject. The mathematics subjects required a lot of practice, and there were courses from other faculties which required a lot of reading, and these were very time-consuming,” she related.
As valedictorian of Class 2011, Persaud said she would advise both current and prospective students that they must be willing to make sacrifices since they are responsible for their own education. “They must be diligent, dedicated and determined. They need to find an area they love, so that they will remain motivated even when times are difficult,” she said.
Persaud said she owes her success first and foremost to her mother, Rita Persaud, who also studied computer science in her home country, India and seems to have passed on her love for it. “I, too, have an inherent love for this area of study,” she said.
She said her mother was always a role model in her life and a major source of support and guidance. “Her understanding and love helped me over many hurdles that I had to face.
Her knowledge of the field I had chosen, her own field, helped to guide me through the computer science programme,” she explained.
Persaud noted that she had attempted Natural Sciences – biology and chemistry, but never enjoyed them. The subjects, she said, were too tedious and studying was always a laborious task.
However, once she was introduced to the area of computer science, there was an instant click. “I had found, after trial and error, the field that I wanted to be in,” she stated.
She said her success is also owed to her father, Evan Persaud, and her brother, Vishaal Persaud, who gave her support and guidance, and had unwavering faith in her abilities.a
“The lecturers, especially the computer science lecturers, have all shown great love for their subject area, and they are passionate about their field and their job. These lecturers have been firm in their belief in me, and have helped me to succeed,” she said.
During her time at UG, Persaud said strong friendships were formed with both lecturers and students alike.
Persaud indicated that her department has continuously received generous funding and donations from Vishnu Panday & Associates Inc, especially in terms of computer systems. The Guyana Telephone & Telegraph company, she said, provides support to this department in the form of the internet connection utilized by the computer science lab.
Though graduated, she continues to spend her days on the UG campus as she is now employed as an Assistant Lecturer in Computer Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
She said she is interested in gaining work experience but will later apply to enter a Masters programme abroad, as UG does not provide a Masters programme in the field of computer science.
Pointing to the brain drain trend, Persaud asserted that Guyana can only move forward and develop if the scholars remain and contribute to the economy of this country.
Briefly disclosing a few things about herself, Persaud said she has lived in three countries in three different continents. She said that she is originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but subsequently moved to India. She migrated to Guyana in the summer of 1997.
Reflecting a little, she recalled that she was placed in Primary Three when she got here and wrote Common Entrance in 1999. She placed fifth in the country, qualifying for a spot at Queen’s College.
Five years later at the CSEC examinations, Persaud achieved Grade 1s in all eight subjects she had written, with four distinctions.
She said she enjoys coding small programmes for herself to automate tasks that are tedious or repetitive. She also loves reading various articles of interest on the web, in the areas of world news, science and technology.
