Davendra Kissoon, 27, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, is revelling in the glory of securing the coveted title of the University of Guyana’s Valedictorian for the Class of 2020/2021 after successfully completing the requirement for a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil with Environmental Engineering with a 4.0 GPA, a perfect score.
According to a release from the University of Guyana, Kissoon was presented with the President’s Medal for the Best Graduating Bachelor’s Degree student from amongst 2600 students who form this year’s graduands.
The young engineer said in the press release that he grew up in a single-parent home and experienced severe financial hardships during his earlier years. He said, “Growing up was very difficult. You know, growing up poor in Guyana, could be very difficult especially at the secondary level. You see, at the primary level you grow up in a community that is not very rich so you have people with a lot in common with you, but at the secondary level it was different because assignments cost a lot, transportation was expensive. So, it was very difficult for my mom to afford.
“So, we had to cut corners. My brothers had to make some sacrifices for me to go to Queen’s College, the premier secondary institution. Nevertheless, I was determined to persevere in spite of my economic challenges, I was not prepared to let that get to me or cause me to fail at what I do”.
According to Kissoon, he was a very delinquent student while growing up, “I used to skip school and get into all sorts of trouble, but Miss Somwattie and Sir Ariff cared about and helped me a lot with my discipline.”
The release said that Kissoon attended the Lusignan Primary School and after writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) he was awarded a place at Queen’s College.
He said: “When I reached Sixth Form my behaviour toned down but I ended up failing CAPE because I took it for granted and thought I could have done the last minute studying I did for CXC and still pass. But it turned out that CAPE was far more complex. So, because of that, I had to drop out of Sixth Form, that inspired me to continue my education at UG and to excel.”
He added that he was determined to beat the odds and make his mother proud in spite of the challenges they faced. He disclosed that when he started UG in 2016, he was fortunate to have one of his friends sponsor his first two years. After that, he was lucky again to receive a Public Service Ministry scholarship which enabled him to complete his studies.
The engineer expressed appreciation and thanks to his immediate family, sponsors, Mr. Jackson, lecturers, and peers who made his UG journey one of true success.
In offering words of advice to future engineers, he said, according to the press release: “Enjoy doing engineering, you have to work hard but you also have to enjoy it. One of the things that made me do so well is having friends that wanted to study as well. Rather than being all over the place and going home doing nothing, what we did is that we took turns to teach each other and I think peer teaching is very important to learning. When you could teach a topic it’s because you have mastered it. So, I would advise students to try to help their colleagues.”
Kissoon is currently employed with the Ministry of Home Affairs as a Civil Engineer with a special interest in Drainage and Irrigation.
