“I’m proud of mummy,” said nine-year-old Salim Phillips after seeing his mother Marcia Melville cross the stage at her graduation ceremony on Wednesday
Melville, 32, of Plymouth, Tobago, recently completed her first degree at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT); a Bachelor’s in Education with a special in primary school education.
“I am extremely elated knowing that my son is proud of me, knowing the fact that he would have made the sacrifice for this four years of me obtaining this degree, and crossing the stage was the best thing ever for him to experience at this moment.
“I really did this because I believe deep down, that my son could see me endeavour to do my best and I know that through role modelling he would be able to do the same just like his mummy,” Melville said.
She was speaking at UTT’s presentation of Graduates 2018 at the O’Meara Campus in Arima on Wednesday
From an early age, Melville dreamt of being a teacher. “I always wanted to be a teacher.”
Five years ago, Melville’s dreams became a reality when her father Malcolm Melville, who was a drum maker for over 20 years, gave up his trade to convert his shop into a school for her— A sacrifice, he said, he’s happy he made
“You see for my children, I’d do anything...I always tell the people in the neighbourhood, listen to me, I’d put my neck on a block for my children...I would die for my children...that for me (giving up his shop) was the best thing I ever done, I know she’d make a success of it and I’m so proud of her.”
Melville believes her degree would help her to accomplish much more, “I believe this degree will equip me in the sense that four years I’ve spent learning the art of teaching, I know it takes time to perfect being a teacher but I believe it’s really beneficial.”
Now that she’s finished with her bachelor’s, she has her sights set on a master’s degree in the near future and “very soon you might be calling me doctor.”
Joining Marcia Melville and 1,700 other UTT students in collecting degrees were former T&T cricketer and footballer Alvin Corneal (Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters), former senator Roy Augustus (Honorary Distinguished Fellow), soca sensation Machel Montano (Honorary Doctor of Arts), engineer Leo Martin (Honorary Doctor of Science) and poet Eintou Springer (Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts).