Holder achieves her UWI dream

FROM the age of five, Corisha Holder dreamt of attending UWI. Having no idea of the degree she wanted to do, she nonetheless held this goal close to heart.

As a teen, she continued to actively pursue this goal – beginning after school work at age 14 to save towards her future degree.

In a media release from the University of The West Indies, Holder said she knew a university education would help her accomplish her dreams.

“I had a dream to break generation curses; a dream to become a beacon of light and hope for others and to make the impossible possible. Nothing is wrong with dreaming big and I knew that a university education would get me there,” she said in the release.

Growing up in a single-parent home, she admitted to facing many challenges, but it was her early savings that allowed her to overcome many of the financial hurdles in her journey to university.

When it was time to begin her studies, these savings eventually helped fund her daily commute from San Fernando to the campus in St Augustine, and to purchase textbooks along with basic necessities to survive during each semester.

But even with a buffer for her finances, attaining her degree was no simple feat. In studying for the bachelor of science degree in management studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences, the university-level mathematics proved difficult. Despite an initial failed attempt at remedial math, through great determination she overcame her dislike for the subject, the release said.

The first-generation university graduate is a model example of achievement through daring boldly and manifestation.

As a nod to her last name, she declared “I am a Holder that holds dreams and hope to mould and inspire future generations. Beaming with pride, she added, “I am proud that my upbringing helped me develop into a goal-oriented and success-driven individual. My journey has not come to an end just yet; it has just begun!”