Jamaican
creates history at Columbia University - First student
to graduate with three degrees in one sitting
JAMAICAN SALEEM Josephs rewrote the history
book on academic excellence at the prestigious Columbia
University in New York City, becoming the first student
from that institution to graduate with three degrees in
one sitting.
At the commencement exercise for the Columbia
Univer-sity College of Dental Medi-cine in Manhattan last
Thursday, Josephs, the eldest of three brothers enrolled
at the school, was presented with his Doctor of Dental
Surgery (DDS) degree, the first of an unprecedented three
titles, becoming the first student in the history of the
venerable institution to be so decorated.
Josephs, a past student of Campion College,
St. Andrew, also received graduate degrees in Business
Administration (MBA) and Public Health (MPA) from the
prestigious Ivy League university.
EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT
Dr. Basil K. Bryan, Ja-maica's Consul
General to New York, who attended the ceremony, praised
Joseph for what he said was an extraordinary achievement.
"On behalf of the Government and
people of Jamaica, I am honoured at the opportunity to
extend congratulations to you on your extraordinary accomplishment,
which I am sure will serve as an inspiration to your brothers
and generations to come," Dr. Bryan said. "You
have made our country proud."
Saleem's two brothers, Phillip and Elias,
are also attending Columbia University College of Dental
Medicine. The Josephses are from the parish of Clarendon.
In addition to his three degrees, Josephs
topped the 84-member graduating class of 2006 in the areas
of community health and prosthodontics and was cited by
the National Dental Honour Society, Omicron Kappa Upsilon,
for outstanding scholarship.
Speaker
after speaker, including keynote speaker, Wole Soyinka
of Nigeria, the 1986 Nobel Laureate in Literature, charged
the graduates that they were part of an exclusive enterprise
that requires professional excellence in duty and service
at all times.
published:
Wednesday | May 24, 2006 |
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