MONTEGO BAY, St James – More than 2,000 students from across the island turned out last week for the University of the West Indies, Mona, Western Jamaica Campus, Open House in Montego Bay.

Almost every parish was represented, as high school students from parishes including St Ann, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny and St James came out to experience the days’ activities.

The event sought to inform students and teachers of the benefits of a UWI tertiary education experience, while exposing students to the various academic departments, career opportunities and options that are available for financing tertiary education.

Marjorie Bolero-Haughton, UWI Mona Recruiting Officer, welcomed the students on behalf of the UWI, Mona Campus, while the Western Jamaica Campus Director, Dr Luz Longsworth, gave the official WJC welcome.

The days’ activities also included a Physics CAPE workshop, facilitated by Head of the Electronics Unit in the Department of Physics, Dr Paul Aiken, an entrepreneurship workshop, held by Dr K’adamawe K’nife, lecturer at the Mona School of Business and Management, tours of the campus’ many facilities, and a special seminar which provided guidance counsellors with information on how to successfully provide the support their students would need when applying to UWI.

Through an outside broadcast, Newstalk 93 FM provided entertainment for the students and interviewed many of the presenters and individuals involved in the overall planning and implementation of the event.

Ricardo Anderson, who headed the logistics team for the Open House, was pleased with how smoothly the days’ proceedings went.

“The streamlined communication between the UWI, Mona and its Western Jamaica Campus and the schools allowed for what seemed to be an effortlessly coordinated three day event,” he noted.