The Financial Services Commission’s General Counsel Sade Jemmott challenged the students of her alma mater, Queen’s College, to view education as more than a pathway to qualifications and careers, but as a responsibility to use their knowledge and opportunities to create room for others.
Jemmott spoke during a joint assembly at the school on Monday as Queen’s College Week was celebrated under the theme, Educational Evolution: Building an Inclusive and Equitable System for Every Barbadian Child.
Reflecting on her own evolution from student to lawyer, entrepreneur, consultant and financial regulator, Jemmott told students that education should provide a foundation rather than dictate a path.
“My education did not give me a map of every place I would go. It gave me a foundation to keep building,” she said.
Jemmott said that although she had done well academically, she was also a student who questioned rules and pushed boundaries.
“I still ask questions. I still challenge assumptions, and I still want to understand why things are the way they are and whether there is a better way.”
But questioning alone was not enough, she said. “Disruption without judgment can create problems, but disruption guided by purpose can create progress.”
Jemmott urged students to retain their curiosity while learning to channel it constructively.
She drew from two lessons learned at QC: “to whom much is given, much is expected” and “a breach of common sense is a breach of the school rules”.
Jemmott encouraged students to consider what they could do with the opportunities they had received.
“If you’ve been given a seat at a table that someone else may never have the opportunity to reach, are you going to pull the chair behind you, or are you going to make room for someone else?”
The FSC counsel recalled that she originally wanted to practice criminal law but moved into international business, fintech and financial regulation. She helped draft instructions for legislation to establish a regulatory framework for Barbados’ virtual assets trade and served on the Constitutional Reform Commission.
“I could not have done those things credibly on the strength of a law degree alone,” she said, explaining that she had to build on her education by learning about business, understanding technology and developing the judgment to bring different areas together.
Jemmott also addressed inclusion, saying educational evolution must recognise that children have different strengths and ways of learning.
“We must not confuse a child who is struggling with a child who is incapable. And we should never allow a label, a misunderstanding, or an unmet need to become a ceiling on a child’s future.”
She continued: “Equity does not mean that every child gets the same thing. It means that every child gets a genuine opportunity to grow.”
Jemmott linked that message to the tree planting which followed the assembly, with three trees planted on the Husbands, St James, campus.
One was planted by Head Boy Jonathan Broome and Head Girl Gabrielle Lowe, another by Jemmott and president of the Queen’s College Association (QCA) Erica Hinkson, while the third was planted by QCA environmental committee co-chairs Dr Anne St John and Sherry Cumberbatch.
Jemmott described the trees as a symbol of the gradual impact of education: “When you plant one, you do not immediately see everything it will become. Much of the important work happens underground, out of sight in the roots.”
Education was similar because students might not immediately understand the value of every experience, but those experiences could become part of their foundation, she said.
Principal Mitchelle Maxwell reinforced the message of purpose, reminding students of the week’s theme: Purposeful in the face of pressure, the power of choice.
“You are empowered to make good choices,” she said, urging students to make choices that would benefit the institution and continue its tradition as “a beacon”.
Maxwell said alumni had contributed to QC’s development, work that the current generation of students had a responsibility to continue.
“Therefore it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that what we do here is noble, it is good, and it is honourable.”
She also highlighted the school’s focus on developing students beyond academics through sport and enrichment activities as part of becoming “the holistic person”.
As the tree planting brought the assembly’s message into a physical act, Jemmott challenged students to consider the legacy they would leave.
“What do I want to leave behind? What will be better because you were here? Who will have an opportunity because you made room?”
She added: “Eventually, a tree becomes something larger than itself. It provides shade. It contributes to its surroundings. It makes room for other things to grow.
“That, to me, is a powerful way of thinking about the purpose of education, not simply to help you stand taller, but eventually to give you enough strength that someone else may benefit from you.”
Queen’s College Week continues its celebrations on Wednesday with a panel discussion and awards ceremony at the Barbados Museum, followed by a lime at W Plaza Welches on Friday and a Sunday luncheon at The Grill in St George for current and former students.
Jemmott reminded students of the school’s motto: “Fiat Lux”, translated as “let there be light”, urging them to pass on the knowledge and opportunities they receive.
“The light is being carried. Will you do yours?”
(LE)
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