Kenrick — A Conversation with Kenrick Mark Coleman Features Giselle Waight
The Kenrick Mark Coleman Foundation
Kenrick — A Conversation with Kenrick Mark Coleman Features Giselle Waight
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Giselle Waight and I am a daughter, wife, and mom to two beautiful, darling little girls. I am an only child who was born in Belize City to loving parents who taught me the value of hard work, continued perseverance, and benevolence. They taught me that education was the key to success and everything would fall into place after that. Since then, my goal has been to become the best person possible in every way possible. While becoming educated is still one of my top goals, I try to enhance other facets of my life as well — whether spiritual, emotional, or physical. I aspire to become a strong female role model whom my girls could look up to and be proud of, especially since I was raised by a strong and successful mother and grandmother. When I can, I try to give my time by volunteering in various community projects. I am a Past President of the Rotaract Club of Belize and continue to be proud of the great work that they do. I am an Economist by trade and love what I do and the wonderful people I work with.
2. You recently graduated with a Master’s Degree from the University of Manchester, majoring in Development Economics and Policy. What do you believe is important in this your role?
I believe there are not enough formally trained economists in Belize, and the ones we do have, aren’t given enough recognition for their hard work. It is my opinion that these are some of the skill sets that this country needs to continue flourishing! I studied sciences in high school and switched to business at sixth form, then decided to major in Economics and Finance when I attended university. For my post grad, I didn’t want to focus on straight Economics again and chose to add the twist of Development Economics. Honestly, Development Economics is just one of the fascinating aspects in the world of Economics! Yes, the principles are essentially the same, but studying Economics within the development paradigm makes it even more interesting. When I learned about the drawbacks that countries in a similar position like Belize face, I am even more “hungry” for change and confident that we can achieve all the goals we set out to achieve, once we are willing to do the work and make the sacrifices necessary to overcome the challenges that we face. Whether these goals include a sound education for all our children, attaining fiscal discipline, good governance, equal opportunities for all, or whatever it may be, I am assured we can attain them. So many young people are returning with their Master’s degrees in such relevant areas that can have a profound impact on this country.
3. Tell us more about your academic life at this University? How did you receive the scholarship? Why did you choose this particular University? When did you commence studies? What subject areas are focused on? What’s your relationship like with fellow students?
In preparing for my post graduate degree, I researched universities that concentrated in Development Economics and The Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester (one of the leading universities in the United Kingdom) popped up. The Global Development Institute is the largest university-based postgraduate centre specialising in international development and has celebrated sixty years of work in development studies. Amazing! I left Belize September 19, 2015 to start the programme later that week. I was really lucky to attend such a top-notch university. It came with a cost, of course! BUT thanks to the Chevening Scholarship, all my expenses were completely paid for. Nonetheless, I had a very challenging academic year. My programme was extremely rigorous and the style of teaching in the British system was vastly different than what I remembered from my days of undergrad in the United States. I had to fully immerse myself and almost re-train my brain on how to learn certain subjects again, especially statistics and econometrics. Some of the areas I focused on were governance, development finance, public sector reform, development macro and micro economics. My cohort was an interesting one. Since it was an international programme, there were a lot of students from a wide cross section of countries. Half were Chinese and the other half was the rest of the world (the English speakers, as we referred to ourselves!). I had an excellent relationship with my fellow students. I do miss our interactions but hope one day our paths will cross again.
4. Describe your transformation process from Belize City to Manchester, England?
Initially, the transition was difficult because I was homesick and everything seemed so overwhelming; plus, the weather was awful!! It rained (what felt like) almost every other day for the entire year I was there. However, once fresher’s week was over and I became acquainted with the city and knew where all the important buildings were located, life became easier. My hall was centrally located in Manchester, so I was really close to everything. I walked everywhere and took the bus only when I was lazy or had too many bags from shopping. I was literally a 6 minute walk away from a fully equipped gym, where I spent a great portion of time when I wasn’t studying or in classes. I used the gym as a form of stress relief to clear my head when I was having a rough day or when I really missed my family in Belize. Other than being homesick and becoming weary of the rain, I was otherwise able to adjust to the rigours of student life.
I even got to travel to a few other locales. Through the Chevening Scholarship Programme, I was able to travel to London and all over the UK and Scotland for various events. This gave me such a wonderful insight into English culture and life, which I will cherish forever. The summer before I returned home I was fortunate enough to attend a Development Policy Summer School in Bonn, Germany. This experience opened my eyes to the underlying historical legacy and consequent contemporary challenges of developing countries. There really is a way for us to prosper. I genuinely believe that. However, we need to develop strong strategies to successfully forge forward.
5. What are the challenges you faced as a student at university? Opportunities? How is life as a student in England?
After overcoming the initial wave of homesickness and the excitement of living on the other side of the world, there was the fact that I was back in the university setting after so many years — that in and of itself was a bit daunting. Oddly enough, I was most nervous about being able to understand the strong British accent of my professors, I figured if I couldn’t understand them, I could not learn what the heck they were trying to teach. However, I went to such a prestigious international and diverse university, the English accent was the last thing I should have been worried about. I actually only had ONE English professor, and his accent was pretty easy to understand. On the other hand, I had a bit more difficulty with my Japanese and Italian professors. I will forever be grateful that those were not the ones who had to teach me econometrics and statistics. Small mercies!
I didn’t have any trouble at all integrating with the other students in my cohort (luckily) and in fact, I attempted to interact and socialise as much as I could. Given the intensity of my programme, the number of times we interacted as a large group was very minimal. The University of Manchester is all about ongoing learning, whether in or out of the classroom, so they held several sessions geared toward enhancing knowledge about the developing world, including topics such as financing for the developing world to the optimal size of governments. I considered these great opportunities and took advantage whenever I was available to attend. I had the privilege to listen to such accomplished individuals speak about the work done in their fields. I won’t lie, some days I was definitely in awe of my university experience.
If I could afford it, I would be a student forever. I have always loved student life…even if it meant living on a student budget. I appreciated the fact that when I studied and put in the effort, I was rewarded with excellent grades. It was definitely great for my self-esteem. (haha) I also liked having the flexibility of doing things at my own time. Once classes were done for the day, I was free to attend spin classes or body pump or have an early or late study session. It was what worked best for me.
Being in Manchester was undeniably not Belize, everything was different — from transportation to grocery shopping! For instance, I had to take my own recyclable bag to Aldi and Asda and lug my groceries back to my flat. I still try to do the same when I shop here as well (use the bags, not carry the groceries). It was quite an experience that I will never forget and I am so grateful I got to the opportunity to study across the pond.
6. Why is your major important to Belize’s National Development?
The purpose of the Chevening Programme is to build young leaders to return to Belize! Even more so, studying Development Economics made me realise how important it is to build human capacity and the positive impact that can have on a country as a whole. Belize is a young country with smart people — there is such untapped potential waiting to be discovered. I have come to appreciate the fact that understanding the origins of our societies is the foundation for the development of strategies that can propel us forward. I have always believed that if you don’t know where you came from, you won’t know how to get where you want to go. My work as an Economist provides me with opportunity to use the knowledge gained in Manchester to conduct research and develop ideas that can be shared with policy makers for future implementation. That mere possibility, is what makes my job meaningful and continues to keep me going.
7. What are three things you learnt as an International Student studying in England? What can our country expect from Giselle Waight in the next five years?
As an international student, I learned that (1) different can be good. Outside of London, Manchester is the second largest city in England infused with people from all over the world. Every new person that I met, I extended my hand and started off by saying, “Hi, my name is Giselle and I am from Belize.” I loved being the “girl from Belize”, even though there was also another Belizean student in my exact programme. What are the odds! I also learned that (2) once you open your mind and let go of your preconceived notions of what things are “supposed” to be like, you can learn more (about a person and place) than you ever thought you would. I made some of the best friends in Manchester from different parts of the world (China, US, India, St. Lucia, Hong Kong, Peru, Canada) that I still keep in touch with and miss dearly. Most importantly, I learned that (3) prayers work but hard work and dedication do pay off in the end. Some days I seriously thought I could not finish my programme because the classes were just so difficult. I would go to my Programme Advisor (Dr. Os) when I needed advice and that extra bit of motivation. He was always so encouraging and made me quit talking about failing grades the second I started. He always believed in me and I don’t think he ever knew how much I appreciated the confidence he had in me. In the end, all the prayers, sleepless nights, early mornings, and countless motivating conversations worked out and I ended up graduating with a Distinction honour! I was BEYOND ecstatic. I am still so humbled by that achievement.
I’d like to continue my education and take it to the next level. I am seriously contemplating a PhD, but my goal for this year is to at least fine tune my proposal and secure funding. For now, I am happy being an Economist and the best Mom and Wife I can be.
8. In one of my recent articles, I stated: ‘It is important to realize that majority of Belize’s younger populations continue to be very mediocre as it relates to becoming holistically educated and cultured, personally and professionally.’ What’s your perspective on this? What is your personal definition of discipline and excellence?
I do believe in becoming the best person you can be, especially if it means developing other facets of yourself. One does not become educated ONLY in a classroom. I don’t think it is the fact that our young people are mediocre, but it is that they don’t necessarily have the opportunity to develop themselves otherwise. Sadly, Belize does not have many activities for young people to participate in.
Discipline and excellence have such subjective definitions, that what I may hold as my gold standard would not be the same as yours…and that is totally ok! I strive for perfection as much as possible, that sometimes, I learn the hard way how unachievable it can be. I am now of the mind-set that, if I have done my preparations, examined all my alternatives, and determined the best way forward….then I just need to execute. Life is an ongoing learning process, and I think I believe that now more than ever!
9. Why should Belizeans apply for the Chevening Scholarship? Tell us more about this programme? Contact? Would you be able to provide support?
The Chevening Scholarship is a fully funded scholarship to pursue graduate studies at any UK-based university along with a stipend to cover living expenses. You must have a first degree if you are considering applying for this scholarship. If short-listed, there is an interview process and once accepted, your whirlwind journey begins. It truly is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of, if you get the chance.
When you arrive in London for the orientation ceremony and meet up with other Cheveners from all over the world, I believe that is when it sinks in how amazing this opportunity really is and how lucky you are to have been chosen for such a prestigious scholarship!! Upon completion of your studies, you need to return to Belize for a period of two years in order to put all this wonderful knowledge to work.
The Chevening Alumni Chapter in Belize recently became active and the group is finalising a Facebook page to launch in the near future. I am definitely open to providing support to those who would like to apply. I can recall reaching out to those individuals who had received the scholarship before me, and was so grateful for their assistance. I believe in paying it forward, always.
10. What three words do you have to say to young Belizeans?
“Actually, you can!”
Believe it or not, I have this quote stuck to my cubicle at work. Always remember that even if no one else believes in you, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities. You are a lot smarter and stronger than you realise. Equip yourself with all the necessary tools and go forth and do great things…in the world, but first Belize!
