Jensen Samaroo

Bachelor of Science, Political Science with International Relations

First Class Honours

Faculty of Social Sciences

Situated in northwest Guyana is the small, vibrant community of Port Kaituma, where Jensen Samaroo calls
home. The last of four children, he witnessed the industriousness of his parents as he transitioned from
teaching to business, and learned to greatly admire their generosity, humility, kindness, and compassion for
others, qualities he’s worked to assimilate.

His maternal grandmother, Ivy, told him stories in his childhood about court sessions that she had witnessed,
the number of unrepresented persons, and the skill of attorneys in cross-examination juxtaposed against the
high fees Georgetown attorneys would extract from their client. Her stories lit a spark in him to aid the
unrepresented and to mitigate the financial exploitation of clients.

Jensen earned a National Hinterland Students’ Scholarship and a place at President’s College, a prestigious
school, after writing the Secondary School Entrance Examination. He made the bold decision to transfer to
Bishop’s High School, another prestigious school, for sixth form. There, he found his passion for regionalism
and a desire for a socially just, sustainable, and united Caribbean region. He founded the first Law Society in a
secondary school in the Anglophone region, and his fervour for law grew through the influence of his teachers.

How Jensen ended up in Political Science was the work of serendipity – his Caribbean Advanced Proficiency
Examination Unit 2 grades didn’t make their way to the Admissions office as he’d thought, thus delaying his
admittance to the Faculty of Law. Jensen, keen on not wasting time, accepted the offer for his second option,
Political Science, and found such a profound interest in Caribbean politics and affairs that he decided to
complete the programme and pursue law afterwards.

For him, being able to develop intellectually and personally while being surrounded by his fellow Caribbean people was meaningful. Additionally, there was so much readily available to learn from outside of his regularly scheduled classroom sessions – from club leadership positions to open seminars and symposia. Having held the positions of Guild Librarian and Guild International Affairs Committee Chairperson, he was able to experience what high-level leadership was like and make decisions with ramifications for the Campus and even the wider University. As a member of U. WE Speak, and the Guyana and Saint Lucia Students’ Associations, he immersed himself in many of the facets of university
life.

He attributes his successes to knowing himself and tapping into his strengths. He hopes one day to become
the Secretary General of CARICOM to encourage further regional integration measures. For him, boldness,
kindness, resilience, determination, adaptability, and perseverance – indeed, qualities already incorporated in
our identities as Caribbean people – exemplify what it is to “Be UWI”.