Former UWI Guild president committed to impacting communities, youth

Danielle Mullings is on a mission to positively impact communities and inspire young people.

The 23-year-old recently earned a bachelor of science degree in software engineering with a minor in Film Studies with first class honours from the faculty of science and technology at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

She was chosen as one of the five valedictorians for the UWI 2022 graduating class, where she represented the faculties of engineering and sport as well as the Institute of Gender and Development Studies.

Speaking with The Gleaner recently, Mullings expressed the view that she was still in awe of how her valedictory speech was warmly received and that it had inspired persons to fulfil their lifelong dreams.

Her opening statement: “Koffee sings “cyah bawl inna life man” but I know that all of us sitting here have shed some real tears because, on this journey, we all went through it,” quickly caught the attention of the graduates as they were immediately able to relate to the examples which followed of the differing but similar experiences they shared.

“But, here we are. We made it. And every one of us should be proud ... . We are a class of graduates from three different faculties and an institute, each quite diverse in thought and training but sharing the distinction of possessing greatness,” her speech continued.

Since then, a video recording of her presentation has attracted over 34,000 likes on the TikTok social media platform, and over 13,000 views on her Twitter profile.

She recalls being extremely nervous before going up on stage but was glad that she was allowed to sit with her family.

“My mom was just beside me ... making little jokes and kind of giving me that kind of comfort before I went up there ... and, of course, all my classmates were so supportive ... . But I didn’t expect that widespread response [although] I would see people commenting and saying like it brought tears to their eyes,” she said.

Her parents, she said, have been supportive since “day zero” and had always been available to listen to her many ideas and journey with her on her many endeavours.

The former Guild president recalled balancing guild meetings, academic work, and a part-time job.

When classes moved to an online format as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her downtime, typically in the late nights and early mornings, to catch up on lessons she missed.

Despite attending meetings and lectures at the same time in some instances, Mullings maintained a GPA of over 3.0.

“It was a very hectic schedule which really challenged me and pushed me and there were some times where I was like ‘man, this is very hard’. But it’s been amazing to have [had] graduation ... and to see it actually come to fruition. It literally brought tears to my eyes,” she said of all her hard work.

Mullings now works full-time as an impact and partnerships officer at Transform Health, a position she has had since 2021.

Transform Health is a network of organisations which advocate for equitable digital transformation of healthcare systems to promote health for all.

She also assisted in writing the article ‘Strengthening adolescent agency for optimal health outcomes’ which was recently posted on the British Medical Journal.

Additional accomplishments include receiving the Guild’s Outstanding Performance and Trailblazer Awards, as well as the Premier Award for Leadership from the UWI.

She also received the president’s award for exemplary service during a pandemic, and a prize for outstanding service to the student body in the Faculty of Science and Technology. She made the dean’s honour roll in 2020, and the dean’s commendation in 2021.

In addition, Mullings is a UWI open scholar and hosts the TVJ GenZed show, which recently completed its second season.

She participates in groups including the Ministry of Education and Youth’s COVID-19 task force and the RJRGleaner Youth advisory board.

As part of her duties, she has travelled to countries such as Trinidad and Tobago for Guild events, Guatemala for a videographer internship, and Kenya for a team retreat and training related to her present employment.

“My tools may change but my mission does not, which is to positively impact communities and to especially inspire young people to believe in their selves and their abilities,” she said.

“I feel like I am a part of my community when I am giving back in any way, shape or form,” she added.

Mullings intends on serving as an example to students, showing them that they need not be confined to one space, discipline or profession but that they can be diverse in exploring and pursuing their ‘big’ aspirations while also making a difference in the communities in which they live.

“Don’t let anyone else try to tell you [differently] or give you a box that you have to fit inside. You can kind of be anything you want to be,” she said.