Some might attribute it to mere coincidence that Courtney Campbell, VM group president and chief executive officer, received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree for his contributions as an entrepreneur and philanthropist from The UWI, Mona on the 91st anniversary of his late mother’s birth.

Coincidence aside, a huge part of Campbell’s inspiring message of hope and fatherly counsel to graduands from the Faculty of Social Sciences (The Mona School of Business and Management) on November 2 embodied some of his mother’s early teachings.

At the end of his address, he shared excerpts from a poem which he said was special to his late mother, and one which she went to great lengths to ensure that he learned. If, by Rudyard Kipling, has been hailed as a guide to virtuous and honourable living. Each line contains golden nuggets about how to navigate life’s challenges with grace, humility, integrity and resilience.

Campbell’s recital of Kipling’s poem on the same stage where he was recognised for his hard work and contributions to society was a fitting tribute to the memory of Carmen Campbell. The last stanza of her special poem, shared on her special day, reverberated through her son’s voice over high tech audio systems inside the graduation tent:

“If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Just like his mother’s special poem, Campbell’s main address to the graduating class of 2024 contained valuable life lessons, as well as nuggets of information on how to summon resilience. He commented that this cohort was graduating at a time of tremendous uncertainty. He cited heightened geopolitical tensions, worsening global inequality and environmental threats as some of the issues the 2024 graduates will have to grapple with. Closer to home, he highlighted troubling issues such as the underperformance of Jamaica’s education system, its ailing healthcare system, and what he described as a dysfunctional culture of indiscipline “that values self over community”.

Despite these challenges, the VM Group CEO expressed hope in the potential of the graduates to collectively drive change and “ignite a transformation” in their world. He encouraged them to embrace resilience in the face of adversity, arguing that resilience is a powerful, accessible tool. He outlined several ways graduates may nurture resilience, including optimism, lifelong learning, strong relationships, and personal accountability.

Commenting on the recognition from his alma mater, Campbell said, “I deeply appreciate this special award which is beyond anything I have ever imagined, especially because it has been bestowed by my beloved University of the West Indies.”

Campbell was one of four outstanding Jamaicans conferred with honorary degrees during graduation ceremonies hosted at the Mona campus from October 31 to November 2. This year’s series of graduation ceremonies was themed ‘Celebrating Caribbean Legacy: A Kaleidoscope of Resilience’.