Vice President’s Message
It was indeed an honor and a privilege to have served the 2016/2017 Finance and Banking Seminar as the Vice President of Operations. It was an exciting journey, to have worked alongside my fellow executives and the vast array of hard-working committee members over the last seven months; culminating with the successful staging of our 7th Finance and Banking Seminar.
While, I know not everyone may have had a great time; nonetheless, I know every single member has developed attributes of professional ethics, responsibility and personal development. We have enhanced our conflict resolution skills, developed interpersonal skills and sharpened our negotiating skills. We embodied what it means to work as a team and to honour our corporate social responsibilities. Yes, we made mistakes but we certainly learnt from them.
To all my 99 members, I salute you for a job well done! Your dedication, patience and unwavering support to the 2016/2017 Finance and Banking Seminar were commendable.
To our esteemed lecturers who served as facilitators, I extend my gratitude for laboring on our behalf. Your advice and guidance was truly invaluable. Without your “parental supervision”, we would have been lost on our journey.
And now, my fellow members, as we move forward from this year’s seminar, I charge you to make use of this knowledge in becoming future professionals in the Finance and Banking industry, but more, so in your personal lives. I hope you will take the time to reflect on how far we have come, how much we have grown and the journey still ahead.
Let us all find inspiration in the words of the fictional “little person” Hem from the book “Who Moved My Cheese” who said: “Move with the Cheese and Enjoy it.”
I wish you all, unsurpassed blessings for the future!
Yours sincerely,
Vickacia Williams
Vice President - Operations
Message from Auditing Committee
The Finance and Banking Seminar 2016/2017 charged the auditing committee with the following objective:
“To provide oversight of the seminars’ financial reporting process, the audit process, the system of internal controls and compliance with rules and regulations.”
In carrying out this objective, the members of the committee have worked arduously. Yes, we have been faced with challenges, especially at the beginning, before we gelled as a team. I can say that we have successfully overcome those difficulties by sheer determination, hard work and simply, the understanding that our work is critical to the smooth functioning of the seminar. We have developed lifelong friendships that have inspired us just as they have entertained us in the hard times. In the instances where we felt overwhelmed, the joy, laughter and inspiration of our members motivated us to moved ahead.
We, as a committee, look ahead for the new experiences that we will encounter as we reflect on the past ones. We are grateful for the many lessons that the Finance and Banking seminar 2016/2017 have taught us. These lessons are ones which we fully intend to take with us on our various paths. Ginger Rogers said “Looking back at the voyage, I can only say it has been golden trip”. Similarly, when I reflect on the journey of seminar until now, I can say that regardless of the storms, the rants and the hardships, it was an outstanding experience that I will forever cherish.
Operations and Procurement Committee
Conrad Hilton once said “Success… seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” It has truly been my pleasure and privilege serving the Finance and Banking Seminar 2016/17 as the Chair of Operations and Procurement Committee. Looking in from the outside one may say that “the Operations and Procurement Committee entails a lot of work.” Even though this is true this committee is the most critical of them all, as it is the ‘pillow’ that the seminar depends on to carry out all activities effectively and efficiently. Who would not want to be associated with greatness?
The Operations and Procurement Committee successfully aid in the execution of events such as our weekly bake sale, yearly walk-a-ton and our two major parties (SYN and Jus Di Vybz). Thanks to Mr S. Parkes and Mr L. Wint for the guidance and encouragement in carry out my responsibilities proficiently as the chair of the committee. Being a part of this extraordinary committee has taught me the true meaning of team work, time management and dedication. A wise man once said “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” What keeps us driving is the aphorism ‘DontLimitYourself’, love what you do and do what you love. It has been an honor to serve the Finance and Banking Seminar 2016/17.
Treasurer
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. It is no secret, it is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
Before seminar i was told, “Seminar is a lot of work so go into a committee that doesn’t require much work and whatever you do, avoid executive positions.” I registered for school late therefore I didn’t have a chance to choose which committee to be in, so I was placed in Secretariat Committee. For some reason I felt as if this was not sufficient for my abilities. My three main motivators and supporters namely, Shanae’ Finlayson, Tasheka Campbell and Syvon Richards encouraged me to run for the post of Executive Treasurer and I thank them along with all the other members who entrusted me with the seminar finances by voting for me.
Being the Treasurer i was responsible for facilitating the daily financial management of the seminar. Believe me when I say it was demanding, required a lot of time and sacrifice. I must extend my gratitude to the Treasurer’s Assistant, Nicholette Barnes for always being there giving a helping hand and for being a friend. In semester one, despite the workload, I really enjoyed doing my duties. I looked forward to updating the cash balance daily and to create the seminar’s income statement weekly. I even looked forward to the executive meetings. The nervousness that I once had for presenting each week at our seminars meeting, gradually faded away. Sadly, at one point in semester two i felt demotivated but i ensured to still get the job done.
Seminar has taught me numerous things. It has helped to develop my soft skills and gave me the feeling of working in an actual organization while balancing my academic and social life; an experience that is not involve in any other course. I had to create a master budget for the seminar and used it as a guideline for all the seminar’s activities. Also I had to manage the seminar’s finances better than I would for my own money and ensure accuracy and integrity.
If I had the opportunity to do this over again, I would still run for the post of Executive Treasurer because I am confident that these skills that I have developed will be an asset for my future endeavours. To my fellow members of the executive body, it was a pleasure working with you all. I would also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the facilitators for motivating and guiding me in becoming a well-rounded individual. A big thank you to all the members and to everyone who contributed in making the Finance and Banking 2016/17 a success.
The Sponsorship and Relation Committee
RE: A MESSAGE FROM THE SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR.
Name: Niccolai Ennis
University of Technology, Jamaica.
Finance and Banking Seminar 2016-17
Committee: Sponsorship and Relations
Position: Chair Person
The Sponsorship and Relations Committee can be looked at as a counterpoising committee in the sense that we as a committee are given the task of seeking sponsors to offset any expenses that is incurred with the activities planned by the Fundraising and Marketing Committee which we are linked with. The Committee was chaired by Mr. Dennis Henriques and vice chaired by yours truly, Niccolai Ennis. Mr. Henriques was then nominated and elected as the President of the seminar body which leaves me in the spot of taking up the chair position of the committee. I gave the option of letting another member of the committee to take up this position but none was interested. The chair position of the committee was a big task for me, for I have never seen myself as the pilot of the plane but as the co-pilot or a regular passenger, so this was for sure a major advancement in my life.
The first project given to the seminar body was the walk-a-thon, which was spearheaded by the Sponsorship Committee; we were somehow the lab rats at this moment for we had no experience in doing such activity. The walk-a-thon was seen as an individual assignment at first where each individual would be given a sponsorship sheet to ask for sponsors, but to our surprise an actual event was to be planned and sponsorship of refreshments were to be sought to refresh the participants of the walk-a-thon in less than two months. The event however came off as a success due to the turn out and the sponsors we have managed to garnered in such short notice. The required time to seek sponsorship from most organization if not all is three (3) months time before the event which was impossible to be met by our committee for we have received finalised details of all events of semester one in short notice. The Sponsorship and Relations Committee was able to sponsor all events done in semester one namely, the walk-a-thon, Just Di Vybz and the Bruncheon which was not the seminar’s priority in the initial state.
Semester two was a very tedious one for the Sponsorship and Relations Committee, even though the time frame was sufficient it was very challenging to obtain sponsors for these events planned. The Raffle was our major downfall for we haven’t managed to acquire any sponsors for that event. The committee was looked at badly for this incident which we have no control of for we did our part in sending out letters and doing our follow ups, however no favourable response were given and the committee cannot be blamed for that. The second event of semester two that required sponsor was the party event titled S.Y.N, the sponsorship committee worked hard in acquiring sponsors for this event for we have sent letters to a lot of companies to seek financial assistance for this party event, however, no immediate response was given for this acquirement of sponsors and the seminar body looked at the committee as lackadaisical. This was my most memorable moment in seminar for it was disrespectful and i was really hurt by it.
The committee however managed to scoop in a late sponsor which did offset the prices incurred for the party event. The final project of the committee was to seek sponsorships for the Conference Day which we did manage to do but were not used due to how independent the Conference Day Coordination Committee was. Lack of communication between both committees had let us not to utilize the sponsors we have managed to garner. The Sponsorship Committee had received assistance from members of the seminar which are not associated with the sponsorship committee and we gratefully thank all who have assisted but we do believe that much more assistance could have been given with some of the large networking system some of the seminar members are linked with.
The Sponsorship and Relation Committee is wrongly judged by some members of the seminar body, for we are seen as a failure by some for the number of sponsors we have managed to obtain but not seen as industrious for the work we have done in trying to get these sponsors. The Sponsorship Committee can only control the amount of letters sent and the follow ups being done but the final decision of getting any sponsor is left to the organization we have written to.
The Sponsorship Committee has been the most talked about committee and mostly for bad reasons but we still stood strong and did our part within the seminar. I stand strongly with the quote “no man is an island” for it takes a team to achieve the dream. Unity is strength and only the strong will survive, for if we had more unity within this body, we would have been stronger than how we are now.
Conference Coordination Committee
“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion” ,Mia Hamm. The past seven months have been the most challenging yet most fulfilling time of our lives. The journey was just as important as the destination because it is all about the experiences we shared between the milestones to get to the destination. Despite not agreeing most of the time, I assured my team what were our objectives and our ultimate goal.
First semester was not much of a challenge because the tasks and objectives were accomplished in a timely manner. However as we approached semester two, all the pressure began to mount. Before the team went off on their Christmas holiday break, we knew that we wouldn’t be having any holiday. Tasks were still assigned because we wanted to be on track and ahead of our objectives. Easier said than done, each time we completed a task, there was something else added. A lot of what we needed to accomplish wasn’t laid out to us until we were actually in the situations. We had to regroup as a team and apply the knowledge we had as a team. Tiring, frustrated and angry were a few words to describe how we felt as the time for our big day approached. A lot of disappointment and disagreement but even someone outside looking inside wouldn’t have the slightest idea because whatever happened in our committee stayed there. One thing that was constant was change and we learned to adapt very well. We made our different personalities work in harmony because at the end of the day we all had the same objective.
Planning a conference is not an easy task but the experience and knowledge gained will be worth it. Be prepared to be thick skinned, flat footed, hard working and a stern believer in team work. We did it! My heart is full as we come to the end of this seminar. We accomplished our goal and we wouldn’t have changed the journey for a smoother road. It taught us well and we expect to come out as equipped individuals, ready to use these tools and experiences to the best of our ability.
Message from the Accounts Chair
Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people. – Steve Jobs
The Accounts Committee has played an integral role in the smooth functioning of the Finance and Banking Seminar 2016/17. Our duties were mainly to facilitate all monetary collection of the seminar. The committee was comprised of Eight (8) individuals who made determined effort to ensure and promote transparency and accountability. Our job wasn’t an easy one however with every stride made in executing our duties, we did our work with meticulous exactness. We endeavoured to uphold the ‘good name’ of the Finance and Banking Seminar as we leave behind the rich legacy that was passed onto to us. Amidst the numerous challenges and differences we encountered, we learnt to put our odds aside and employ collaborative efforts to achieve our goals and objectives. The Finance and Banking module was tailored to give us an exposure of what the actual working environment entails. Truly, we learnt how to be a dependable veteran as well as how to be team players.
The Secretariat Committee
“Every Job is a self- portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence.” -Unknown
The Secretariat Committee of the Finance and Banking Seminar is responsible for the accurate and up-to-date documentation of all planning and implementation activities of the seminar. For the academic year 2016-2017, the committee proficiently supported the seminar by regularly attending meetings to record data and to provide the data when needed. The job has taught me, in addition to my committee members, the value of precision and efficiency in performing duties. Having honed the necessary skills, we were able to make an impressionable impact on the seminar.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the Finance and Banking Seminar as Executive Secretary and Chair of the Secretariat Committee. I wish for the new cohort, overwhelming success and hope that they will epitomise the teamwork, creativity and persistence needed for the success of their seminar.
Noelissa Spencer
(Executive Secretary)
Faith and outreach
Faith and outreach is a newly developed committee geared towards spiritual upliftment of the seminar members. The responsibilities and tasks are to seek, conduct and organize outreach activities and devotional procedures for each seminar meeting which were expected to be achieved in a timely manner. As chair of this committee, I had both good and bad experiences, but it was my duty to not let the bad hinder the productivity of the committee's obligations.
In every organisation and within society there consist of productive and unproductive members. This was evident in our committee. To overcome most of the challenges which this committee was faced with, I had to play the role of leader and subordinate, this was done to give other persons within my committee a chance to “chair” during the planning and execution stages. It’s not easy being a leader, but it requires someone with an aim to succeed and one who aspires greatness not just for themselves but also, for their committee as a whole. In the event that a member fails it would then mean that the committee has too failed. As chair, even when members fail a given task, it is my duty to ensure that those failures are revamped and turned into successes. As a leader, not everyone will agree with the decisions you make; however, you must always utilized the utilitarian theory which looks at the greatest good for the greatest number of persons.
Future chair of the Faith and Outreach Committee, it is your duty to always work to capitalize on the skills of your committee members. Always have a plan B, and never be afraid to go the extra mile as this is just the beginning of something great. So, just get ready as your views on life and it’s meaning is about to change. Always be positive in your endeavours and always be faithful and truthful to yourself and God. Remember, no good deed goes unrewarded. Your facilitators may not see all the good you have done, but just be reminded that persons outside are aware and are appreciative of your efforts. It’s not an easy road, but it’s a road that can become easy.
Good luck.
1st Vice-President
The Finance and Banking Seminar 2016/17 cohort has molded and shaped the minds and personalities of 100 dynamic young men and women. The seminar members are talented poised with brilliance both in our academics and our interpersonal skills, creating a character of a wholesome individual. The creativity of our seminar body has been on display for the duration of the academic year, where the true meaning of synchronization and unity have been evident. It has been an esteemed honor and a privilege to have served my colleagues in the capacity of 1st Vice-President Finance & Human Resources. Since my initiation to office I’ve felt this cohort would realize their full potential and transcend to corporate Jamaica with great pride and dignity. “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength” -Marcus Aurelius. I’d like to encourage the hearts and minds of our readers and especially my fellow colleagues. The mind is powerful and whatever you think you conceive. Let us be positive thinkers in the way we approach life and its uncertainty, because while we cannot control what happens in our immediate environment we do control our reaction to it. Our time together is slowly coming to an end, but importantly we have achieved a successful Conference Day, the grand finale, where all the hard work has been rewarded. It was not an easy journey but it was indeed full filling learning valuable life lessons the classroom couldn’t teach.
We have made it to the end of this chapter here at UTech, however, another page begins where we write the chapter of the ‘new world’. The world of work, as we find ourselves in varying career paths, corporate Jamaica has already designed. I wholeheartedly believe that our time together has not ended, it has only paused as we search for new pathways to spread our wings and soar. I encourage each member of the seminar group to “be confident in yourself, your ability and the talents God has blessed you with, be motivated and encouraged to succeed, because your dreams only die when you stop pursuing them”-Joelle Blake.
Serving as an executive member has allowed me to interact with all members of the seminar which proved to be inspiring. Learning and adapting to varying personalities and creating beautiful and life-long memories has been exceptional and unforgettable. I strongly believe in the potential of our seminar members as this cohort are expected to be the positive change which is needed to advance and develop our economy. The membership of the seminar body is dynamic and they will champion the change our country needs- our potential is limitless and I am very much excited to see us all shine in the near future. I had a wonderful time working alongside all the committees, but special acknowledgement to: Accounting, Professionalism, Secretariat, Faith & Outreach and Research & Publication committees. In closing, my sincere gratitude and appreciation must be extended to all our stakeholders who have contributed to the wonderful experience that our seminar was, and a special thank you for all the great memories.