PEOPLE
Savouring Rich Reward After SPISE The Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE) has not only ushered in a game-changing environment for budding scientists within the region, but it has also presented many of its alumni with a life-altering experience.
Shergaun Roserie
by Carol Williams
renewable energy applications and underwater robotics. A victorious Roserie subsequently returned to his homeland and participated in several STEM-related activities, but it was not easy going. Two major obstacles stood in the way of his dream of becoming an engineer - insufficient funds to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and the denial of his application by top-rated universities in the United States. On the verge of giving up, he was unexpectedly contacted by Interim Executive Director of the CSF Professor Cardinal Warde and Co-Executive Director Dr. Dinah Sah who were in St. Lucia at the time. During a meet-up, the two encouraged him not to give up on his dreams. “Honestly, just the fact that they made the effort to reach out to me and have that sit down with me really made me think ‘If they see the potential in me and were encouraging me to do something,
T he annual summer programme, organised by the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) at Cave Hill Campus, is credited by Shergaun Roserie for changing his personal and professional trajectory. The SPISE 2016 Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Scholar, now age 22, has gone on to become the co-founder of a company in his native St. Lucia, has interned with two multinational corporations, and is enrolled at one of the top-ranked Black research universities in the United States, Howard University , where he is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Roserie fondly recalls being among 15 outstanding achievers from the region selected for the 2016 edition of SPISE. Back then, he had no idea it would be one of the most difficult challenges he would have to undertake in his young life. “SPISE challenged me mentally,” he said. “It showed me that if I can complete that programme, I could do anything.” During the four-week programme, the teenagers were taught university-level calculus, physics, biochemistry, entrepreneurship, given practical computer programming experience, and were involved in renewable energy and electronics and underwater robotics. In the final stage, they were required to pitch business plans, apply their newly acquired computer programming skills to create video games, and create electronic circuits for
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