Six of Trinidad and Tobago’s top secondary school science students are preparing to represent the country at the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Dubai, taking place from July 5th to 14th, 2025.
The national team was selected from hundreds of students who participated in a series of competitive exams starting in December 2024.
Representing T&T in Dubai are:
- Valini Harryram, 18, Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College
- Saiesh Rampersad, 18, Presentation College, Chaguanas
- Elizabeth Singh, 18, Naparima Girls’ High School
- Sameer Sookoor, 18, Naparima College
Substitute team members are:
- Soren Narine, 16, Fatima College
- Vandika Doon, 17, Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College
According to Deputy Dean of Science and Technology at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, and Head Mentor for the chemistry team, Dr. Terry Mohammed, these brilliant young students will be given the opportunity to measure themselves on a global stage.
“I think it’s an incredible achievement. I wish I had this in my day; we didn’t, but we have it now, and we intend to keep it going for as long as we could, and you can actually – we can actually – see the difference in the students when they go and they come back; they are brimming with confidence to know that, ‘Hey, I’m the best,’ right, and ‘I met people just like me.'”
Eighteen-year-old Valini Harryram, a recent graduate of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, said this opportunity has helped her to grow beyond the classroom and interact with and learn from other students who share similar interests.
“It was very shocking, to be honest, because, I mean, I love the chemistry and stuff, but I didn’t really think much when I wrote the exam. I wrote it just trying my best, and if I got through, I got through, and if I didn’t, it was fine. But I got through, and I am very happy, enthusiastic. There are a lot of nerves, but we focus on the positives, right?”
Considered by his peers as a veteran, second-time championship participant Saiesh Rampersad, a recent graduate of Presentation College in Chaguanas, is encouraging students interested in pursuing chemistry at the university level to participate in this event.
“Even if they don’t want to continue to study chemistry, there is a lot of problem-solving incorporated into the questions themselves; it’s not just theory. So, even if they don’t continue to do chemistry, the problem-solving skills that they would develop would be extremely useful regardless of what field they decide to go into.”
Trinidad and Tobago will be the only English-speaking Caribbean country participating in this year’s competition.