When Nasiya Siara Somra walks across the University of Guyana’s (UG) graduation stage this November, she will be celebrating the completion of a four-year academic journey. But among the people she wishes could witness the moment is her father, Raymond Somra.
Raymond, who worked as a seaman, was aboard the MV Barima when the vessel capsized on July 18, 2026, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini). His death came at a particularly difficult time for Nasiya, who was then a final-year student at UG’s Berbice Campus, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI), with just one assignment and one examination remaining before completing her degree.
When news of the capsizing reached her, Nasiya struggled to accept that her father could have been aboard the vessel. Her grandmother was the first to tell her what had happened, but she initially refused to believe it. “I was in denial. I could not believe what had happened,” she recalled.
With examinations approaching, her studies temporarily took a back seat as she and her family anxiously waited for confirmation of whether her father had been aboard the vessel, and whether he had survived. His body is among those that were not recovered. “It was overwhelming and heartbreaking at the time because, like, you mean I was not going to be able to see him again?” she asked.
Although they did not live together, he would visit and call regularly. She last saw him in June, just one month before the tragedy.
Their final conversation was an ordinary exchange that has since taken on a much deeper meaning. Law had always been Nasiya’s goal, but without CAPE, she could not enter the law programme directly. Her plan was to complete a year of entrepreneurship and, with good grades, switch to law. Instead, she fell in love with entrepreneurship and stayed. Her father, who had expected her to make the switch, called to ask. “He asked me if I got my driver’s licence, and if I was now studying law. I told him no, I was still doing entrepreneurship. That was the last conversation we had,” she recalled.
Those questions have remained with her. To honour him, she has since enrolled in a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Business and International Law at UG’s Faculty of Social Sciences, Turkeyen Campus. “He would have been so proud of this achievement. Me graduating with this degree. Knowing him, he would have been bragging about this to everyone. He would be sharing my achievements on his social media timeline and telling other people about my progress,” she said.
Yet, while trying to come to terms with her father’s death, Nasiya still had to complete the final requirements of her degree. She admitted that acknowledging the extent of her grief was difficult, particularly because she was accustomed to presenting herself as strong.
“There were days when I lay in bed all day, refusing to get up or do anything. But, in the middle of that grief, I did not want to give up on my studies. It was an overwhelming feeling. I felt alive, but, like I was stuck still in a place … where everything felt unreachable,” she shared.
Finding the strength to continue was not easy, but Nasiya was supported by her family and the University of Guyana, which recognised the difficulties she was facing. Mr Jermaine Clarke, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Management at SEBI, helped arrange for her to receive psychological support through the university, while the institution also assisted her with her examinations during that difficult period. Along with UG’s support, she also had help from the H.E.A.R.T. Initiative (Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience and Trust), a national support and recovery programme launched by President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali, and what she called her “village of support.”
The support allowed her to work through her grief while continuing to meet the requirements of her programme. “I had the support to push me together to the finish line,” she recalled.
With that support, Nasiya eventually completed her outstanding assignment and examination, bringing her four-year academic journey to an end despite the personal loss she had endured.
Although she is proud of what she has accomplished, Nasiya shared that graduation will be an emotional experience. The celebration will mark the fulfilment of a goal she had worked towards for years, but her father’s absence will be deeply felt. “It would be a very bittersweet moment, sweet that I’m graduating, but bitter that he’s not there,” she said.
While she cannot have her father beside her, Nasiya hopes to carry a framed photograph of him as she walks across the graduation stage, including him in a moment she believes he would have celebrated. “I know my father would have been proud,” she said.
She also hopes to establish a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity in his name, allowing his memory to live on through work that honours him.
Her experience has also shaped the message she wants to share with other students who may be navigating grief while trying to complete their education. “Do not give up, do not give in,” she said. “While you’re feeling like you cannot, try to hold to the faith of God. When you no longer find the strength to carry forward, let your purpose carry you through.”
As Nasiya prepares to receive her degree, she said if she could speak to her father now, she would say: “I’ll continue to make you proud.”
(Feature by the Department of Events, Conferences and Communication (DECC), University of Guyana)
