Celebrating World Maritime Day - Empowering Women in the Maritime Community 

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) joins the international community in recognising World Maritime Day 2019. This year's theme, "Empowering Women in the Maritime Community", focuses on the promotion of gender equality and also highlights the important contributions of women all over the world to the maritime sector.

Today, UTT celebrates the women who have made significant strides as they continue to advance the development of the local maritime sector. Empowered and focused-driven, these women ventured out into the dynamic maritime industry, charting their own course in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Tajae Harripersad graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nautical Science/Maritime Operations. She also completed her Master of Science in International Transportation Management at the State University of New York - Maritime College, where she was a recipient of a scholarship.   

Currently, Tajae holds the position of Acting Manager at Fast Freight Forwarders, where she is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing operations in relation to Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Customs Brokerage.

After graduating with a Master of Science in Operational Maritime Management, Sarita Mahabir is a Senior Lecturer at UTT's Centre for Maritime and Ocean Studies. She also holds the position of MTCC Officer with MTCC Caribbean and Vice President of Research and Development for the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean.

Sarita is a strong advocate for gender equality in the maritime sector and advises young women that, "it is important to have a mentor or network of professionals who can provide guidance and advice which will challenge you to grow."

Suzette Balkaran has seamlessly transitioned through UTT's Maritime Programmes beginning with the Diploma in Maritime Operations - Engineering, and eventually graduating with the Master of Science in Operational Maritime Management. 

In her current capacity as an MTCC Officer with MTCC Caribbean at UTT Chaguaramas Campus, Suzette's work is critical to the region's effort to combat climate change.

Suzette is committed to the advancement of women in the local maritime industry and believes that women have the power to transform the sector. She boldly states, "do your job to the best of your ability in all opportunities, and let your work speak for itself."

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nautical Science/Maritime Operations, Kassandra George was awarded a partial scholarship to pursue the Master of Science in Maritime and Air Transport Management at the University of Antwerp,  Belgium. 

This postgraduate programme allowed Kassandra to merge Maritime and Air Transportation and also gave her the opportunity to expand her knowledge base as she works towards advancing the maritime industry.

Kassandra is currently employed at Peterson Integrated Logistics, where she is involved in safety, quality control, logistics support and related activities.