Shaquill Felicien: Island scholar, engineer, now Commonwealth scholar

Shaquill Felicien was once named an Island Scholar. Now, at 29, he is Saint Lucia’s 2025 Commonwealth Scholar, a milestone in a journey shaped by grit, delayed gratification and academic excellence.

For Felicien, academia has always been more than a path – it’s a beacon.

“It really comes down to self-motivation,” he told St Lucia Times. “Coming from a, well, more poor background, I would say. Around form three, the spark came, and I was like, ‘Damn, I need to figure out something.’ And I started studying a lot.”

He grew up in Ravine Chabot, Castries, and when his academic awakening came, it ignited a string of achievements. In 2014, he graduated from the construction engineering programme at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, as the top performer from the Division of Technical Education and Management Studies (Dtems), earning him the Island Scholar award. But the honour would test him almost immediately.

After learning of the scholar designation, Felicien applied to the University of the West Indies and later went to the Ministry of Education for an update on the scholarship. “Apparently, the school never sent my name or anything, so they didn’t even know who I was,” he said. “So, I had to defer.” A visit to SALCC’s dean confirmed that he would have to work for two years before reapplying.

He did. And when he returned in 2016, another obstacle awaited.

“They told us, when elections had just happened, they didn’t budget for that,” he said. “So I had to defer again.”

Still, in 2017, the scholarship came through, and he finally began his undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus. He later graduated with first class honours and as the top student in his class. The accomplishment, like all the others, one he says came down to sheer hard work.

“Because there were people who were probably smarter than me in my class, you know, but hard work always beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard; I believe that’s the saying,” Felicien reflected candidly.

Now, he works as a civil engineer at the Ministry of Infrastructure, where he has helped deliver a number of projects, most notably the Caye Mange-Beausejour Road.

Yet Felicien never intended to stop there. For three years after receiving his bachelor’s, he had his eyes set not just on a master’s but on the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship. But again, persistence would be the defining theme.

The first year, he underestimated the time needed to gather eight references and missed the deadline. The second year, he submitted a complete application but didn’t advance. In the third year, a few strategic adjustments paid off.

He is now preparing to pursue a master’s in civil engineering at the University of Sheffield.

On why studying in the UK remained a goal, he said, “I would say it’s the highest level of education in terms of exposure to industry, high work and quality levels and the use of state-of-the-art equipment.”

His long-term vision: to open his own engineering firm focused on climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

“I actually want to focus on infrastructure that will be more resilient to climate change and natural disasters, as well as take into account green materials – low carbon, things of that sort,” he explained. “Using materials that won’t have a high carbon effect on the environment but can still withstand the increased impacts of climate change and natural hazards.”

Asked what advice he’d give to others navigating similar hurdles, Felicien offered the same principle that’s carried him forward: “Keep on trying. Never give up. Your day must come.”