Parham villager Perseveres on Her Way to Earning Doctorate from American University

NEW YORK, 13^th May, 2025…A proud and young daughter of the soil has reached the pinnacle of her academic journey, earning a Doctoral Degree in Business Administration specializing in Finance from the prestigious Liberty University in Virginia in the United States.

Dr. Jerri-Anne Jeremy, a graduate of the Parham Primary, the Pares Secondary and Antigua State College, has been successful in skillfully balancing the demands of her new role as Second Secretary at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission to the United Nations in New York with her academic pursuits.

Dr. Jeremy’s unwavering dedication and personal sacrifices culminated in a well-deserving reward as she successfully defended a dissertation before her professorial committee. Her doctoral research provided a comprehensive analysis of “Credit and Risk Management in the Banking Sector in the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).”

Her specialization is also complementary to her substantive role at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission where she has been preoccupied with Antigua and Barbuda’s position on global financial matters such as debt sustainability, climate financing and the proposed SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Services (DSSS).

Dr. Jeremy was the financial controller and one of the senior fund raisers for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) during the period of Antigua and Barbuda’s Chairmanship and for last year’s groundbreaking SIDS4 Conference. As a member of the diplomatic team at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission, Dr. Jeremy serves on the Fifth Committee of the United Nations, which is concerned with the Budgetary and Administrative matters of the international body.

In reflecting on her achievement, Dr. Jeremy gives credit to her humble upbringings and her faith and belief in God for keeping her focused and true to her goals. She is the product of a single parent household, where her mother, Ruthlyn Edwards, instilled in her positive values that have accounted for her success so far in life.

“I have seen my mother’s faith at work and I gained from it. The sacrifices she made for myself and my sister have been a phenomenal blessing and I am grateful for the love and support she has shown us every step of the way,” Dr. Jeremy stated.

“The fact that I am a beneficiary of the public education system in Antigua and Barbuda is also not lost on me. So many of us who have followed this path are living examples of the amazing possibilities to be gained from quality public education,” she stressed.

Already a holder of a Degree from Monroe University and a Masters in Business Administration with a focus in Finance at Devry University, Dr. Jeremy stated she has drawn strength and motivation from not only God, but an inspiring network of teachers, classmates, colleagues, family, church, friends and the members of her Parham community.

And to those whose eyes are set on travelling a similar path, Dr. Jeremy encourages them to go for it: “Be always diligent in your effort, pray from the heart with determination and faith, and keep on striving. Don’t ever give up. No matter how challenging the terrain becomes, you can overcome.” 

Dr. Jeremy further wishes to thank the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda for their constant support and encouragement and the many individuals and organisations whose data resources and interviews contributed to the research for her doctoral thesis.