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By Latoya Giles  “I could get four times the salary if I go to an overseas university, but that would not give me the satisfaction. I find pure satisfaction when I see my students graduate”.Buxton, a bustling village on the East Coast of Demerara, has produced a great number of prominent sons and daughters. Haslyn Parris, Eusi Kwayana and Winifred Gaskin are among those who have distinguished themselves in various spheres. Today’s ‘Special Person’ is no less admirable.WHO IS BARBARA?Barbara Thomas was born on May 28, 1955, to Edwin and Pauline Thomas.Her mother worked as a stall-holder at the Bourda Market and her father as a heavy duty machine operator. Coming from humble beginnings she is eldest of eight children.Barbara’s early days, as she remembered, were filled with love and joy while living at Buxton Front. She said that she was taught respect for elders and also her parents instilled strong moral values.“My parents repeatedly said that you must always be hard working, respectful and also you must try as hard as possible to get a good education.”She remembers vividly how her mother would share whatever little she had brought home from the market with a large number of children in the village. She remembers her father giving her a fine thrashing because she passed one of his friends and did not say hello.“Even when I was getting flogged I did not remember the incident,NFL Jerseys China, I must have been in my own childish world, and he probably thought that I did not acknowledge him,” she recounted.Thomas also said that as she grew up in Buxton, there was no racial divide or bad blood known to her. “I ate from any neighbour’s pot, if my mother did not cook something I liked,” she said with a smile.As the big sister, she was tasked with making sure that what little the family had was divided fairly. Even now she is looked up to by her siblings. “They turn to me when they need advice about anything. I am always ready and willing to help my family,” she said.She said as a child she had the understanding that Buxton was the education capital of Guyana.“There was always that feeling that someone (in the village) would be the next Guyanese scholar” Thomas said. Buxton, she said, had over seven ministers of government; it was real source of pride for the community.Married to a Judge, Mrs. Barbara Thomas-Holder, a Social Work Educator and the Coordinator of the Social Work Programme at the University of Guyana, is not only a knowledgeable individual, but a woman of substance.‘Miss Barbara’ as she is fondly referred to by her students at the University of Guyana was born and bred in the village of Buxton.She attended the Friendship Anglican School, Smith’s College and Buxton Government School.Her tertiary achievements include an Undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Guyana and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is also a trained teacher, earning her certificate from the Cyril Potter College of Education. She furthered her teaching career at the Lilian Dewar College of Education.Mrs. Thomas-Holder taught at Bladen Hall Multilateral School for ten years and then moved on to President’s College.She began lecturing at the University in 1988 – some 21 years ago.Thomas-Holder said that she chose the profession (Social Work) because of the ills she witnessed in the local teaching system. And after encountering children with a variety of problems, the vision was made even clearer.“All the head teachers would say to the children if they have a problem go to Miss Thomas, it was like I was cut out for it,Jerseys NFL Wholesale,” she said with a smile. She was cognizant that she needed to be aptly qualified to deal with the unique challenges that her intended career present.Thomas-Holder did a diploma programme,Cheap NFL Jerseys, but quickly determined that she wanted to go further with social work. However the University of Guyana did not have the post-graduate programme,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, so she pursued Sociology instead.After completing her degree programme in Sociology she went abroad and studied for her Master’s in Social Work.Reflecting on an incident at Bladen Hall Multilateral which touched her deeply, and that she was glad to have had direct input, Thomas-Holder spoke of two children that were about to be expelled,Jerseys NFL Cheap, and whom she was convinced, were too young.She took the children under her wings, and the girls who are now grown have ever since been thankful that Ms. Thomas intervened and brought out that special thing about them that no one saw.Even when she began teaching at the university, she found herself counseling students. These students she explained are grown and she would definitely know that something is wrong, particularly when their grades suddenly decline.“When you confront them and ask what’s happening they would open up and tell you what has been bothering them. It’s my duty to see things are rectified.I know that I’ve impacted a number of students both at the university and the other schools where I taught, and that’s where I get my reward, just seeing persons going from strength to strength.”Mrs. Thomas-Holder says she would sometimes sit quietly in her office at the University, considering if she really wanted to be at the institution. But such thoughts would quickly dissolve because of the love she has for her students. She says being in an office is not her passion; her true passion is in the classroom where she can interact with students.Mrs. Thomas-Holder, right, at a recently concluded Social Work conference. At left, is Minister of Human Services, Priya Manickchand.“I could get four times the salary if I go to an overseas university, but that would not give me the satisfaction. I find pure satisfaction when I see my students graduate,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,” she emphasised.For ‘Miss Barbara’ high points in her career include when social work students are recipients of the valedictorian award.And about five years ago when three former students who are now aboard contacted her and told her that the undergraduate programme at the University of Guyana was tremendous stepping stone for them, it was a source of immense satisfaction. Notably, the three students had attended different universities.Recently, Mrs. Thomas-Holder says, the Social Work Unit hosted an International Social Educators Conference for the Caribbean and North America. The forum, which was deemed very successful,NFL Jerseys Cheap, proved that they could achieve and still be able to face the challenges associated with hosting such a high-profile event. This she described as another noteworthy period in her career.At the moment, she says, the Social Work Unit is revisiting some of the existing programmes to make them more responsive.“While we are not training the students to leave, we must face the reality that they might leave, so we try to equip them with the foundation which would enable them to function effectively as professional social workers.”Mrs.Thomas-Holder is also a parent educator, and does not believe in physical abuse. “I prefer to speak to children instead of beating them.”LIFE OUTSIDE HER CAREERBarbara Thomas has been married for over 20 years to Justice Franklyn Holder. That marriage has produced four well-groomed children. Three of their offspring are University graduates, with their youngest child presently a student pursuing a degree in Economics at the University of Guyana.Two of the three children are also married.Mrs. Thomas-Holder is also a proud grandmother of 18-month-old boy.She opines that an open relationship with her children has been key to their positive attitudes and success.Mrs. Thomas-Holder says she has been able to instill in her children the same values her parents instilled in her, and for this she was eternally grateful.A core value, she insists, is appreciating the significance of one’s independence.WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL?What makes her special? For starters, giving of herself towards the development of others.She has been described by persons as one whom they feel a sense of comfort with, while in her presence, and as has already been noted, she is always there for others.She has remained a role model to many.Presently, Mrs Thomas-Holder resides at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, with her family. She says that she would continue to be an example for persons in her family and equally important, for persons in her community.