Dominican Students Excel at Monroe College for St. Lucia Campus Graduates 2020

Monroe College, the New York-based institution offering Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degree programs from its campus in Saint Lucia, held its Annual Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, October 18, 2020 at the Sandals Grande, Beach Resort and Spa (Pigeon Island, Gros Islet) for local graduates.

Two separate ceremonies were held to allow for proper social distancing of all participants. Due to pandemic-related quarantine requirements for visitors to the island, Monroe College President Marc Jerome led the ceremony virtually from New York, while local campus administrators, faculty, and staff joined the 86 graduates in person. In addition to students from Saint Lucia, the graduating class included students from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines.

Among the graduates were several students from Dominica who had attended Monroe’s campuses in New York and St. Lucia, who graduated top of their programme: Chriscelar C. Sylvester, Melinda D. Austrie, Marissa Thomas, Amanda M. Xavier, Edona Jno. Baptiste, Sherma Lyn Toussaint, Nigel Peters, David R. Thornhill and Kervin George.

“A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” – Colon Powel. Melinda graduated with a perfect 4.00 Grade Point Average (GPA). “As a former student of the North East Comprehensive School, graduate of the Dominica State College, where I majored in Mathematics and Biology, I felt compelled to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Public Health at Monroe College, as the field of health has always captivated my interest. I strongly believe that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation, which is why I wanted to be able to contribute positively in ensuring that we have a healthy society.

The journey to obtaining my degree, while very rewarding, was not an easy one. From the first semester, I challenged myself to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, though I worked a full-time job. Effective time-management, discipline and consistency aided in my success. I also need to give due credit to God for guiding me on this journey and my strong support system (friends & family).”

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