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.

“Resilience and Determination are two key words that I use to pilot my life. From an early age, I felt the field of health beckoning to me and I knew that this was the path that I was meant to take in life. Over the years, I have found that you will come across many obstacles, however, you do not shy away from them, but rather face them head-on.

The greatest obstacle in my life was the death of my mother during Hurricane Maria. Experiencing such a loss, broke me down because it was always a goal and dream of mine to create a better life for my mom. Nonetheless, I was determined to make her proud. This fueled my efforts in ensuring that I put my best foot forward and worked hard at Monroe College. My efforts were rewarded, as I was able to graduate with highest honours.

Gratitude is always a must. I want to show gratitude to the persons who helped me along this journey: the government of Dominica, family, and friends, especially those who turned into family. Always remember, matters not how you start a race in life, but how you finish it.”

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