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.
Summa Cum Laude (with Highest Latin honors)
“My quintessence of progress, diligence and ambition is evident through the challenges of societal boundaries, academic and professional accomplishments. Hailing from a stigmatized community, the subconscious expectations of residents are normally metered. Yet, I defied these unuttered pronouncements by graduating from Monroe College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management – Summa Cum Laude (with Highest Latin honors) and was honored on the President’s List. Standalone, this was one of my biggest accomplishments. I worked through the many challenges of hurricane Maria and its lingering effects, though there were times when I had my doubts. However, through my support system, I was able to persevere to the end. Accepting the educational leadership challenge is never easy, but through hard work, determination, and setting SMART goals and objectives for yourself, anything is possible.”
“My education is largely focused on this mindset: function over form, stability over showmanship. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I enrolled in several classes that crossover to the hospitality management major, because I wanted to have a comprehensive view and knowledge of the hospitality and tourism industry, as well as to accelerate my education.” Mr. Thornhill will continue his education with Monroe College by pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree with dual concentration in Hospitality Management and Human Resources. “Upon the completion of my Master’s degree, I aspire to assume a leadership role in the hospitality and tourism industry and act as a catalyst to assist in enabling Dominica’s hospitality and tourism economy.”
“I thank father Yahweh for his continued mercies and blessing on my life and for always steering me in the right direction. Additionally, I would like to thank the government of Dominica for their grants assistance throughout my tenure at Monroe college as well as the many institutions that helped shaped my career including: the Dominica State College Tourism and Hospitality Department, Anchorage Hotel, Whale Watch and Dive Centre, Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association, Garraway Hotel, Dominica Tours, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Freightmaster, His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Damien Dublin, Qahal Yahweh Ministries, my family, friends and other support systems.”
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
