May 24, 2001– Three St. Thomas high school seniors signed letters of intent at a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Charlotte Amalie High School career center, signaling their plans to attend mainland universities on full four-year athletic scholarships.
Julie Flanders, a 6'2" CAHS senior, will attend George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., on a basketball scholarship. With plans to major in English and eventually go to law school, she will begin training and summer courses at GMU shortly after graduation from high school in June.
Myriam Rodney, a 5'11" CAHS senior, will attend Florida International University in Miami in the fall on a volleyball scholarship. She plans to major in child psychology and minor in sports medicine.
Lynia Liburd, a 5'11" senior at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, will go to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., on a basketball scholarship. She intends to major in kinesiology — the principles of body movement and their application in the evaluation and treatment of muscular disorders.
"Today is a good day for the public schools in the Virgin Islands," CAHS head coach Myron Corbett said. "This is the first time in many years we have had so many students selected for this kind of scholarship."
Corbett helped counsel the athletes through the college application process and sent videos to the schools and followed up with telephone calls to pitch the local students. "It was an easy sell," he said. "All of them are good athletes and good students."
Although Corbett coaches at CAHS, he decided to assist Lynia, a Kean student, when he learned that no one was helping her. "I was stunned, so I started calling about her, too," he said.
In March, Corbett organized a trip to Washington, D.C., where Lynia and Julie played against three top high school basketball teams in the federal district. It was a great opportunity to showcase their talent to recruiters, he said.
"I hope their success inspires another kid to pick up a basketball and pursue the sport, "he added.
