July 7, 2003 – Several former V.I. high school students who took their studies abroad distinguished themselves recently by graduating from New York's Monroe College, many with academic honors.
At the June 10th ceremony the graduating class of 350 was urged in a speech by College President, Stephen J. Jerome, to think about how they had changed in the time they'd spent studying there, the challenges they had faced and all they had accomplished. "Make a difference," Jerome said, according to a release, adding, "Now the future is yours."
Keynote speaker, Marcus Solis, a reporter with WABC-TV, inspired the assembly with a story of his own difficulties as a fledgling reporter in the early nineties, reminding the graduates that times were as economically challenging then as they are now, according to a statement from the school.
Graduates from the territory are:
Associate, Business Administration:
Crystal Lynch
Kai Thomas
Naomi James
Deidra-Ann Varlack
James Riley
Orealia Thomas
Rochelle Mack
Nikita Harris
Associate, Accounting
Melissa Nesbitt, Cum Laude
Jihan Charles, Cum Laude
Delvin James, Magna Cum Laude
Joyelle Swanston, Summa Cum Laude
Associate, Computer Information Systems
Tricia Lincoln
Marlon Baptiste
Romanus Randolphe
Arnold Woodley Jr.
Jerome Johnson
Associate, Health Information Technology
Alexia Roberts
BBA, Business Management
Melissa Durant
Louise Colburne, Magna Cum Laude
The relatively high number of V.I. students attending Monroe College is due in part to the college's aggressive recruiting throughout the territory in recent years, as well as the attractiveness of Monroe's accelerated degree programs to area students. A student can earn an associate degree in as few as sixteen months, and a B.A. in three years.
Located in New Rochelle, New York, Monroe College offers degree programs in accounting, business administration, hospitality and tourism management, health office technology, computer information systems, computer office technologies, criminal justice and general business.
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