Sept. 28, 2008 — Zenobia Howe, 18, is a Gifft Hill School senior trying to make a difference. A member of the St. John Youth Committee, Howe and the seven other committee members are working hard to convince the local government to improve youth sports facilities and activities on the island.
"There have already been a lot of changes," she said.
The Youth Committee made a video showing the deplorable condition of the island's sports and youth venues. They showed the video at various civic organizations.
"As soon as the video played around, important people noticed. The rec center got cleaned up and more programs are starting up," she said.
Currently St. John youths have only a few choices when it comes to sports.
Howe has a big interest in sports. She likes soccer and is a member of the territorial team. Once finished with college, she may open her own gym with an emphasis on fitness training. The gym will offer personal trainers.
Howe might open the gym in Trinidad, birthplace of both her parents. She said she's currently working on gaining dual citizenship to facilitate the process.
She hasn't decided where she'll go to school or what she'll study, but she's leaning toward physical therapy.
"I really like Howard and Spelman, but the University of Miami has a good physical therapy program," she said.
Howe already has plenty of experience living on the mainland. Born in Fairfield, Calif., while her father served in the U.S. Air Force, she moved with her mother to and from Trinidad several times due to her mother's career as a pastry chef. As her mother relocated for jobs, they also lived in Florida, Mississippi, and St. John. Two years ago, they moved back to St. John, where her mother, Alana St. Louis, settled in as executive pastry chef at Caneel Bay Resort.
"I'm very proud of her," St. Louis said of her daughter.
She said that as a single parent, she worked hard to instill in her daughter a sense of self sufficiency because she often works late hours.
Howe's father, Kenrick Howe, lives in Delaware.
Howe, an only child, was happy to return to St. John, where she already had friends at Gifft Hill School since she attended lower grades with them.
"It's diverse," she said of the school's students.
She said she likes the small classes and the special help teachers offer because of the school's small size.
When she's not at school or participating in soccer activities, Howe said she likes to read mysteries, romances and comedies. She also listens to an eclectic selection of music, including hip hop and rhythm and blues.
"Even some classical music. Anything as long as it sounds good," she said.
Last year, she worked on the Gifft Hill School yearbook as part of the journalism program. She expects to be on the year book committee again this year, but things aren't yet organized.
"And I like photography," she said.
Howe is looking for an-after school job. She worked last year at Big Planet, a retail shop in Mongoose Junction shopping center. She left there to spend much of the summer in Trinidad, but she's back in the job market.
"Maybe somebody will see this," she said, laughing.
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