St. John resident Lincoln Liburd, now a Stanford University senior, had a great idea when he came up with a summer program to give St. John and St. Thomas students a leg up on the academic ladder.
“One day I was in the shower thinking about what I could do to make a difference,” he said. The result was the V.I. Scholars program.
A few short months later, with help from fellow Stanford students and alumni, he launched the program at Gifft Hill School on St. John this week.
He was a persuasive recruiter. Stanford 2010 graduate Rosalyn Gold-Onwude said Liburd asked her if anyone had helped her along the way. Growing up in modest means in Queens, New York, the answer was yes and she said yes to Liburd’s request.
Now an ESPN broadcaster who also teaches public speaking at Stanford, she’s leading the public speaking component of the three-week program.
Marcus Jamison, who attends Stanford with Liburd, wants to be a teacher, so he’s finding the opportunity to share his skills with the youthful students quite valuable.
“And I’m friends with Lincoln,” he said.
Gold-Onwude and Jamison were among the six teachers and two support staff on St. John for the program. Others helped before the program began, Liburd said. In-kind donations from St. John businesses that provide transportation and accommodations have also helped.
Now 20, Liburd is studying toward a degree in management and science engineering. Before he went to Stanford, he wanted to be the chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company, but now he said he plans a career developing programs like V.I. Scholars.
“I want to positively influence as many people as humanly possible,” he said.
Several of the six students taking classes last week mentioned improvements in their public speaking skills as one of the reasons they decided to participate.
“It helps me to be less timid,” Vinneisha Clement, 15, said.
The Eudora Kean High School student from St. Thomas also said that taking classes was far better than sitting at home and not learning anything new. Clement wants to be a veterinarian when she finishes her education, and she said that what she learns at the V.I. Scholars program will stand her in good stead when she’s out of school.
Kyon Louis, 14, and a Gifft Hill School student from St. John, is normally soft-spoken but he said that the public speaking classes are helping.
“It’s good to be loud,” he said.
And he said it will improve his chances if he decides to run for president or governor.
Mary Buendica of St. Thomas, a 14-year-old who attends Eudora Kean, also liked the public speaking component because there wasn’t any peer pressure.
The U.S. government classes were also on her favorite list because she got an in-depth look at the Constitution.
The students are also learning leadership skills. Gabrielle Bailey, 13, a St. Thomas resident who attends Antilles School, wants to be a pediatrician.
“I will need leadership skills especially when as a doctor I have to lead patients in the right direction,” Bailey said.
The students will also develop projects to help their communities.
“I want to make a difference in my community,” said Kernizean Casey, 14, a Eudora Kean student from St. Thomas.
Daniel Smith, 14 and an Antilles School student who lives on St. John, ticked off just about all the classes as his favorites.
“And it will look good on my college resume,” he said.
