The University of the Virgin Islands continued celebrating nearly 300 graduates Friday during the 62nd commencement ceremony for the Albert A. Sheen Campus at Island Center for the Performing Arts on St. Croix, where messages of perseverance, cultural pride, community service and resilience echoed throughout the celebration. The ceremony followed Thursday’s commencement exercises on St. Thomas.  From reflections on hidden growth and generational achievement to reminders to “pour back” into the Virgin Islands community, speakers challenged the “ambitious, courageous and empowered” Class of 2026 to use their education to uplift the territory and shape its future. UVI President Safiya George said the university has celebrated more than 11,000 graduates since its founding in 1962, with this year’s graduating class adding nearly 300 more alumni to that legacy.

George also recognized students graduating with 4.0 grade-point averages, along with summa cum laude and magna cum laude honorees, and others in the class, referring to them as “unicorns” for their exceptional academic achievements. The ceremony also marked a milestone for UVI’s School of Agriculture, as the university celebrated only its second graduating class from the program. “UVI has celebrated over 11,000 graduates and degrees since 1962. Yesterday and today, 300 of you, nearly, will be adding to the already 4,424 business leaders who earned degrees from UVI,” George said. “You’ll be adding 26 to the 2,100 educators who got their degree from UVI, adding 63 to the nearly 2,000 liberal arts and social science degrees, including five masters in social work, three masters in public administration, and three masters in psychology.” She continued by highlighting the university’s contributions to science, healthcare and agriculture. “You’ll also be adding 74 to the 1,700 science and math degrees, including 15 masters in marine and environmental sciences, and 26 of the healing bliss class of 2026 will add to the nearly 1,000 nurses that UVI has already produced,” George said. “And adding five to the 11 agriculture professionals.” George also celebrated the university’s growing doctoral programs, noting that 14 new Ph.D. graduates joined the ranks of more than 31 UVI alumni with doctoral degrees.

The ceremony also included special recognition for Adam O’Neal and Rena Brodhurst, both of whom received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. Brodhurst was recognized for her longstanding contributions to journalism and the community as publisher and editor of the St. Croix Avis, the longest continuously published newspaper in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Adam O’Neal, affectionately known throughout the territory as “Adam O.,” was honored for helping elevate Virgin Islands music and culture on the global stage through his work as an internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur and cultural ambassador. Referring to himself jokingly as “Dr. O.,” Adam O. delivered emotional remarks about kindness, community and the people who shaped his life growing up on St. Croix. “There’s an icon … I feel never got his flowers, and today I want to honor that icon,” he said before describing the beloved “fraco man,” who would serve icy treats to children throughout the community.

“This man, to me, was an icon from since I was a child,” Adam O. said. “Each of you graduates here today, you have something that the fraco man showed me. You have a light. You have the ability to make somebody go from bad to good, and all it takes is a moment of kindness.” Near the conclusion of his remarks, Adam O. reflected on the people who supported him throughout his upbringing. “I seen faces in this crowd that raised me. I see people in this crowd that gave me a ride when I walked on the side of the road,” he said. “And I want to say that I am proud to stand in front of you as Dr. Adam Lamar O’Neal, a.k.a. Adam O.” Graduate speaker SaVaughna John-Baptiste delivered an inspirational address focused on perseverance, comparing personal growth to the unseen development that occurs beneath the soil. “Through horticulture, I learned something from the land itself,” John-Baptiste said. “Growth is not always visible. A seed underground can look like nothing. A field can look empty before it becomes abundant.” She encouraged graduates not to become discouraged during difficult or uncertain seasons in life. “So to anyone who ever felt like their progress was too slow, do not confuse hidden growth with no growth,” she said. “Some roots deepen before anything blooms. And today, we bloomed.” Delegate Stacey Plaskett also addressed graduates, reminding them that earning a degree represents an opportunity rather than a final destination. “Today, we celebrate a milestone for the graduates who did not merely reach it, they earned it,” Plaskett said. “I want to begin with a simple truth. The world does not reward you for having a degree. It hands you an opportunity,” she continued. “What you do with that opportunity is entirely up to you.” Plaskett acknowledged the sacrifices many students and families made to reach graduation day. “Some of you here today were the first in your family to earn a college degree. Some of you had the weight of a family who required it,” she said. “What you have accomplished is not just personal. It’s for generations. You have changed the trajectory of your family’s story forever, and no one can take that away from you.” Calling a degree “a departure point,” Plaskett encouraged graduates to embrace their identities and heritage proudly. “You have heard that you were graduating from the only historically Black college and university in the Caribbean. That as well carries weight,” she said. “Because in a time and place where being Black in this country is a target, is an attempted erasure, being Black is important. Being fully Black is necessary.” “And as Caribbean people, we know no one can take from us what we will not give,” Plaskett added. “And so you have a special requirement in this time.” Milton Potter, president of the 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands, encouraged graduates to remain connected to the Virgin Islands and use their talents to strengthen their communities. “Waste nothing. Not your talent, not your time, not your connection to this place and these people,” Potter said. “The Virgin Islands did not produce you so that you could disappear into mediocrity.” “These islands, this water, this sun, this culture, this community poured itself into you,” he continued. “Now pour it back.” Lieutenant Gov. Tregenza A. Roach praised the accomplishments of the graduating class and encouraged students to honor those who paved the way for them. “I am proud of your accomplishments and proud of the faculty that has instilled in you this desire, this wish to learn, to become and to build your communities,” Roach said. “Because this place, which we have inherited and which we will leave, will depend on you to make good choices for it,” he said. “And I want you to consider the people who have gone before you, who have paved the way for you to be here.” “When you make these choices for the Virgin Islands, and when you help it become to its full potential,” Roach added. He also took the opportunity to emphasize that UVI’s free tuition program is here to stay. “It will not go away. We have to find a way to make it live,” Roach said, noting that the initiative has contributed to a 67% increase in enrollment in the territory’s public schools. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. encouraged graduates to pursue their passions fearlessly and remain resilient despite challenges. “What matters is how hard you put your heart into what you do,” Bryan said. “This is the most passionate generation we have ever had.” “Be passionate about something,” he continued. “Figure out what it is you want to do, dance to your own music, be different, excel.” Bryan reminded graduates that obstacles are inevitable but said the determination that brought them to graduation would carry them even further. “It’s gonna be harder. That’s just how life is,” he said. “But you had the grit to make it this far. You could make it further.” Also present for the ceremony were senators, government officials and other dignitaries from across the Virgin Islands community.

Hundreds of candidates for college graduation donned caps and gowns to celebrate one of the great milestones of their lives on Thursday as the University of the Virgin Islands held their 62nd annual Commencement Ceremony. Thursday’s ceremony was the first of two graduation events held this week.

Candidates for associates, bachelors, and graduate degrees took their seats in the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center shortly after 1 p.m. They were welcomed by UVI President Safiyah George and Board of Trustees Chairman Henry Smock.

”I am extremely proud of the entire ambitious Class of 2026,” the president said. “The nearly 300 graduates in the Class of 2026 will be adding to the over 11,000 graduates from the College of the Virgin Islands and the University of the Virgin Islands over the past 64 years since our founding in 1962 as the territory’s only institution of higher education,” George said.

Joining the president on stage were members of her administration, Lieutenant Gov. Tregenza Roach, Senate President Milton Potter and Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett. They were joined by Class Speaker Zeidan Bass and Keynote Speaker Adam O’Neal.

Chairman Smock led the line of dignitaries handing out diplomas to students who completed their studies and qualified for graduation.

In her remarks, George pointed out the degrees earned by five students completing studies as Education Specialists in School Psychology – degrees being awarded for the first time in 10 years. The Class of 2026 also included students completing studies in the School of Agriculture and others from the Executive Masters in Business Administration.

Also singled out for recognition were students graduating with top grade point averages, student athletes and leaders of the UVI Student Government Association.

“UVI’s Class of 2026 is full of unicorns and scholars,” the president said.

Bass, the class speaker, once served as student government president. He is also one of UVI’s international student hailing from St. Kitts. He addressed his classmates with a mix of humor and relief.

“Today is more than just a ceremony. It is a celebration of years of sacrifice, determination, and surviving on little sleep and pure faith during finals week,” he said. “Each of us sit here at this graduation ceremony with different backgrounds, different struggles, different dreams; but today all of those journeys meet with one shared accomplishment — we made it,” Bass said.

It was also a day to celebrate the recognition of a popular local entertainer, entrepreneur and military combat veteran. St. Croix Soca Artist Adam O’Neal – known as Adam O – received a Doctorate of Humane Letters for valor, creativity and global reach as a Virgin Islands cultural ambassador.

“It’s an honor to be here with you and I want to debunk one thing; one thing that keeps circulating in our community, and that thing is this: the Virgin Islands does support our own. The Virgin Islands supports our own in ways that the rest of the world can’t understand.

‘And I’m standing here right now as an embodiment of my community supporting me and making me go all around the world with a flag I am most proud of,” O’Neal said.

Commencement celebrations wrapped up on Friday at the Albert Sheen Campus on St. Croix presenting degrees to students there. The keynote speaker for the day was Rena Brodhurst, longtime publisher and editor of the St. Croix Avis.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Yvonne E. Milliner-Bowsky Elementary School on St. Thomas met professional truck drivers Friday, who volunteered their time during a hands-on career event highlighting transportation jobs and future workforce opportunities.

The event was part of the school’s “Week of the Intermediate Child” celebration, a program focused on older elementary students as they prepare to transition into middle school. This year’s theme, “Big Rigs, Big Dreams: Moving Places,” transformed the campus into a career-focused learning space centered on trucking and transportation, encouraging students to think broadly about future career paths.

“We’re highlighting the Week of the Intermediate Child, which focuses on our fourth and fifth grade students,” said assistant principal Kalamis Maduro. “It actually originated here years ago, so it’s something that’s sustainable that we wanted to keep active and going in the school.”

Maduro said the week included a series of themed activities leading up to Friday’s truck show. Students built cardboard trucks earlier in the week, which truck drivers were scheduled to judge for realism, creativity and innovation. They also participated in career dress-up days, took part in a “Wacky Wednesday,” and observed transportation-themed activities representing different modes of travel.

Maduro said the event also aimed to challenge stereotypes about who can work in the trucking industry, noting that students often associate truck driving with men. She said organizers intentionally highlighted women and younger drivers to broaden that perception and show students a wider range of role models.

Among the participants were Le’cajae Henry, a recent Ivanna Eudora Kean High School graduate who drives a truck known as “Unruly Beast,” and Namibia Williams, a Department of Education employee who also works in transportation.

The event also featured 9-year-old Keegan Brooks of the British Virgin Islands, who can already operate a truck under supervision. Organizers said his participation was meant to show students that age should not limit what they believe they can achieve.

 

Maduro said the final activity would involve a water truck interacting with students in a celebratory end-of-week event.

Paraprofessional Kishma David said one goal of the event was to expand students’ understanding of success beyond a traditional college path. She said many students are often taught that a four-year degree is the only route to stability, but that skilled trades can also lead to strong careers.

David pointed to trucking as an example, noting that students can pursue training, earn a commercial driver’s license and build high-paying careers in the industry without attending college. She said the message was intended to show students that multiple pathways can lead to success in life and that they should not feel limited in their future options.

She also said the idea for the truck show was partly inspired by students’ natural interest in trucks during school activities, recalling how excited children would be when drivers honked their horns during outdoor time. That enthusiasm, she said, helped spark the idea for a hands-on career event featuring real trucks and drivers on campus.

The truckers were volunteers who, according to staff, were eager to attend and answer students’ questions.

“Apparently it seems like it’s been over three years since there was a truck show,” Maduro said. “So the truck drivers were very enthusiastic and willing. Today we even had truck drivers that came that weren’t invited because they were so excited to share their craft and their careers… just showing the children that there are other things that you can do once you apply yourself, and as the years go on, we’ll pick different trades for them to explore.”

Federal investigators are seeking witnesses to the deadly collision of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat and a tiny dinghy shortly before Carnival fireworks in Charlotte Amalie Harbor, officials said Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board asked for witnesses to the May 2 crash that killed local boater and musician Shawn Leass in Haulover Cut, the narrow channel between St. Thomas and Hassel Island, who have photos or video — or any other relevant information — to email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov. Some witnesses told the Source they were reluctant to come forward either out of fear of reprisal from federal law enforcement officers or out of deference to Leass’ sister on the mainland, who had asked they withhold public comment while she consulted an attorney. The board said all witness names would be redacted in NTSB documents. A Water Island resident, Leass was in his dinghy when the speeding 41-foot CPB vessel ran him down shortly after dark two weeks ago, witnesses said. Divers recovered the dinghy after an all-day search of the area May 7. Leass abstained from alcohol but was a beloved fixture at St. Thomas open-mic nights where he reliably stoked roaring enthusiasm with his exuberance renditions of classic rock anthems, friends said.

A judge has upheld the license suspension of the Virgin Islands’ former public surveyor and an associate after a requested judicial review, according to court records. The board overseeing surveyors and engineers suspended Wayne Callwood, the former Department of Planning and Natural Resources commissioner and longtime head of the territory’s cadastral office, in January after he acknowledged using a colleague’s identification on his own surveys. Callwood had hoped to avoid allegations of impropriety in approving and recording his own work, according to court records. The subterfuge worked for many years until fellow surveyors, joined by estate attorneys and realtors, complained that Callwood was giving his private surveys priority. They complained of secrecy, favoritism, and other irregularities in the office. Callwood, who was paid for his private surveys and his public cadastral work, did not dispute the facts of the accusations against him in his request for judicial review. Instead, he alleged a member of the V.I. Board of Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors had unfairly influenced the board’s decision. Board member Ryan Wisehart sent an email to fellow surveyor Larry Best in October 2020 complaining Callwood had been using the stamp of Francisco Nadal for more than a year. Nadal, who has an engineering license but not a surveying license, later testified he had allowed the use but did not review any part of the work done, according to court records. Wisehart testified before the board about the email and then recused himself from voting on Callwood’s fate. Callwood told the Virgin Islands Superior Court that the recusal was not enough, and that Wisehart had unfairly influenced the other board members. On May 8, Judge Denise Francois disagreed, saying Wisehart’s testimony “… proved unnecessary in light of the total evidence presented before the board.” Francois also turned down Callwood’s assertion that the law itself was unconstitutionally vague. Callwood had told the Source he didn’t believe his actions to be illegal and that he had received approval from Government House to conduct and record his own surveys. He told the court the laws — 27 V.LC. § 286, which governs using another person’s identification, and 27 V.I.C. § 289(3), which governs how seals and other identifying markers are used — were at odds with each other and too convoluted for an average person to understand. “Under 286(b) a signing or sealing done without evading or attempting to evade is not unlawful while under 289(3) any signing or sealing is unlawful,’” Callwood told the court. Judge Francois turned down the argument for several reasons, including its striving to imbed confusion. “When the options before the court are a plain and straightforward reading of a statute that results in a rational, easy-to-understand scheme, or an intricate and convoluted reading of a statute that results in an irrational and unworkable scheme, the answer is simple, do not do the latter,” she wrote. “Callwood’s conduct fell within the bounds of what was clearly proscribed by the statute. As such, Callwood lacks standing to challenge the statute on the ground of purported vagueness.” Callwood’s professional license suspension will end June 15. He retired from the Cadastral Office in February.