The University of the Virgin Islands conferred degrees to over three hundred students at the annual 2019 Commencement Ceremonies which took place on Thursday, May 16, on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix and on Friday, May 17, at the Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas.
CNN political commentator, lawyer, and former state legislator Bakari Sellers delivered the keynote address where he encouraged the graduates to acknowledge the shoulders on which they stand, noting that they are the seeds of dissent that have fallen into fertile soil
“You are living breathing examples that the age of miracles has not passed, that this is the land of opportunity even if you have to work longer and harder to find it,” Sellers said.
UVI’s president Dr. David Hall told the graduates that it was up to them to use their degrees to make the world a better place.
Christopher Michael Rosario, class speaker on the Albert A. Sheen Campus asked the graduates to celebrate their hard work and perseverance.
Anyah Ferris, the class speaker on the St. Thomas Campus, reflected upon the strength and resilience of the graduates and the university during the past 619 days following the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
UVI bestowed honorary degrees upon two prominent alumni - Cornel Williams and Dr. Simon Jones-Hendrickson. Cornel Williams received an honorary doctorate at the St. Thomas commencement ceremony and Dr. Simon Jones-Hendrickson, a former dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences received an honorary doctorate on St. Croix.
Dr. Andréa Dorsey is the first student to complete the University of the Virgin Islands’ Ph.D. in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change within three consecutive years. She is also the first UVI employee to earn this new degree.
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