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.
