May 7, 2009 – In celebration of the upcoming Public Employees Recognition Week, May 17-23, the Virgin Islands Department of Education has selected two district employees as the 2009 Public Service Employees of the Year. The honorees are Yvette Coggins of St. Croix and Ebony L. Williams, representing the St. Thomas-St. John District.
Education Commissioner Dr. La Verne Terry in congratulating this year's recipients said, "These two ladies have consistently exceeded expectations in their service to their activity centers, the department and the government of the Virgin Islands. They truly epitomize the premise of the public service employee and all that public service stands for. It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the leadership and staff of this department to bestow upon them congratulations and kudos on this milestone in their professional careers."
Higher aspirations equals achievement and success is Coggins' mantra. In sharing her story she says, "The story of my life is quite a remarkable one filled with the aspirations and goals for myself."
A former recipient of the Welfare and Food Stamp Program, and a proud mother of two, she was always very ambitious. In 1996, after contacting the Department of Labor's Job Opportunity and Basic Skill (JOBS) Program, she earned a typing certificate from Speedy Secretarial Institute and was sent to the Eulalie R. Rivera Elementary School as a clerk typist trainee.
"I was given the opportunity to oversee the front office and was given the responsibility and authority to do anything that I felt confident about doing to improve the office atmosphere. With foresight and the drive to be a self-starter, I put my best foot forward and did whatever I could for the betterment of everyone at the school. When my training with the JOBS Program ended, I continued to volunteer at the school and in 1998, I received my first NOPA for the position of a part time clerk typist III. Although I worked only 20 hours a week, I felt very proud of myself simply because I believed that I could do anything that I made up my mind to do and that there was nothing that could hold me back," Coggins said.
In March of 1998, she became a full-time employee with the Department of Education, and for the past 11 years, she has been a one-woman army, effectively and efficiently handling all the duties and responsibilities given to her, ultimately becoming an administrative secretary. Always seeking self-improvement, she routinely attends professional development workshops. She has also served as an interior decorator and an inspirational poet, often writing and participating in skits for various school programs during Black History Month, Christmas and the annual end of the year function. "I really enjoy my work and being an integral part of the school family," she said.
St. Thomas-St. John District Employee of the Year Ebony L. Williams has mapped out a course of higher achievement and success as a computer operator at the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School. A product of the V.I. public school system, she obtained an associates degree in computer information systems in 2001, and an associates degree in business management in 2003 from UVI. She is a candidate for graduation on May 18, with a bachelors Degree in Business Administration and a concentration in computer information systems.
Williams is the primary caretaker of the Cancryn's School Administrative Student Information (SASI) software. This particular task includes preparing master schedules for teachers, producing student schedules, generating various reports and printing report cards. Williams' advanced SASI training has enabled her to assist several elementary school principals, teachers and secretaries in the use of the system. She also served on the task force that prepared the SASI Procedure Manual, and she provides training for students, teachers and administrators on how to use various computer applications and software. Williams has also taught Beginning Computer with the Beacon Schools Programs. Completing the V.I. Comprehension Educational Improvement Project training, she now serves as the recorder for the School Improvement Team. She is also trained in the use of the Tyler Munis System.
She is on the following school committees: National Junior Honor Society, Mr. and Miss Cancryn, and Cancryn in Session. She is especially happy when involved in activities in which her children, Jalen, 8 and Nia, 3, participate such as baseball, soccer and ballet.
