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HomeNewsArchivesJewels of the Virgin Isles: Nicole L. George

Jewels of the Virgin Isles: Nicole L. George

Jewels of the Virgin Isles is a feature series profiling Virgin Islanders in the diaspora who are excelling in their respective fields and/or positively representing the USVI abroad.

Some jewels make bold, flashy statements that turn heads, while others gracefully adorn the wearer and transform an outfit with that special touch. Similarly there are people whose presence and dependability are constant without much fanfare.

Gracefulness, honor, professionalism and loyalty are just a few of the words that can be used to describe Nicole L. George. She is a Virgin Islands jewel who hails from St. Thomas by way of Bronx, N.Y., with roots in the Virgin Islands that cross the waters of St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas.

If you ask George what she loves most about her home, it would undeniably be the cuisine and she proudly accepts the moniker of “foodie.” She is a product of the parochial and public schools in St. Thomas, having attended Moravian and Lutheran Schools, and then later Wayne Aspinall Jr. High School (now Addelita Cancryn Jr. High School) and the Charlotte Amalie High School, from which she graduated in 1987.

George comes from a family of educators, including her mother, retired educator Mary Harley; therefore, college or the military were the only options she says she had for her future. Realizing early in her schooling that numbers were her friends, George developed an affinity for accounting when she pursued the business education tract in high school.

“I love working with numbers and my strength in math led me to study accounting,” she says, belying the myth that girls shy away from mathematics. A budget analyst with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C., George manages a $53 million budget for the elevator and escalator department, which funds almost 900 units throughout the metro system.

She started with the agency 12 years ago as an accounting manager but later opted to work solo in her current capacity where she has oversight for local and federal funding for the upkeep of the transit system.

Never one to remain stagnant, George has her sights set on the next level within her organization and is on the path to become a budget manager. An alumnae of Bethune-Cookman College (now Bethune-Cookman University) and Strayer University, she credits her professional success to her personal desire to learn more than her job description and her ability to be precise, punctual and accountable – not just in her craft, but in her personal life as well.

“I arrived where I am today by one word – merit. After receiving my degree in accounting from Bethune-Cookman, I felt the only way to get ahead and strengthen my professional edge was to earn another degree. Additionally my mother, who is my role model in so many ways, was earning her master’s degree during my undergraduate years and I wanted to do the same thing,” she explains.

George was able to achieve that goal in 1999 when she crossed the stage at Strayer University with her master’s in business administration in hand while raising her then 3-year-old son, Malik (now 18 and an aspiring basketball player), whom she says inspires her to also be a great role model for him.

“I realize that I cannot help him to be a male, but my goal is to help him to be a respectable individual,” she shares. George, who lives in Maryland, also has raised her son to have a love for the Virgin Islands, its people and its culture. She says she would love to give back to the community by sharing her organizational skills with groups that have a need.

George, a former Big Brother/Big Sister mentor, takes her role as a parent very seriously. She says she believes that her extracurricular activities as a child and young adult helped her to become a well-rounded person. Her mother’s only child, George was an active member of the Virgin Islands’ own Sebastian’s Majorettes for most of her youth, as well as the Memorial Moravian Church Youth Fellowship, groups that provided lifelong friendships with children from all walks of life.

George, who like her mom, has one child, says she put her own life on hold to ensure that her son had the opportunities to fulfill his dream of having a basketball career, spending much of his preteen and teen years on the road as a basketball mom. “It is important to help our children be the very best they can be and to uncover their confidence at an early age,” she says.

Having admittedly struggled with low self-esteem as a teenager, George, who at 5 feet, 10 inches tall still bears a slender frame, felt she was unattractive and did not fit in. She says she often kept to herself and didn’t interact much beyond her family circle until much later in life.

“I lived a rather simple life growing up and was not involved in too many activities outside of the majorettes, so I never thought I would be a very social person,” she shares. “However, my mother is very involved in the community and, without knowing it, my life has begun to mirror hers with the love of travel and becoming a bit of a social butterfly.”

These days, her confidence is bolstered by her faith and the knowledge that it is not necessary to rely on what others think. With this wisdom, it is safe to say that George has begun her second act and will continue to shine brightly in whatever she does.

A Nugget for V.I. Youth: “Do what is required of you in school. Study your work, listen to what teachers share, read and develop positive skills that will help you in your future, such as listening, effective writing skills (grammar, punctuation).”

Little Known Fact(s): “1. I am afraid of dogs. 2. I lived in Minnesota for six-eight months as a baby with my mom. 3. I am one of seven siblings. 4. I surprised myself and my mother by joining the sorority of which she is a member.”

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Loán Sewer is a marketing and tourism consultant and proud Virgin Islander who resides in Washington, D.C. She is also a founding member of the USVI Alliance Inc., an organization focused on reconnecting the Virgin Islands diaspora with the local community and host of the USVI Economic Development Summit on the U.S. mainland.

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