Newly minted graduates of the University of the Virgin Islands were urged to show up in the world as who they are — and not as they think the world wants them to be — by the 2024 commencement keynote speaker. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms congratulated those who came to accept their college diplomas and those who came to cheer them on.
University President David Hall conferred honorary doctorate degrees on the former mayor and also two talented St. Thomians who grew up in public housing and made names for themselves as world-class songwriters and record producers.
Theron and Timothy Thomas — the musical team known as R. City — were hailed by Hall for their creative genius and Theron as the recent recipient of the 2024 Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year.
The three honorees sat in the front row of the dignitaries seated on stage at the Eldridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center flanking Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.
But the true guests of honor on Thursday were the recipients of 182 degrees from UVI’s Orville Kean Campus — some earning more than one degree.
Bottoms told the group they had made it through challenges of Biblical proportions to take their seats as soon-to-be graduates. Many had made it to UVI after completing high school during the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria and then took on higher education with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were also the common but notable struggles of balancing work and study; raising children and study, and in some cases study alone. The keynote speaker said she could relate.
“It had never occurred to me that I should be reluctant to try anything, even those things that I didn’t do well — even when I failed,” she said.
That included her journey through undergrad and law school where Bottoms said she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida A&M University. Then came law school, where she squeaked by and said she graduated. “Thank You, Laude.”
A wave of laughter rippled through the graduate section. “Yes, a round of applause for all the Thank You, Laude graduates,” she said.
She then credited a fellow student who helped her change some study habits for making a tough situation work out. The moral of that story, she said, was that struggle and failure can lead to success for those who keep chasing their dreams.
Then came an admonition that the milestone the UVI students reached on Thursday was only one component leading to a successful future.
“Graduates, your degree will be one tool of many tools in your tool box that you can use to your advantage, but those traits that make you uniquely who you are, are your God-given superpowers that will set you apart and propel you to greatness,” Bottoms said.
