First and Second Honors students, Sahimelique Roebuck and Oswald Marsh, lead the Career and Technical Education Center's Class of 2017 at a certification ceremony held at the school on June 19.
The St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) held its 22nd Certification Ceremony on June 19 for 118 students who spent months learning and honing technical skills that have prepared them to join the workforce. Sahimelique Roebuck, a business marketing student, was the top student in the Class of 2017 and Oswald Marsh, certified in outdoor power equipment technology, placed second in the class.
Guest speaker Ryan A. Joseph, a 2000 graduate of St. Croix Educational Complex High School who was also enrolled in CTEC, held students' attention with a clever account of his path to success through the use of a third person reference, “Anthony." Joseph said Anthony became a computer engineer after unsuccessful flings in the sporting and entertainment industries.
“This journey started at seventeen at Educational Complex and now that he was a thirty-year-old man, he said it’s time to take his engineering seriously,” Joseph said of Anthony. “Remember, he said he was going to be a baseball player and if that didn’t work out, he was going to be a famous artist and if that didn’t work out, he was going to be an engineer.”
At that point, Joseph announced that he was talking about himself. “My middle name is Anthony,” he revealed with a big smile that garnered loud applause from the students.
Joseph went on to encourage the students. “I want to tell you today to dream big," he said. "Do not dream small. What are you doing to do the best that you can do? Anything is possible when you dream big. If you shoot for the stars you may land on the moon, but that is much further than where you started from; but, you may shoot again and actually hit the star that you were aiming for.”
Joseph is a 2005 graduate of Drexel University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering. He was instrumental in bringing tech company Exigo to St. Croix and currently serves as Vice President of Operations and Senior Software Developer.
CTEC’s Principal Myrl T. Hendricks pointed out that Career and Technical Education is the leading force that drives the economy of many nations and is essential to the development of the territory. “This evening, we have before us students who have been certified in 19 different programs and who have mastered their respective skills that would enable them to meet the demands of today’s society,” she said. “CTE provides students of all ages with the academic and technical training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become life-long learners.”
Superintendent of Schools Colleen Mae Williams congratulated the students along with Deputy Superintendents Vaughn Hewitt and Faith George-Boone. “Your certification means that you have a marketable skill," Williams began. "Many businesses locally and nationally are looking for people just like you who have a skill in a particular area. You have learned the necessary career skills and you are willing to dream big.”
Rhonda Campbell, an office technology instructor in CTEC's Business Department, was selected as Teacher of the Year and School Monitor Kevin Dubois is CTEC’s Employee of the Year.
The 22nd Annual Certification Ceremony at the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center was dedicated in loving memory to the late Business Education Instructor Earl Jones.
