Grad Week Activities Planned For UVI Class Of 2018 On St. Croix

ST. CROIX — A variety of commencement week activities for the University of the Virgin Islands Class of 2018 of the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix, their families and the community are scheduled, UVI has announced. The week-long Grad Week celebration – from Sunday, May 13, through Friday, May 18, – is themed, “Enriched, Elite, Educated.” These characteristics define this graduation class.

“The theme is appropriate as the events will be engaging, enlightening and educational,” Director of Alumni Affairs and 2018 Class Advisor Linda Smith said. “Birthed out off the aftermath of the hurricanes…we wanted to maintain our mantra of students first.”

“This year the Class of 2018 is dynamic. They have established a legacy scholarship fund and will dedicate a campus legacy bench in honor of their graduation year,” Smith said. “The class will make a charity donation by way of a project dubbed ‘Many Cans for Many Hands’. This is an effort to show resiliency and to give back to the community that has stood behind them, especially over the last year. I sincerely commend the class for the extraordinary work they are doing, which will have a lasting impact on the University and the community.”

The community is asked to support this food drive and drop off donations to the Alumni Affairs Office on the Sheen Campus.  Donated items will benefit Catholic Charities and My Brother’s Table. Donations will be accepted until Thursday, May 17.

Grad Week Activities

Grad Week activities will include a Prayer Breakfast and Inspiration Service at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 13, at the cafetorium. The prayer breakfast, a new tradition now in its third year, replaces the customary Baccalaureate Service. The prayer breakfast will feature a Praise and Worship Team and a band with other performances. Tickets are $15 and are available at the UVI Bookstore on the Sheen Campus, Class of 2018 Officers and the Alumni Affairs Office. The Nurse Pinning Ceremony will follow later that afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Great Hall. This event is by invitation only.

On Monday, May 14, the class will host Dinner and a Movie Night at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall.  Food and drinks will be on sale for the free screening of “Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities.”  The film was previously screened for the first time at the University in February 2018, hours before it premiered on national television. The UVI community, family and friends of the graduates, and the general public are invited to this event.

Activities on Tuesday, May 15, include:

• Class of 2018 Bench Dedication –  Melvin Evans Center Front Lawn at 1:15 p.m.
• “Many Cans for Many Hands” Food Drive Presentation and Class Photo – REC Building Parking lot at 1:45 p.m.
• Commencement Rehearsal – Great Hall at 2:45 p.m.
• Candle Lighting Ceremony – UVI Cafeteria at 5:45 p.m.

On Wednesday, May 16, at 7 p.m., the class, along with family, friends, and well-wishers will enjoy an evening of fun and comradery at the Ten Pins Bowling Alley in Castle Coakley. The merrymaking will continue on Thursday, May 17, with open mic karaoke night from 8 p.m. at Sharkey’s Bait Stand in Gallows Bay. Prizes will be provided to the best female and best male singers and other categories.

The week’s celebration will wind down with the long-anticipated commencement ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on May 18, on the campus grounds.

The activities for the week of celebration are supported by the Offices of the President and the Provost. For additional information, interested persons should email Linda Smith, Office of Alumni Affairs at [email protected].