St. Thomas-St. John Seventh-day Adventist graduates 18

ST. THOMAS — The St. Thomas-St. John Seventh-day Adventist School’s Class of 2010 received diplomas during an upbeat ceremony before family, friends and well-wishers Saturday night at the Bertha C. Boshulte Middle School auditorium.

The night had a few surprises. Salut­atorian Oshana Mitchell said some of her few family members did not even know she had earned the honor, eliciting a few laughs.

Oshana  told her classmates that “success is not granted to the lazy,” encouraging them to use their talents to achieve the best as they make their way through life.

Oshana said she didn’t expect to be the salutatorian.

“I was just trying to graduate with honors,” she said.

She plans to attend the University of the Virgin Islands and major in biology. After finishing her undergraduate studies, she hopes to study medicine in Boston and eventually become a pediatrician.

“I love medicine — and I love children,” Oshana told the crowd.

Valedictorian Christin Marsh, who traveled to school each day from Coral Bay on St. John, urged students to follow their dreams.

She said her last year in school was hectic. “There is no way I could do this on my own,” Marsh said, thanking everyone who helped her: family, friends and God.

She added that the graduation ceremony was just a “fuel stop.”

“This is the place where we pull off the road and look at the map before continuing on our journey,” she said.

Christin plans to continue her education at Seventh-day Adventist University in Tennessee, majoring in nursing.

A mission trip to Guyana last year helped Christin decide what she wants to do with her life.

“I saw how many people needed medical assistance and how much nurses were needed,” she said. “If I become a nurse, I may be able to travel the world and help those who are less fortunate.”

At 16, Christin, who skipped a grade, is the self-described “baby of her class.”  She said her parents are apprehensive about her going away to school. They are concerned, she said, because she has “never really been out there,” but they want her to spread her wings, she said.

“They’re encouraging me to go away, even if it costs a lot of money, because they think that’s what’s best for me,” she added.

Keynote speaker Arleen Ryan-Smith, a 1983 Adventist graduate, urged students to “set realistic goals.”

She encouraged the graduates to make the right choices as they move on in life. “Decisions can either make or break you” she said.

  She talked about how famous people like Beethoven, Thomas Edison, Michael Jordon, Walt Disney, and Nelson Mandela set goals for themselves.

“If you want something, you have to work for it,” she said.

The school also honored parents and community members for their contributions. “Not only are they appreciated — but so are their children,” Pastor Ammoran Williams said.

Throughout the night, supporters provided shouts of encouragement to the graduates — and sometimes activated air horns. The excitement escalated when Denisha Rogers launched into a rap about her classmates’ individual characteristics.

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