Wanda Rosario first enrolled at the University of the Virgin Islands in 1994 where she took skills classes up until 1995. In time she learnt that the demands of her job as a CAT Scan technologist, at the Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix, which sometimes included 12-hour days would mean that completing her degree would not be possible at that time.
In an act of pure love upon her retirement, Wanda’s son Michael registered her at UVI in 2015, bought her textbooks and told her it was time to get her degree. Wanda accepted the challenge and was very excited to become a UVI student. According to Wanda, her freshman year was difficult, but she overcame it with the help of her professors.
“I wanted the full college experience as a full-time student,” Rosario says. “Math was my hardest subject, I didn’t do math for 30 plus years, but thankfully I had good professors who made sure I understood the material. I was very fortunate that my professors really cared.”
For Wanda although it was her dream to earn a bachelor’s degree, her ultimate goal was to help the mentally ill in the Virgin Islands.
“Being on the island and seeing how many mentally ill persons we have here, I wanted to be a part of the solution and go into the health profession,” Rosario says.
As Wanda progressed through her years at UVI she quickly overcame the challenges of being a mature student. Often Wanda became enveloped in self-doubt, she worried that her age would be a major deterrent from excelling in her degree. With the encouragement of her peers and professors, and sheer determination, Wanda was able to maintain a 3.5 GPA while completing her studies.
“It is never too late to go back to school and fulfill your dream.”
Wanda ROSARIO
In reflecting on the four-year journey, Wanda reminisces on her first psychology classes where she felt as though she was in a foreign country.
“It was very challenging, I almost changed my major to English,” Rosario says. “Learning theories, and about the founding fathers of psychology was challenging; however, I stuck it out. My advisors and professors were a great source of motivation for me, by the end of my sophomore year I knew I was in the right place.”
When Wanda became settled into UVI she spread her wings and she became an academic coach at the Center for Student Success where she helped other students and referred them to resources on campus that would improve their college experience.
With her bachelor’s degree in hand, Wanda has created a formidable plan for the future. In Fall 2019, Wanda will enroll at UVI to pursue a Masters of Arts in Psychology. Upon completion of her second degree Wanda wishes to earn a Ph.D. at the University of the Virgin Islands. Ultimately Wanda has two goals on the horizon, firstly to work in systemic change and policy making and secondly to lecture at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Despite the challenges Wanda met at UVI, she is happy she made the decision not to give up on her dream. She hopes that many persons her age would take the opportunity to enroll for classes at UVI.
“I’m always recruiting for UVI, it is never too late to go back to school and fulfill your dream,” Rosario says. “Even if you are finished with your career and think it is over it is not over. I am a prime example. It is never too late to make a change. Don’t die with all of your skills and talent. I have been encouraging persons it is doable at any age.”
