{"id":1065,"date":"2021-07-19T17:11:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T17:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2021-07-19T17:11:16","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T17:11:16","slug":"uvi-grad-answers-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/uvi-grad-answers-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"UVI Grad Answers Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Drive, Dedication & Heart Led to Dreams Fulfilled <\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sherwin Williams knew that he could earn his degree. His mother pursued her studies as a working mom. That was all the impetus he needed to attain his own degree in music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mother completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and I am inspired by her for this because she attained this degree in her late 30’s while pregnant and raising a family of three,\u201d Williams says. \u201cI can only hope and pray to have inherited the same amount of drive, dedication, and heart.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a professional standpoint, my experiences in music have taught me to be punctual, to be vigilant, kind, and cordial; leadership and cooperation. From a humanitarian standpoint, my experiences have opened my eyes and heart to people, cultures, and the stories that they tell.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>Sherwin Williams<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI chose to attend this university because I would like the experience and credentials to one day be able to teach at the university level,\u201d he says. \u201cAfter high school, I felt like there was more to be learned, so this step to undergraduate was a natural one for me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI chose to attend the UVI because it was affordable, offered many opportunities I didn’t initially know about, and I had an urge to defy the odds,\u201d Williams says. \u201cBeing the recipient of the UVI Free Tuition Scholarship, honestly gave me the opportunity to study and not have to worry about debt. Moreover, not placing a financial burden on my parents was an answered prayer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI chose this path because music is very fulfilling for me,\u201d Williams says, \u201cBeing involved in the performance, production, and perpetuation of music gives me a good feeling. I do believe that it is God’s calling on my life and is the place where I can touch and reach people,\u201d he said. \u201cBesides personal fulfillment, I pursue music because it teaches many lessons that translate to life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, he forms part of some of St. Thomas\u2019 most popular bands, including the \u201cVI Jazz Collective”, “Milo’s Kings,\u201d and Dub Lab Band and has played with almost all the bands on island at one point in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a professional standpoint, my experiences in music have taught me to be punctual, to be vigilant, kind, and cordial; leadership and cooperation,\u201d Williams adds. \u201cFrom a humanitarian standpoint, my experiences have opened my eyes and heart to people, cultures, and the stories that they tell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The performances of Sherwin Williams take listeners on an intricate musical passage by way of his favorite instrument \u2013 the saxophone. \u201cMusic was the only thing that brought me true joy,\u201d Williams says, speaking of finding his niche from the onset of his junior high years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
Williams notes that although he spent much of his time honing his art, his time at UVI was not confined to the Music Department. He was an active member of clubs such as the Resident Assistant Club and Musicians on the Rise. \u201cBeing a Resident Assistant for the Office of Student Housing was honestly a very rewarding experience,\u201d Williams recalls. \u201cThough there were challenging times such as Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the pandemic in the Spring of 2020, I was still able to gain an enriching experience being a student and institution advocate simultaneously,\u201d he says. \u201cThe same sense of responsibility to the resident students was easily translated over to my academic life as I often had to make sacrifices.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, Williams says that \u201cthe Musicians on the Rise Club was instrumental in helping me personally be a part of the cultivation of students\u2019 involvement in the music department.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAside from clubs and organizations, I participated in numerous programs, ceremonies, and parties, whenever requested, which helped to keep my UVI pride and sense of unity in sync with my schoolmates, and colleagues,\u201d he says recounting his campus experience. All of which Williams says forced him to be able to balance his love for music and his academics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
As Williams prepares for his future, he leaves UVI with several key lessons. \u201cOne lesson that I often reflect on is that your education, is what you make of it,\u201d Williams says. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUpon leaving high school, I had my reservations about attending UVI, as I had my sights on going away. There were lots of opposing comments and thoughts that came with the decision, both internally and externally,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, as time went by and I began to tap into resources and began my personal development, I realized I can thrive anywhere that I am. I’m thankful to God for the many mentors, colleagues, and friends that I could lean on for support and counsel throughout the journey. Though circumstances at times presented challenges, the accomplishments that I am blessed to have achieved outweigh them all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnother lesson I learned comes from one of my professors, Prof. Dion Parson of the Music Department: “Poor preparation <\/em>promotes poor performance. <\/em>Poor performance promotes (can bring you) pain and poverty.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drive, Dedication & Heart Led to Dreams Fulfilled   Sherwin Williams knew that he could earn his degree. His mother pursued her studies as a working mom. That was all the impetus he needed to attain his own degree in music.  \u201cMy mother completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and I am inspired by her for this because she attained this degree in her late 30’s while pregnant and raising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}