{"id":929,"date":"2021-05-14T06:25:06","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T06:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/?p=929"},"modified":"2021-05-14T06:25:06","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T06:25:06","slug":"what-the-trunk-couldnt-do-the-branches-must-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/what-the-trunk-couldnt-do-the-branches-must-do\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWhat The Trunk Couldn\u2019t Do, The Branches Must Do.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First Generation UVI Graduate Takes Premier Step Toward Lifelong Goal<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Service and leadership have always been at the core of everything that Kelvina Salters was drawn to. Her involvement in school events growing up in St. Kitts had already taught her of the invaluable benefits and thus pushed her to do more once she began her journey at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cService and leadership are about empathizing with others and helping them to meet their needs. In service to my community and school, I felt that being able to inspire and encourage someone to want to make an impact on the world is a major accomplishment.\u201d <\/p>Kelvina Salters<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Salters’ commitment to leadership was demonstrated in her service as a resident assistant, a position she held from her admission in 2018 until 2020. She exemplified the University\u2019s core values of civic and global engagement by participating in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Washington Center in 2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u201cService and leadership are about empathizing with others and helping them to meet their needs,\u201d Salters says. \u201cIn service to my community and school, I felt that being able to inspire and encourage someone to want to make an impact on the world is a major accomplishment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the things Salters was involved in, she said, her most rewarding experience was being a resident assistant. \u201cThis role added significant value to my time at UVI,\u201d Salters said. \u201cBeing able to connect with my peers on a more intimate level; more than what meet the eyes. It opened a lot of doors for me. I was able to tap into a lot of the resources that were made available to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI was also able to glean a lot of interpersonal and professional skills at the same time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving identified my leadership skills and my consistence in academics softened the ground and made my journey a lot easier. I was able to form a bond with members of the University\u2019s administration and other students who saw my potential,\u201d Salters says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salters maintained high academic achievement, making the Dean\u2019s List each semester all while taking advantage of opportunities to lead.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has just completed her first step toward her lifelong goal of becoming a public administrator, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science and a minor in political science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is the beginning of realizing one of my career aspirations,\u201d Salters said. \u201cI hope one day that God would open the doors for me to make my mark in this field, particularly in my home country, St Kitts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation graduate, Kelvina says that \u201cobtaining this degree is a sign of victory,\u201d Salters said. \u201cMy family has always stressed the importance of education in order to improve life. I believe in the saying, \u201cwhat the trunk couldn\u2019t do, the branches must do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will always remember the family feeling, which was a major theme on our campus,\u201d Salters said reflecting on her time spent at UVI. \u201cThat feeling of warmth, welcome and love, which is invaluable to a wholesome academic experience. That is one thing that would remain distinct in my mind forever.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salters was nominated by her peers on the Sheen Campus to be the Class Speaker at this year\u2019s Virtual Commencement Ceremony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First Generation UVI Graduate Takes Premier Step Toward Lifelong Goal Service and leadership have always been at the core of everything that Kelvina Salters was drawn to. Her involvement in school events growing up in St. Kitts had already taught her of the invaluable benefits and thus pushed her to do more once she began […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929"}],"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=929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}