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| Happy Birthday, Michelle |
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Happy Birthday, Michelle you are now 23.
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Michelle |
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Michelle is my first daughter and I must at this time, on behalf of her mother and myself, share a little about her as proud parents. It is not customary for me to shower praise on family members and myself but please allow me this exception. Sometimes if it is not done the success might not be known.
Michelle was born on St. Croix to Labodie Swanston and myself on Sunday, August 23, 1987. I was chastised by some for leaving the hospital that morning and going to play cricket, being fully aware that she was on the way. But what could I have done at the hospital to help anyway? I really didn’t see how my presence would have made a difference but it certainly helped our team win the match on that day.
Ever since she was only a few months old, Michelle had a natural love for books and from her playpen would always reach out and grab at them. Her brain absorbed like sponge and it was no surprise she was talking before age one and reading before age three. Some of her thoughts and utterances during those infant days were absolutely astonishing. She was brilliant!
She attended Charlestown Primary School and graduated in 1999, always among the top three in her class. She never really put her all into her schoolwork and her teachers all had one complaint, “Michelle could do much better”. Seeming too laid back and probably unconcerned, the complaints did not phase her as she always stated that she would do enough to pass, an attitude we as parents could not get her to change.
Michelle did not go to Charlestown Secondary but went to the St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School where she continued the same trend, always reading and doing just enough to pass. I must confess I literally gave up on her but gratefully thank her mother for sticking with her, always.
Mich was able to do very well and earned herself a place in the Early Admissions program in 2004, to the University of the Virgin Islands. That allowed her to complete her freshman year of college concurrently with her senior year of high school. She graduated St. Croix SDA School with honors in 2005.
From her second semester at UVI, Michelle was a teaching assistant for a freshman level social science course. She took the course earlier during her first semester and her professor was so impressed that he offered the position of teaching assistant the following semester, which was accepted. She was therefore a teaching assistant for a college course while she was still in high school.
Upon being transferred to the St. Thomas campus she was promoted to head teaching assistant and continued her outstanding performances.
Her studious works propelled professors to assist in getting her to Savannah State University where she attended and was able to graduate with her Masters in social work with numerous honors on May 8, 2010.
She obtained her Bachelor of Social Work degree in 2009.... Cum Laude
Due to her high GPA she was able to enroll in the Advanced Standing Program that allowed her to complete her Master of Social Work degree (a 2.5 yr program) in one year.
It was a very challenging year and intense studies. A class trip to Egypt during her BSW period was a great experience. She also contended with a professor who was reluctant to give students As. This professor also seemed to have negative issues with Michelle, but at the end of the year she had no choice but to let her have what was rightfully hers, an A.
All of this to say that being the youngest in her class and the one with the highest GPA, Michelle Swanston excelled and aced her Masters in Social Work degree by age 22. That indeed is something to be mighty proud about.
Many helped along her journey and we must say a huge Thank you to all. Special thanks go out to Dr. Simon Jones Hendrickson who saw her capabilities and did all within his scope to assist. His advices, ideas, suggestions and encouragement were all gratefully appreciated and accepted.
Never one to embellish fanfare and excitement of the moment, my daughter hereditarily follows in our footsteps. The graduation ceremony held in Georgia on May 8 was just another day and although the happiness of her success burned within, we never really openly jubilated for the event.
Belatedly, it has now dawned on me that as so many congratulatory publications were streaming around graduation time, Michelle who had done extremely well was nowhere to be seen. That has prompted me to take the opportunity and publicly wish her a wonderful and happy 23rd birthday.
Off on her first major work assignment in Miami, Florida, she’ll be serving as a Senior Corps Member where she will be supervising a team of volunteers working in the school system, facilitating tutoring, mentorship, and after school programs in effort to eradicate the high school drop-out crisis.
We do wish her all the best and pray for her success and return to Nevis in the future.
My personal lifelong expectation is for her to become a lawyer. She certainly has the brain for it and promises to consider it seriously.
Regardless, Michelle has made us proud and I’m grateful for the privilege to be able to extend happy birthday wishes to her this year.
Happy Birthday Mich, your mother, family, friends and myself, sincerely wish you God’s blessings, good health and many fruitful and prosperous years. Love always. |
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