VIMSIA Kicks Off Caribbean College Fair with 270 students

The solar awning was buzzing with energy and curiosity on Thursday, as 270 students from across the Virgin Islands gathered to talk with with representatives from 17 colleges and universities around the globe.

The event was the first in a multi-island “tour” for the college representatives organized by VIMSIA in partnership with the Cedar School in Tortola, BVI and Hillel Academy in Kingston, Jamaica (both IB schools). Students of all grade levels from VIMSIA, All Saints, Antilles and Gifft Hill all had the chance to participate.

“The fair was a huge success on so many levels,” says Dr. Fisher, PGIA Director. “The one that stands out to me was the engagement of our middle school students. This had a huge impact on so many of them and has opened their eyes to dreams, goals, and possible paths they had not previously considered.”

“I really enjoyed this event,” says 11th grader Aysia Frett. “There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding the process of looking for colleges as a junior. We’re talking about your future, and your academic future, which can be overwhelming. But this calmed that narrative because it gave more attention to smaller campuses.

One of the most important things for me is getting support systems on campus, and just doing an online search wouldn’t have told me the things I’ve heard today.”

“This has been really exciting because now I’m really thinking about where I’m spending four years of my life,” said Jordyn Powell, also in 11th grade. “It’s also very different from Googling a school, when you’re actually talking to people in person. Everyone is so welcoming and supportive.”

“It’s also really good that younger grades are able to experience this, because it gives them time to think and get these schools on their radar. And the more time you have, the better,” said Aysia.

Aysia and Jordyn talking with one of the university representatives.

“I was just speaking with a lady from South Florida and they have a good architecture program, which is what I’m looking for,” added Jordyn. “But that never popped up in any of my searches, so getting to learn more about that from a school I’d never explored before was really eye-opening.

And I like being able to talk with other students about the schools after meeting people today, and bouncing opinions off each other.”

“To date, I had not seen a collaboration with our other schools of this scope on our campus,” said Montessori Director Ms. Sloan. “It was such an important and impactful event for our VI community. We need more of this!”