Of the 19 students who graduated from Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary Division on Tuesday, four were among the top ten public high school students in the Virgin Islands. Valedictorian Rhiann Ramlall topped the list, though she said the honour came as a surprise to her.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to be the top student of the territory,” she said. “I wasn’t even half expecting to be the val, much less be the top in the territory. So that was a big shock for me.”
Ms. Ramlall and her classmates celebrated their success at the Jeffery Caines Sports Arena in Virgin Gorda, where attendees cooled themselves with programmes and handheld electric fans during a ceremony that lasted about two hours. Besides Ms. Ramlall, speakers included Principal Natasha Marshall; Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley (RD9); Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sharie de Castro; and guest speaker Keanu George.
During her valedictory address, Ms. Ramlall acknowledged some of the challenges the class faced over the years, which included attending online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic and going to school in temporary facilities on shift schedules following Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“As I look at my class, I would like all of us to take a moment to appreciate our journey that was filled with struggles,” Ms. Ramlall said. “I am proud of you all.”
Mortarboard messages
Family success
The Ramlall family is not unaccustomed to accolades. Ms. Ramlall’s brother Ryan also graduated first in the territory when he was BFEC valedictorian in 2022. And earlier this month, he graduated as the top full-time student at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
The Ramlalls’ father Vaman Ramlall, a wildlife conservation manager at Necker Island, said he and his wife Ramona, the principal at Valley Day School, have always emphasised the importance of education, but they have “never pushed” their children.
“We’ve always said do the best that you can do,” the father said. “And everything else, you leave it up in the hands of God. And what is to be will be.”
Ms. Ramlall credited her family for her strong work ethic.
“Since we were young, we grew up with this mentality that we have to study daily, work daily, do our homework, submit assignments on time, basically not procrastinate and so on,” Ms. Ramlall told the Beacon after the ceremony.
She also credited her family, teachers and friends for helping her overcome various challenges she faced during her educational journey.
“My family, they were my backbone,” she said.
Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary Division graduates smile at one another at their graduation ceremony on Tuesday. (Photo: ALLISON VAUGHN)
Friendships
Alexis Ganigan, who was the class salutatorian and graduated third in the territory, found the friendships she built to be instrumental to her success.
“Friends are really how you get through high school,” Ms. Ganigan told the Beacon. “Obviously you have yourself, but friends can help you to get through a lot of high school.”
Though she said she wasn’t surprised she graduated third in the VI, she was happy to receive the honour.
“Our class is obviously filled with a lot of high honour students,” Ms. Ganigan said. “So it was a bit of a challenge, but I’m happy.”
The BFEC event was the first high school graduation in a season that continues today with the Elmore Stoutt High School ceremony from 1 p.m. at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex.
