This August, UVI alumna and St. Kitts and Nevis native, Catharine Seabrookes-Wilkinson became the youngest principal to take the helm at the St. James Primary School on Nevis.
“I always thought I had to be a certain age to be a principal. I never imagined I would get in straight out of university," says Seabrookes-Wilkinson, 29. "Being a principal is different. You are not just paying attention to the students but also to the needs of the teaching staff. I no longer have tunnel vision – my vision is 360.”
To “broaden her horizons,” Seabrookes-Wilkinson decided to attend the University of Virgin Islands in 2021. As a member of Sigma Delta Tau Sorority, Golden Key Honor Society, Queen's Committee, UVI’s Association of Black Journalists and President of the St. Kitts/Nevis Association, Seabrookes genuinely enjoyed an active campus life. She remembers fondly making lasting friendships with National Student Exchange students and teaching 5th grade at the Ulla F. Muller Elementary School.
After she graduated summa cum laude in May 2023, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree with a minor in social science, Seabrookes-Wilkinson returned home.
“I see myself contributing as much as possible to my county,” she says, noting other goals for her new position. “I want to get my school to its peak. I would like to see attendance grow and improve the physical structure."