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Today we had inspiring women share stories about their lives and their careers on a panel hosted by the Rotary Club of St. Croix. There was a doctor, a judge, a Congresswomen, a female prison warden, a former accountant, and a former military person, just to name a few. Their stories were inspiring and gave me hope because they had their own struggles and overcame them. I had a chance to speak with each of the women and ask them questions about their motivation and drive. I left that panel truly inspired and excited for the future ahead of me. After the panel and lunch, we took a 30-minute boat ride to a nearby island called Buck Island. The views from the boat ride were very beautiful and calming. Once we arrived to the island, we went snorkeling and spent some time at the beach although I wish we could spend all day there. Snorkeling was a beautiful experience because I had never been so close an ocean reef. Looking at all the fish and the coral reef surrounding the island was magical. At the beach, we relaxed and had some fun with all the girls. The whole experience was very cool and I was happy to check off snorkeling and meeting a Black Congresswoman off my life list. I am inspired! Denalia Gregoire Cohort 2022 
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What an impactful day we embarked on today! This morning our cohort had an opportunity to meet a panel of extraordinary women at the Rotary of St. Croix. We were honored by the presence of Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett of St. Croix, the First Lady of the Virgin Islands, Yolanda Bryan, Dr. Brittany Dawson, District Governor of Rotary Deborah Howell, Judge Patricia Steele, and Culture Bearer, Gerard Leung, and many more powerful women. I loved being able to listen to the stories of these women. Many of the stories had a similar message, which was that you don't have to have everything figured out today, but if you keep making progress towards any positive goal, everything will turn out they way it's supposed to for you. You will in fact be right where you are supposed to be on your path. After hearing so many powerful women confirm that message, I felt a sense of relief. It made me feel confident about the journey I am taking and reduced the pressure that I have to figure it all out at 15 years old. After we connected with the women, we continued to an adventure at Buck Island. During our time at Buck Island, we started with a snorkeling tour of the reef. Getting used to not being able to breathe through my nose was challenging, but after some time, I could do it with much more ease. During our snorkeling tour, we were able to see so many fish and coral and I was glad that I had overcome the breathing technique. After snorkeling, we went to the beach of Buck Island. The water was the most beautiful blue I had ever seen and the sand was so soft. It was definitely the best beach we visited the entire trip. Overall, I loved our 3rd day in St. Croix. Elicia Lee Cohort 2022   Today I got to experience one of the most heart warming feelings I’ve felt in a very long time. I had the opportunity to put smiles on the faces of the homeless people of St. Croix by providing them with breakfast at the Lighthouse Mission. In this day, not only did I have an opportunity to volunteer at the Lighthouse Mission, but I also had an opportunity to volunteer with another organization called Clean Sweep Fredericksted and help prepare for the restoration of murals. That was a great morning of service, so it was only right that we spent the afternoon at Rainbow Beach. The water was so clear that you could see the small rocks on the ground and all the colorful fish, it was really beautiful. Although the beach was beautiful, my favorite part of the whole day was serving food to the homeless people and praying together was just very special. I am glad I got to experience new things and looking forward to experience many more volunteerism, workshops and activities. Amy Rodriguez Cohort 2022    Today made me feel accomplished and helpful. We started off the day with an early start and an opportunity to give back to the community of St. Croix. We went to the Lighthouse Mission Homeless Shelter and not only helped prepare meals but also greet the homeless while serving them food and drinks. They made us feel so welcomed and appreciated us for all our help and even showed excitement to see new faces. After we served meals to the homeless, we made our way to the St. Croix Educational Complex High School. There, we were able to experience a new setting and helped another community partner of St. Croix, Clean Sweep Frederiksted, by assisting to seal their beautiful murals. Each of the murals celebrated minorities in the field of STEM and I felt honored to preserve such treasures. We even got a chance to meet a couple of the students who appreciated our efforts in beautifying the school and reminding them of the importance of STEM. We later finished our day by relaxing at the beach. I truly took advantage of all my time at the beach by building sand castles, collecting rocks, playing beach volleyball, and swimming with all the colorful fish. It was a very exciting experience that ended with a delicious cultural dinner, journaling, and meditation. All I can say is, WHAT A DAY! Pamela Bullard Cohort 2022  Today was our travel day to St. Croix and I was beyond excited! We all met at the airport to get settled and ready for travel. We proceeded through TSA and I was a bit nervous about how I would gel with the other girls. At that moment, I made a mental note to myself that I would make an effort to get to know everyone on the trip. We arrived at our gate and while waiting, I observed some of the girls and they all seemed like they’d be perfect friends. Usually, I am a pretty shy person but these group of girls gave off an energy as though they would be loving, understanding, and respectful. When we arrived at our home for the week, I knew we were in for a treat. I could see the ocean in the sunset from our balcony and realized that I would get to share this sunset with my sisters for the entire stay. What a beautiful journey ahead of us! Maya Douyon Cohort 2021 & 2022  Imagine arriving to the airport for the first time not knowing what to expect about your first flight. Everyone else seemed to be calmly arriving and gathering their belongings, but I was extremely anxious about the flight. One of the Global Love Leaders from the previous year could see the slight panic in my face and offered some words of encouragement. While we waited to board, some other adults chimed in on what to expect during takeoff, landing, and throughout the flight. Although the jitters never wore off prior to the flight, the take off didn't seem so bad with all the other Love Leaders surrounding me and even one holding my hand as the plane thrusted into the sky. Fast forward, we finally landed in St. Croix, got our bags, headed to our house for the week, and grabbed a bite to eat from the local Chicken Shack...the johnny cake was amazing! After eating, we didn't have much time to spare because we were set to go on a bioluminescence nighttime kayak. We listened to the instructors about the specifics of kayaking and the importance of our life jackets. After getting the green light, we each got in pairs, put on our life life jackets and got into the kayaks. I was a bit nervous about kayaking at night, but it was still very new but lots of fun. It took a while to get the hang of it but once everyone really warmed up to it, we had lots of fun roaming the ocean. The most memorable part about the kayaking was touching the bioluminescent water and catching the tiny jellyfish in a net. They didn’t sting so if we caught one, we could hold it in our hand as it glowed in the night sky. After a few hours in the water, we headed to our temporary and prepared for our next experience. Jaykayla Harden Cohort 2022  |