For the Class of 2026, Dr. Fay White served not only as Class Sponsor but as a mentor, advocate, and fellow USC alumna who understands the transformative power of the USC experience.
Graduation ceremonies tend to focus on the students crossing the stage. Their names are called, their achievements celebrated, and their futures imagined in real time. Yet behind every graduating class stands a network of individuals who help shape the journey. For the University of the Southern Caribbean’s Class of 2026, one of those individuals was Dr. Fay White.
As Class Sponsor, Dr. White guided students through the final stages of their undergraduate experience. As a faculty member in the Department of Language and Communication, she helped them sharpen their thinking, strengthen their voices, and develop the habits necessary for success. And as a USC alumna herself, she understood something many graduates were only beginning to realize: the USC experience extends well beyond the classroom.
Born in St. Lucia and raised in Antigua and Barbuda, White did not initially envision herself at Caribbean Union College, as USC was then known. After completing her studies at Antigua State College in 2000, she planned to attend a different university. However, while teaching and saving for future studies, a friend on summer leave from CUC, distributed application packages to friends. Out of obligation, and perhaps a little curiosity, she submitted an application. The acceptance letter changed everything.
Arriving on campus in 2003, White quickly discovered a passion that would define her future. Though she initially enrolled as an education major, she found herself increasingly drawn to the study of English literature, storytelling, and creative writing. Stories, she realized, offered windows into cultures, ideas, and experiences far beyond one’s own. They challenged assumptions, cultivated empathy, and helped students better understand both themselves and the world around them. By the time she graduated with honours in 2007, her path was clear. She would become an English professor.
What followed was a series of opportunities that still strike her as providential. Shortly after graduation, USC offered to sponsor her graduate studies at Andrews University. She accepted, completed a master’s degree in Creative Writing, and returned to teach at USC in 2010. Later, she earned a doctorate in Literature from The University of the West Indies, completing a journey that had, in some respects, come full circle. Sixteen years later, she remains on USC’s faculty.
For White, however, teaching has never been solely about academic instruction. The true work, she believes, lies in helping students become thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible citizens. “I am always concerned about students leaving more empathetic,” she explained during a recent interview. “They’re leaving with respect. They’re leaving USC with compassion towards humanity.”
That philosophy was shaped long before she entered higher education. As a young teacher in Antigua, she worked with students who had struggled academically and often doubted their own potential. The experience taught her the importance of mentorship, and helping individuals recognize possibilities they could not yet see for themselves. Those lessons continue to influence her approach in the classroom today. It also informed how she viewed her role as Class Sponsor.
For White, the position was an opportunity to walk alongside students as they transition from campus life into professional life. Working closely with Class President Reynold Williams and the executive team, she helped coordinate activities ranging from Talent Tuesday and the Graduation Mixer, to the Bell Ringing Ceremony, one of the many traditions that mark the closing chapter of the USC experience.
What impressed her most about the Class of 2026 was not simply their academic ability, but their resilience and sense of purpose. These students, she believes, graduate at a particularly significant moment in the University’s history. As USC approaches its centennial in 2027, the Class of 2026 becomes the final graduating class before that milestone year, a distinction White views as both historic and meaningful.
More importantly, she sees them, “…leaving with integrity, honesty, empathy, and compassion…prepared to be agents of change and transformation in the Caribbean region.” That belief speaks to a larger truth about USC itself.
As the University approaches its centennial, White sees an institution whose influence extends through generations of graduates serving throughout the Caribbean and the global diaspora. Even in its 99th year, USC’s values continue to shape communities, professions, and lives.
As co-chair of USC’s 100 Poems, a centennial project that will compile original works from alumni, White has the unique opportunity to witness that impact firsthand. The poems, she notes, are rich with memories, gratitude, and reflection. They speak of friendships forged in residence halls, lessons learned in classrooms, moments of spiritual growth, and the sense of belonging that many graduates associate with their alma mater.
“The submissions we’ve received reinforce how important CUC-USC is to its alumni,” she reflected. “You see the emotional attachment they feel toward the institution. USC has been significant to their lives, and that connection continues long after graduation.”
Perhaps that is why White’s story resonates so strongly within the context of graduation. Years ago, she arrived on campus as a student searching for direction. Now, in USC’s history, she stands at the front of the 93rd Commencement procession, guiding the Class of 2026 toward their own futures. The transformation is the product of a university that has long believed in a philosophy of holistic education that rests on pillars of intellectual curiosity, moral integrity, cultural diversity, and spiritual nurture.
And in that sense, Dr. Fay White is more than a sponsor. She is part of a legacy of USC graduates who returned to walk beside those coming after them, ensuring that the journey beyond excellence continues for generations to come.
