St. Vincent native Shafiya Castello earns USC’s Class of 2026 Valedictorian honours with a 3.91 GPA in BBA Finance.
When Shafiya Castello stepped to the podium at the University of the Southern Caribbean’s 93rd Commencement Ceremony, she opened with a joke. “Standing here as Valedictorian is an incredible honor,” she told the audience, “and also a bit surprising, considering my greatest academic skill was calculating exactly how little sleep I could function on.”
The laughter that followed broke the formality of the moment. Yet behind the humor stood a young woman whose journey to becoming Valedictorian of USC’s Class of 2026 was marked by far more than late nights and academic rigor. It was a journey shaped by faith, loss, perseverance, and a commitment to keep moving forward when every reason existed to stop.
Among the 503 graduates who crossed the stage during USC’s 93rd Graduation Weekend, Castello emerged as the top student, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a 3.91 GPA and graduating Summa Cum Laude. But as she reflected during her address, success was never merely about reaching a destination.
“It is about the growth, the challenges and the perseverance that shape us along the way.” For Castello, that shaping began long before she arrived at USC.
A native of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, she first entered the workforce as a primary school teacher after completing her A’Levels. Teaching was meaningful work, but she felt drawn toward finance, fascinated by the way financial decisions influence individuals, businesses, and entire economies. That curiosity led her to USC, where she found not only an academic programme that matched her ambitions but also a Christian environment that would sustain her through one of the most difficult periods of her life.
Only months before beginning university, Castello lost her mother. The grief accompanied her into lecture halls, study sessions, and examinations. It lingered in the quiet moments between assignments and deadlines. For a young woman navigating a new country and a new phase of adulthood, the loss was profound.
“My mother was my comfort, my biggest supporter, and my rock,” she recalled in an interview following graduation. Yet rather than defining her future, the experience deepened her faith. During her valedictory address, Castello spoke openly about the influence her mother continues to have on her life.
“I carry with me the love and lessons of my mother, whose life as a dedicated teacher and woman of faith instilled in me the values of discipline, service, and perseverance.” Though her mother’s physical presence was gone, her example remained. “Her influence remains one of my greatest sources of strength.”
Throughout her university years, faith became the foundation upon which everything else rested. Proverbs 3:5-6 and Philippians 4:13 served as personal anchors, reminding her that uncertainty did not mean abandonment and that challenges were not insurmountable.
There were moments when the pressures of university life felt overwhelming. There were assignments, presentations, exams, and the everyday realities of balancing academic and personal responsibilities. There was also another challenge: overcoming a deep fear of public speaking.
Naturally shy, Castello found presentations intimidating. Yet growth demanded discomfort. Over time, she learned that confidence is not the absence of fear but the willingness to move forward despite it.
The irony is striking. The student who once dreaded speaking in front of a classroom ultimately stood before an auditorium filled with graduates, families, faculty, and friends as the voice of an entire graduating class.
Still, becoming Valedictorian was never part of her plan. “Honestly, graduating at the top of my class was never something I expected,” she said. “My goal was simply to do my best.” The email informing her that she had been selected as Valedictorian came as a genuine surprise. “It still hasn’t fully sunk in.”
Perhaps that humility explains why her achievements extend beyond academics. Throughout her time at USC, Castello embraced opportunities for service, participating in community outreach initiatives that provided support to individuals experiencing homelessness. She also remained actively involved in VINADA, USC’s Vincentian cultural club, maintaining connections to her homeland while building community on campus. Those experiences reinforced one of the most important lessons she says USC taught her: that character matters as much as competence.
As she challenged her fellow graduates during her address, the world ahead requires more than skilled professionals, “…but individuals of integrity, compassion, and faith.” It is a message that resonates deeply with USC’s 2026 graduation theme, Anchored in God, Advancing in Excellence.
For Castello, those words are not simply a ceremonial theme. They are a testimony. To be anchored in God, she says, is to remain grounded when circumstances threaten to unsettle you. To advance in excellence is to pursue growth not only in achievement, but also in character.
As she now prepares for a future in finance and continued professional development, she hopes her story will encourage others facing their own challenges. “If my journey can inspire even one person to remain faithful, work hard, and believe in their potential,” she says, “then I would consider that a meaningful impact.”
In an age that often celebrates achievement without examining the sacrifices behind it, Shafiya Castello’s story offers a different lesson. Sometimes excellence is not about being the smartest person in the room. Sometimes it is about showing up when your heart is broken. Sometimes it is about trusting God when the future feels uncertain.
And sometimes, among hundreds of graduates, the person who rises to the top is simply the one who never stopped moving forward.
