STX Community News

     STX Community News

St. Croix Times Staff  

 Seven VI Students head to Space Camp

     Seven exceptional high school students from across the Virgin Islands have been awarded full scholarships to attend Space Camp 2025 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

     The scholarships, funded by the Kym’s Kids Caribbean Agency Fund at the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) in partnership with RapierMed, LLC, cover all expenses - including travel, lodging, and personalized Space Camp flight suits.

     The 2025 scholarship recipients are:

• Naitik Jhanwar (All Saints Cathedral School)

• Tiera J’Nai Polanco (St. Croix Educational Complex High School)

• Sumyah Mark (Charlotte Amalie High School)

• Seamus Henry O’Donnell (Gifft Hill School)

• Kali Calhoun (Ivanna Eudora High School)

• Anais Craig (Gifft Hill School)

     “Dr. George Rapier, our team, and I, are proud to support seven of the brightest young minds from St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John with full scholarships to attend NASA Space Camp,” said Trey Goldsmith, Member and General Counsel of RapierMed, LLC. “This program fuels curiosity and inspires future innovators.”

     Space Camp offers students hands-on Astronaut training, mission simulations, and team building in a world-class technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) environment. Since 1982, over 700,000 participants from all 50 states, territories, and 150+ countries have attended. 

     “We are launching more than just dreams - we’re launching futures,” said CFVI President Dee Beecher Brown. “We’re grateful to Kym Rapier and RapierMed for making this possible.”    

   UVI Med Achieves Major Milestone

     The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) recently announced that its Medical Simulation Center (MSC) has been officially recognized as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training center by the Virgin Islands Department of Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). 

     The designation follows the successful completion of the Center’s inaugural EMT course and affirms its capacity to deliver high-quality emergency medical training.

Lendreams to Host Free Small Business Workshops

     Entrepreneurs and small business owners across the Territory are invited to register for the upcoming Lendreams Micro and Small Business Loans Readiness Workshop, taking place June 13, 2025 between 9:30am - 12:30 pm at the Great Hall, UVI Albert A. Sheen Campus St. Croix.

     Lendreams is a nonprofit organization, formerly known as COFECC, founded in 1982 in Puerto Rico and now officially incorporated in the Virgin Islands. The organization is led by Executive President Attorney Giovanna Piovanetti, who will be present at the workshop along with her team members.

     Lendreams offer various microlending programs funded by the SBA and by the US Department of Treasury, committed to increasing access to capital and financial empowerment for underserved entrepreneurs in the U.S. Virgin Islands. These free, in-person workshops are designed to help small businesses to gain the knowledge, tools, and support needed to pursue funding and business growth. 

     Participants will receive: 

• Step-by-step guidance on completing the Lendreams loan application.

• Insights into what lenders look for when reviewing applications.

• Tools to build financial readiness and improve business planning.

• Support for business owners at all stages - from startup to expansion.

     Entrepreneurs from all industries are welcome, including retail, food & beverage, tourism, personal services, trades, agriculture, wellness, and creatives.

     Register: https://bit.ly/LendreamsWorkshopSTX2025.