AMERICA | 29-year-old, Shadane Ferraro, emerged as the valedictorian of George Washington University in the United States after she bagged a master’s degree with a remarkable 3.71 grade point average.
Shadane, a Jamaican, obtained her master’s degree in Tourism Administration with a focus on sustainable tourism at George Washington University, United States. .
Aside from being the best graduating student, Shadane also made history as the first Jamaican and the first international student to give a valedictory speech at the university’s graduation ceremony.
“I feel honoured and grateful for such an accolade, and as a Jamaican, I believe it is my duty to always represent my country in a positive way. At the same time, I am humble, but I think my family created more excitement for my achievements than I did,” she said.
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“I mean, parading DC with a big Jamaican flag was more than enough. It almost felt like that Usain Bolt moment when he broke the world record,” she added.
Being a big achiever is a trait Shadane cultivated from childhood, growing up in poverty in Hanover, with her mother working as a laborer to support the family.
”I had first-hand experience with poverty as a child, where my mother could barely find food for Sunday dinner and money to send me to school,” she said. ”I saw the conditions of my mother working on construction sites and hopping trucks because she could not afford to take taxis,” Shadane added.
Shadane made the decision to pursue higher education so as to break the generational curses of her family, even though the resources and availability were limited.
After she graduated from high school, she proceeded to earn a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) in Jamaica.
While at MBCC, she built up her leadership and networking skills by participating in international conferences which including her participation in the World Travel and Tourism Council on poverty reduction, environmental protection, and climate change in 2017.
She also represented Jamaica at the Center for Responsible Travel conference in Washington, DC, in 2018.
Shadane said she faced some challenges when she started her master’s studies, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she persevered in maintaining her standards of excellence.
”The balance I had with my peers and outstanding academics has a lot to do with my self-management skills. I knew there was no such thing as time management because I cannot manipulate time; therefore, I manage myself,” she said.
Shadane aspires to become a restaurant owner in the United States and possibly influence Jamaica’s political landscape in the future.
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