Berle Wallace, who once owned Walbro Photo Studio in Dominica and his daughter Berlina, have created history by graduating together at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) on Friday, May 13, 2016; a first for the institution.
The elder Wallace, from Wesley, graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences while his daughter graduated with a Master of Arts in Psychology, with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling. In 2006, she received a Bachelor of Arts in English and in 2008, a Master of Arts in Education, Counseling and Guidance from the same institution.
Below are reflections of father and daughter on the achievement.
My journey through UVI by Berle Wallace:
This was a long, tiresome but rewarding journey. It began when, one day, my wife Hyma and my daughter Berlina told me I was smart, so I should go to UVI. I believed them (until I attended the first statistics class) so I went to sit the GED exam. I had to fly to St. Thomas to do the exam because for some strange reason: there was no one on St. Croix to proctor it.
Although it had been 35 years since I left the Dominica Grammar School, I passed the GED exam, and proceeded to register at UVI. While registering, the first impression I got was how cordial Ms. Barry and her staff were to all of us who were frantically filling out forms and asking questions. I later learned that this friendly nature, and gentle and caring spirit, was characteristic of most individuals at UVI: the professors, IT personnel, secretaries, Maintenance staff, and especially the students, all made me feel comfortable and proud to be part of this institution.
I started this journey pursuing a major in process technology, but after three semesters I realized that my love for history, and imparting knowledge, was stronger than my desire to manipulate instruments. I then changed my major to secondary education/social science. I am elated to graduate with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree. The opportunities for serving the Virgin Islands, and my native home Dominica, are endless!
Of course, sharing this opportunity with my daughter, Berlina Wallace-Berube, who is receiving her second master’s degree, is priceless. Special thanks go out to the Almighty God, to my wife Hyma Wallace, My mother Sarah Wallace, other members of my family, professors, classmates, friends, and well-wishers.
A Daughter’s reflection on her father’s journey by Berlina Wallace-Berube
Growing up in a home with a father who read almost every book and turned every opportunity into a teachable moment, I knew I had to go to college. However, in 1999 when I graduated from high school it had been a few years since my parents, Berle and Hyma Wallace had relocated to St. Croix with my brother, Berle Wallce Jr. and I. They were still experiencing financial challenges as we adjusted to a new community. My father, who worked as a landscaper at the time, ensured that I had the money to attend the University of the Virgin Islands. As a matter of fact, in our home, I would often joke that grass equaled money.
Many individuals on St. Croix who did not know my dad while we lived in Dominica knew him for three things: cutting grass, growing vegetables and fruits, and preaching the Word of God. I can still remember the days when people would tell me they hadn’t seen my dad in a while and I would explain it was because he was working at Central High School. People with earnest hearts and genuine curiosity would ask if he got a contract to cut the grass there. I wouldn’t get offended because I knew they only knew the man who cut grass to ensure that his family’s needs were met.
They didn’t know the genius historian I had grown up with who would often joke that I think he knows everything. They didn’t know the man who owned three photo studios and a bookstore in Dominica. They didn’t know the man who worked for the Agriculture Department of Dominica. They didn’t know the man who was willing to relocate and start over on an island where no one knew his many accomplishments to work hard and provide for his family and other individuals. And that was okay because my dad taught me that whether you are going to work in a suit or gardening clothes, whether you are preaching before crowds or taking the time to have a one-on-one conversation with a homeless young man, whether you are acknowledged or people stand in disbelief when they see you all cleaned up, you are YOU and you can make a difference in any capacity, anywhere you are.
It was because I knew my dad’s prior accomplishments, untapped potential, and passion for learning that I told my mom one day that I think my father should attend UVI. She immediately agreed and we discussed it with him. My dad was apprehensive at first because it had been a long time since he had attended school and like many other individuals from the Eastern Caribbean, he would have to ignore his prior accomplishments and take the GED. My dad was determined to begin his educational journey and when he was told that there was no one to proctor the exam on St. Croix; he flew all the way to St. Thomas to take the test and passed it on the first try. His story has served as an inspiration for many, especially the individuals at the GED program at the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church which I began in 2008 when I served as the Women’s Ministries Leader. My dad continues to serve as the on-site coordinator of the program and also teaches various subjects.
My father’s life has been a miraculous one. You see, my father was not supposed to be alive. He was deathly ill as a child; but my grandparents, Philsbert and Sarah Wallace, were determined that he would survive. My father was so sick that often when my grandparents would take him for medical attention, people would see them passing with him and would make comments like, “Where they going with that?” and “They can’t see that there done dead already?” My grandfather once walked 17 miles while carrying my father through the rugged terrain of mountainous Dominica to get my father medical attention. It was all part of a divine plan because without a Berle there would be no Berlina. Because of my grandparents’ tenacity and God’s grace, my father is alive and healthy today.
During my educational journey at UVI, I have won numerous awards including humanities awards, psychology awards, and other academic awards. I was also inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society and Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology. I have had the opportunity to present my research at the Caribbean Exploratory NIMHD Center’s Health Disparities Conference and the 9th Annual Conference on Health Disparities and 2016 Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program — but nothing has given me as much joy or has made me as proud to know that as I graduate with my second master’s degree from UVI, my father will be graduating with me with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences. Both of us are C.L.A.S.S (College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences) graduates. One father who was determined that his daughter would receive the education needed to be successful in this community and one daughter who always knew her father would be able to surmount every obstacle to accomplish his goal graduated together on May 13, 2016. What a glorious day!
I congratulate this father and daughter for their accomplishments.
Sometimes all it takes is for one or two people to encourage somebody with a few positive words like “Yes, you can!” to get their engines started!
Their interest in the behavioral sciences has not gone unnoticed. These disciplines will have given them
a few valuable tools with which to minister to a hurting world. They will serve well because they know nothing can take the place of the Word of God in healing the hurt sin has made in society.
God bless you Berle and Berlina!
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Congratulations, Berle and Berlina. Very inspirational.
Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement. God has definitely done great things for us and we know He will continue to open more doors. To those who wonder if we have left Dominica, never to return, please note that our hearts are forever in Dominica especially because my brother, Berle Nathaniel Wallace and my nieces Joscia and Nathalia are at home among other family members and friends. We will continue to do our best to help improve the quality of lives for Dominicans and other Caribbean people. We appreciate the out pouring of love and hope to see you the next time we are home.
I congratulate the both of u on ur success. Berlina, I doubt whether I know u but I knew ur grand dad,and ur grand uncle who lived in WoodfordHill .I know ur grand mother ur dad but cant remember ur mom, is she from Portsmouth? I know ur uncle, A.P Wallace, while I was in St. Croix once, I had promised to go visit them but for some unforeseen reason , I did not go. I also knows ur aunt Vincia and some other family members. U all belonged to the SDA Church
I can remember ur dad operating his photo shop in Roseau and riding his motor cycle. one thing I disagree with u is when u said that ur dad had to fly all the way to St. Thomas to write the test, St. Thomas to St. Croix is just a stone throw, another thing I disagree with u when u said ur grand father had to walk 17 miles of rough mountain terrain with ur dad for medical attention, when ur dad was growing up as a boy, Wesley to Marigot had motorable roads then Wesley to Portsmouth also had motorable roads. The skies the limit.
St. Croix to St. Thomas is just 40 miles away, but as a U.S. Territory someone should not have to pay over $100 to go and take a test that should be offered on the island. There are many who did not take the test that year and got discouraged because they could not afford to pay to go to St. Thomas, pay the taxi to and from the airport, etc. It may seem simple to some, but I work at the Adult Education Center and can tell you of many students who could not have afforded to do what my dad did. It wasn’t like he had to fly to Canada, but it is a sacrifice to prepare for a test, pay for it and then be told you cannot take it on the island where you live.. Also, you cannot disagree with my grandfather who is now dead and cannot speak for himself. He told me the story and many have confirmed it. Maybe some other Dominican should have given him a transport to carry his sick child. The point is, I do not know you, but I know this, you cannot disagree with facts.
By the way, my grandfather was on his death bed at 96 years old when he took his time with trembling lips to tell me the story of how much he loved my father and how challenging it was for him to walk the 17 miles, but he was determined that my father would live. I would hate to think that you consider him to be a liar or would suggest that I dig him up from Kingshill Cementary so that you can tell him how on a joiner’s salary in the 1950s or 1960s he should not have walked the 17 miles and instead should have waited on the side of the road for a vehicle that may or may not come or should have perhaps owned a vehicle himself. SMH
You know I cannot attest to her father’s illness, since we are very close in age; however, where she commented on the 17 mile walk to seek medical attention; nobody who knows how the situation was in the 1950’s would be supprised, and deny that.
The seventeen miles in question has to be Portsmouth, we all reside in mid 17/18 mile pole. The eighteen mile pole was located at Londonderry, the seven mile pole was located somewhere at Eden Road. We lived on Hunt Road.
We had three options to get medical attention: At the dispensary in our village, or we traveled to Marigot, where sometimes there were no doctors stationed there. Third option was to walk the seventeen miles to Portsmouth, and people did that all the time.
Occasionally a PWD truck might meet you on the way, driven by a man named Boise who would be kind and give people a ride, other than that people walked!
The girl father is not the only one who suffer that fate, many of us went through that same thing, I was…
I was one who was suppose to die too, as the visiting doctor told my grandmother they had no medicine for me in the hospital at Marigot, he said I will either die or grow out of it, more details about that is written in my book. People just don’t know how hard we had it in the 1950’s. These days people refuse to walk from one end of Wesley to the other.
I am testifying right now sometimes when I remember some of horrors we live through in Wesley I cry, though I am an aged man, it was not easy, some of the things suffered is the cause of me writing my book!
Every word that woman has spoken about her father, and grandfather is true and accurate!
Congrats to both and god bless
Very inspirational! Congratulations and continued success to both of you.
What a wonderful story! I congratulate you both. I especially like how the deep love of a daughter for her farther permeates the entire account by Ms. Wallace-Berube.
congrats to them both
Congratulation Berle to you and your daughter Berlina may God bless you both in your endeavors
Congratulations to father & daughter!! Just read in the news of a few 80+ yr. old graduated in the US. Never to old to achieve your goal.
Congratulations! To Berle & Berlina. What a heart warming and inspiring story. Hard work pays off in the end. Growing up our parents ensure we attain the Education necessary .All they ask in return :make the most of the opportunity given to us and succeed at whatever goals we set for ourselves. Knowing your family, I know they are beaming from ear to ear: two other members of the family continue the Wallace Legacy. Kudos & God bless.
Wow Berle. I am proud of you There is a lovely lesson for everyone who is determined to succeed in life. I know you very well. I took photos at your studios with my nephew when he was about a year old. He is a big man now. you have really made us proud. God bless you.
This is so inspirational. There is still hope for Skerrit to earn a real PhD.
How about a GED for Lennox? At least Skerrit has a GED
You so lie, you do not know we do not issue GED in Dominica and the Caribbean, because GED, implies “General Education Development” general equivalency of a diploma, and that is obtained from the American educational system on graduating high school.
In the British and Caribbean system they issue an GCE “General Certificate of Education” and Skerrit has none of the two!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha!
Lennox on the other hand secured a couple of subjects, in that he earned his GCE okay, so just stop lying! At leas Lennox did not lie and told Dominicans that he graduated in University in England, and America.
Beryl boy, maybe your cousin Skerrit should take lessons from you and drop his Indian tribal attire and his fake degree and return to school to be like you!
I must congratulate you though, its not easy to accomplish that at your age: been there done that. Your daughter has an extraordinary mind what she has accomplished not many people can do that, it takes years.
You and your daughter are the second parent and progeny I know graduated at the same time. I know of a mother, and son who graduated medical school at the same time.
He was forty (40) years old, his mother was in the sixties (60’s).
Once again congratulation, and I wish you all the best. And since you will not see me on facebook ever again here is my E-mail [email protected] Augustus have my numbers just in case you wish to touch bases!
And since you will not see me on facebook ever again–Telemaque
You won’t go on face book because you do not know and understand how to use the features. And don’t make it seem as if you were there for ages–you were there for less than a week
Yes dear Elizabeth, and tell them too that you are the one who report to face book with your lie claming I used your space, hence they kicked me off their site like a dog! You see that graduate, he is also a Telemaque, in that his grandmother, was born from a woman affectional called Mama Pretty one of the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen, who just happened to be born “Telemaque”
She is the late aunt of people like the Rt. Dr. Ruben Telemaque, and the former fire Chief Arnold E. Telemaque.
So, you see smartness runs in our blood, unlike you who is a dunce oui!
Hahahahahahaahhhhhh.
If you had not talk about me you would not get that. And by the way it is through his mother and his siblings which caused your half Baldhead Skerrit to be my Almost Nearly Cousin! If you search Facebook you will find Skerrit and all of them in a picture.
Congratulations to you both,
May God continue to bless you Berle and Berlina, and your family. I can feel the love and respect in your family. May God give you more strength as you preach His word, and be what He called you to be, THE HEAD OF THE HOME. You were raised with Love and good family values, and you carried it with you now as you continue to lead your family in the way of the LORD.
Some people may look down on others because of the line of work they do, but you did it with pride, knowing that you had your goals to achieve. It is not the work you do, it is how you do it(with pride).
Blessings to you and your family.
Congratulations. Inspiring. Hope someone else is inspired by this.
How is this news? Dominicans graduating everywhere but Dominica and residing everywhere but Dominica we get it…
Is there honestly any opportunities for young people in Dominica? And does Dominica have a university? Some of the fields persons want to major in they must travel to get their degree. People are always going overseas to study and some have returned and cannot even find jobs to match their qualifications.
Whoever you are just think positive….congratulate the daughter and her dad and keep it moving!
I prefer to say it how it is, Dominica sucks and you know it. That’s why everyone is leaving…
To my niece you made us all proud it runs in the family we are so excited words can’t express how happy we are and as for you my dear brother in law we are very excited for you to and my dear sister hyma we share your the happiness with you a proud wife and mother we love you guys love from Junie dupuis and family
Congrats! Very inspiring.
Congratulations to you both.
Congrats to dad and daughter… great news
CONGRATUALTIONS
This is great!!! You all should stay where you are because coming back here to seek employment is coming back to seek the impossible. Under this wicked government you guys won’t go very far and they record you set would have been in vain. You will be best served somewhere else.ll Labor is lazy
. “Under this wicked government you guys won’t go very far”
Somebody seems to be impersonating somebody again! That comment in the quote does not remotely resembles the diehard up holder of the wrong, and corruption of all kinds. It is evil to impersonate others, but I guess people who lack any morals will do anything
Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, to the entire Wallace family and, of course to our beloved Berle Wallace and his beautiful daughter Berlina. I happen to personally know this family and I can truly say that they are good, upstanding and genuine people. As a Dominican, I can tell you that we are extremely proud of your achievements and the hope and inspiration that it gives to other families that anything is possible with determination and putting God first in their lives. You represent the strength, resilience and resolve of Dominicans throughout the world. Again, congratulations, and may God continue to guide the both of you and your family by extension as you go forward to use your talent and skills to make this world a better place. On a more personal note, say hello to the entire Central Seventh Day Adventist church family in St. Croix. I can only imagine the pride and joy of the brothers and sisters as they embrace one of our beloved families.
I love this story soooo much. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to do – especially if it is wholesome, righteous and beneficial to self and community. More importantly, when you seek success in a harmonious environment with cordial support from family and friends with God’s guidance then it is more blissful. Success is as simple as ABC.
SUCCESS = Ability + Break (opportunity) + Courage.
I know there will be a few people who may ask if this is news. Well it is the most wonderful news to those who will be encouraged and motivated by this story. It is news for me who can use this story to encourage individuals on their educational path.
Although I do not know them personally, their story and ministry reaches out to many. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL in JESUS’s NAME AMEN!!
best wishes to yo both
Such an inspiring story. Persistence and determination pay off. To God be the glory.
Congratulations to you both, and to your entire family as well.
Congratulations to the Wallace Family. This is indeed a beautiful real life story.
I feel proud, you know like its my dad and my sis.