Antoinette Anderson|

ST.THOMAS-The Brothers with a Cause Association looks forward to a new semester with new members. The Brothers with a Cause Association hosted their induction ceremony, “Striving for Success,” at the UVI Administration and Conference Center on Sept. 6.

The ceremony included several speakers like Stevie Henry, President Dr. David Hall and Attorney Carl Richardson.

The goal of Brothers with a Cause is to increase the recruitment, retention and graduation rates of young men within the University of the Virgin Islands through strategic intervention at kindergarten to post-secondary education levels.

These young men strive to improve academic achievement through brotherhood, leadership, community service and character development.

“We are looking forward to implementing various programs for the year and welcoming our new brothers into the organization. BWC is essential to UVI. We plan on achieving our goals, promoting our vision and conquering our mission,” stated Lorenzo Scotland, treasurer of Brothers with a Cause.

Brothers with a Cause will be taking part in the annual “Man Up” Conference as well as other events on and off campus. They also will be attending the high schools in St. Thomas to speak with the students about their futures and the importance of pursuing higher education.

The new members are looking forward to being a part of upcoming projects.

“We are distinguished young men with a purpose and I plan to leave my mark on UVI. I am glad that I now have dependable people to look up to for guidance and inspiration on a daily. I don’t want to be another black male statistic and Brothers with a Cause will help lead me in the right direction,” said Xavier Jeffers, a new member of Brothers with a Cause.

Jeffers was accompanied by his two roommates who came to show their support. The ceremony’s audience included staff, students and a few guests.

Guest Speaker Attorney Carl Richardson gave a fascinating and motivating speech on his own life story. He spoke about his own trials and tribulations during his college experience and explained how he remained inspired. Richardson provided uplifting words of encouragement and reassured the young men of the Brothers with a Cause Association, that they can achieve anything with perseverance.

“I have a lot of respect for these guys who dedicate themselves to making a difference in the Virgin Islands community. Our generation is often judged by senseless violence against one another, lack of motivation to educate ourselves and reprehensible behavior. Although I came to the ceremony to support a friend, I gained insight as to what Brothers with a Cause is all about,” said Malik Morrison, ceremony guest.

At the end of the induction ceremony, the members of Brothers with a Cause Association pledged to adhere to a code of conduct, universally accepted principles of human kindness, building unity among males at UVI and giving best efforts to helping the association fulfill its mission. The Brothers with a Cause Association welcomes its new members and looks forward to expanding their organization.