Rihanna Tucker – Valedictorian of SCA Class of 2025
BELIZE CITY, Mon. June 2, 2025
St. Catherine’s Academy (SCA) celebrated over 140 years of service to Belize with its commencement exercises at the Mercy auditorium in Belize City last Saturday morning, May 31, where 162 graduates received their high school diplomas, 93 of them having graduated with honors – 74 of which were gold and 8 platinum.
They achieved honors by embracing Catherine McAuley’s Christian values. “They have faced challenges with integrity, creativity and courage”, showing leadership with purpose in service to their community, “guided by conscience and rooted in compassion”, SCA principal Salome Tillett EdD noted in her annual report. The SCA girls not only distinguished themselves in academics, but also in sport as the SCA Seahawks won their 30th consecutive volleyball championship for Belize City secondary schools, and their 21st national championship, while others distinguished themselves in football, softball, basketball and athletics. Others have excelled in computer science, robotics and writing, while the Seahawks pushed the physical envelope by pioneering the first swim and learn relay event for SCA students from Belize City to St. George’s Caye and back in collaboration with the Belize Defence Force and the Coast Guard, which included a 70-year-old alumna’s participation.
Others represented the school beyond our borders in the mock Organization of American States assembly for high school students in Washington DC, at the Mercy student leadership conference in Detroit, and in an educational mission to Singapore. Many of the graduates participated in passion projects for three years in conservation of the environment through recycling of waste materials, the protection and rescue of stray animals, and in service to their community to help build a better world.
Among the special honorees were the top 3 SCA students – valedictorian, Rihanna Tucker; salutatorian, Kyeldani Pott; and 3rd place, Marcella Vidal. Kyeldani also received the Catherine McAuley Mercy Student Award; and a special recognition was given to Mrs. Arleen Riverol for her 36 years of service.
Guest speaker, Dr. Victoria Vanessa Habet, SCA Class of 2006, urged the young women to focus on “mind over matter”, as she had found that, no matter the personal, social or other worldly limitations, her time at SCA had helped her to grow confident that her mind would be powerful enough to overcome. She cited her own path to enlightenment, as she ignored the naysayers who sought to dissuade her that perhaps a medical career was not for her. She built on her undergraduate degree in biological sciences and chemistry, to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Her ground-breaking research has led her to develop such expertise as to become a leader in her field, now sharing her knowledge with others as a lecturer at Harvard University. Her message inspired the graduates to follow in her footsteps, for each to seek her true vocation.
In her valedictory address, top student of the class, Rihanna Tucker likened their journey through the four years at SCA to “pages in a book we’ve been writing together … crumpled at the edges from tears and loud laughter, splashed with the bright highlighters of discovery, and softened by the warmth of friendships that turned into family.” And “Like every good story, our chapters were filled with several plot twists that shifted like tides and felt like riddles, but it was in those moments that we developed something deeper. Saint Catherine Academy didn’t just teach us academics—it taught us how to pause, breathe, adapt, and rise. Through Mercy values like compassion, service, and courage, we learned to find grace in uncertainty.” She cited how the past four years had helped them “develop resilience by enduring changes, by facing them with empathy for others and confidence in ourselves.” They came out of their shell, found their voices and stepped up to achievement. After thanking all her teachers, the Sisters of Mercy, all her friends and their families, her mom and dad, Rihanna reminded her fellow graduates, the Class of 2025, “… don’t rush your next chapter. Let it unfold. Make it messy. Make it yours. Hold on to your pens and continue to doodle plans, explore new settings, forge new alliances, but never stop writing! God has given us endless pages – go forth and create the next volume of your book!”
“We have learnt to lead with integrity, and to use our voices to uplift the dignity of others”, avowed salutatorian Kyeldani Pott, as she also thanked her teachers, parents, families, friends and the Sisters of Mercy, whose legacy of compassion and service continue to inspire them to go out into the world as young women leaders.
British Caribbean News
