This summer, two young Virgin Islanders returned home to put their degrees to work — and, in the process, showed how the University of the Virgin Islands’ Navigating Home program is shaping careers while investing in the territory’s future.
The initiative, designed to support early-career professionals from the Virgin Islands, places fellows in short-and-long-term positions that pair hands-on experience with mentorship from UVI faculty, nonprofits, and local agencies. For participants, it is both a training ground and a pathway into jobs that strengthen the territory’s workforce.
“These fellowships create career pathways in STEM for Virgin Islanders,” said Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes of UVI’s Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, who helps lead the program. “We’ve built strong partnerships over the years, and placements through DPNR and other local organizations often lead to full-time jobs — our long-term goal.”

One of this summer’s fellows, Gidal Williams, grew up on St. Croix, graduated from St. Croix Educational Complex and UVI, and is now working at the crossroads of technology and ocean science. Under the mentorship of Dr. Lauren Olinger and Doug Wilson, Williams is studying how rafts of sargassum seaweed travel to the Virgin Islands. His fellowship includes writing computer code to simulate the algae’s drift based on currents and winds, while also repairing UVI’s remotely operated vehicles used in marine research.
“This experience has been both challenging and rewarding,” Williams said. “It’s given me significant learning opportunities while contributing to UVI’s marine research capacity.”

On St. Thomas, Marissa Bornn brought her background from Princeton University and her early education at VI Montessori School & Peter Gruber International Academy to a fellowship with Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative. Her days were spent underwater and in the lab, tending corals in land-based and in-water nurseries, assessing their health, and preparing them for eventual outplanting on reefs around St. Thomas and St. John. She also assisted with monitoring, restoration planning, and the care of key reef invertebrates.
“Every day in this fellowship was a dream come true,” Bornn said. “I got to dive in my home waters of the Virgin Islands, work hands-on with corals, and learn from brilliant and inspiring people.”
For the Navigating Home team, stories like Williams’ and Bornn’s demonstrate the impact of connecting Virgin Islanders with real-world projects that both advance their careers and contribute to the resilience of their home islands. The program’s focus is on bringing graduates back to the territory and giving them the tools — and the professional networks — to stay.
A limited number of fellowship positions remain available this year. Details can be found at www.navigatinghomeproject.com. The program is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.