Sasha D. A. Flax has become, in her own right, the epitome of rising to the challenge and seizing opportunities by the horns as they present themselves while inspiring others. Photo: supplied

Sasha working at the Rock Cafe on Christmas Night. Photo: supplied

One of her greatest inspirations Sasha said is her grandmother, the late Norma Flax. Photo: supplied

Sasha after attending church. Photo: supplied

Inside her clothing store, Ashley's House of Style on Virgin Gorda. Photo: supplied

Sasha Flax and Colleagues of BVI Tourist Board promoting the British Virgin Islands at Cruise Shipping Miami 2013. Photo:supplied

In essence, the passage encourages persons to free themselves from their own fears by rising above insecurities to great accomplishments and in so doing, liberate others from their own fears as well.

Sasha D. A. Flax has become, in her own right, the epitome of rising to the challenge and seizing opportunities by the horns as they present themselves while inspiring others.

Born into a Tourism and Hospitality family, Sasha was raised in Virgin Gorda (VG) by her parents, Dwite Flax and Alicia Stevens Modeste as well as her grandmother, Sandra Flax. She is the first of three sisters and also has a younger brother. Sasha, 21, said she enjoys travelling, reading and having new experiences. 

Our Young Professional disclosed that she wears many hats, one of which includes being an entrepreneur. She owns a clothing store at Virgin Gorda called Ashley’s House of Style and is also the Assistant Manager and Entertainment Coordinator at the Rock Café and Sam’s Piano Bar in VG. 

She is now the newly appointed Environmental Product Officer at the BVI Tourist Board which has been given the task of guiding the Virgin Islands on its journey towards becoming a sustainable tourism destination. 

Sasha is also the organiser and chairperson of the Christmas in Spanish Town Committee and related that she is a key member of the community based group, Virgin Gorda Voicess. The group is involved in a number of improvement initiatives for the Virgin Gorda Community.

She attended Cornerstone Primary School and Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary Division in Virgin Gorda before moving on to higher learning. She was the youngest in her high school graduating class at the age of fifteen years.

Sasha spent a year and a half studying at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College after finishing high school. She later moved to Rhode Island to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree in Travel Tourism and Hospitality Management with a concentration in Resort Management at Johnson and Wales University. Sasha finished as the youngest graduate of her batch once more, leaving at the age of nineteen.

Upon graduating, she received the hospitality alumni award for outstanding academic and community involvement.

Though she wanted to be a doctor at first, she eventually had a change of heart and gravitated towards the ‘family business’ of tourism and hospitality. The spark, she explained, came after she had been required at the age of thirteen to write a paper on food tourism in the Virgin Islands. 

Sasha said though she was reluctant at first, she was eventually encouraged by her English teacher to submit the paper and received the first prize for her submission.

She represented the Virgin Islands as the Junior Minister of Tourism at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s Youth Congress in Nassau, Bahamas in 2005.

“There, at that conference, I realised that tourism and hospitality was where I needed to be,” she said. “Since then, my love with tourism keeps getting stronger.”

Because of her love for tourism and hospitality, her first job in taking up the post of Guest Services Attendant in the Villas Department of Rosewood Little Dix Bay Resort, was very much a straight forward decision.

She later moved to the BVI Tourist Board where she worked on a part time basis as a Sister Islands Information Officer while studying for her degree simultaneously.

While studying at Johnson and Wales, Sasha served as president of the Caribbean Students Association and organized a trip to bring fourteen other students to the Virgin Islands for one week. She often reflects on the trip as one of her proudest accomplishments. “They got to be immersed into our culture and get to actually be on a Caribbean island and see what we do,” she said, “most of them have never been to the Caribbean.”

Sasha is also a member of a sorority. Being a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Sasha said it helped to implant in her a big need for being involved in the community.

She opted not to pursue her Master’s degree immediately after her Bachelor’s degree and returned to the Territory in 2011. Our Young Professional said she was driven by a need to be one of the young, community-oriented people who wanted to see the Virgin Islands move to the next level.

Currently, Voicess is involved in a ‘Let’s Clean Up’ campaign that is a partnership between the group and schools across the island. Parents are expected to come out with their children to clean various locations in VG. Sasha disclosed that the initiative is expected to inspire a sense of cleanliness among the youths.

To this day, Sasha said she never regrets having submitted the essay that made her change her course in life. She added that she wants to give back to students in a similar fashion by someday being a high school teacher and offering students the opportunity to learn more about tourism and their country. She also hopes to open her very own consultation firm that specialises in tourism and hospitality based enterprises.

Asked what she felt her greatest achievement is so far, Sasha said she was uncertain, but this was simply because she had already achieved so much at such a young age.

She was clear about one thing though, being a good role model to younger persons is something that is very near and dear to her heart. “I always say to my sisters, ‘If I ever let you down, let me know,” Sasha said, “I always want to make sure that they and my parents are proud of me.”

She declared that all that is left for her now is a white picket fence and a family of her own. “I have such a great support system,” she said of her family, “I feel as though, if other young people within the community had good support systems, they would be much better off.”

Sasha advises young persons to always remain positive, even when it looks really bleak or no support is coming from the community. “Sometimes it looks like the more mature members of the community might not have anything good to say about us, but keep pushing because in reality, people are watching,” she said.

She also encourages youths to become proactive and to continue to strive for better things for themselves and better things for the Virgin Islands in the hope that one day they will all see a better place. “Much like Mahatma Ghandi,” she said, “we all need to be the change that we want to see in the world.”