Young Professional, Shalya D. Springette is currently a Corporate Administrator at Maples and Calder, but she is also an amazing martial artist and actively involved in a number of other creative and extraordinary pursuits. Photo: VINO

Shalya goes through some routines at her dojo, the Purple Dragon Don Jitsu Ryu in Road Town. Photo: VINO

A look at some of Shalya's work through Naturally Curly, BVI. Photo: provided

Shalya executes a throw during practice at the Purple Dragon dojo. Photo: VINO

At work on one of her clients at Naturally Curly, BVI. Photo: provided

With a high level of dynamism and constant drive to succeed at any goal she sets her mind upon, her story can be considered nothing short of truly inspiring. This week Virgin Islands News Online is proud to present Young Professional Shalya D. Springette.

Starting out at the St George’s primary, Shalya transitioned to the then BVI High School (now Elmore Stoutt High) before moving to the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies in conjunction with H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) where she acquired an Associate’s Degree in Legal Studies. She is now actively pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Law through the University of London online.

Being the only girl in a group of five siblings, it is not hard to see where her competitive spirit comes from. Shalya said it was her desire from a very early age to become a lawyer and she had her sights set on achieving this through discipline and hard work, alongside many of the other pursuits she chose to engage in.

After leaving the UWI/HLSCC in 2006, Shalya stepped into the workforce and started out as a Receptionist/Secretary at BCQS Chartered Quantity Surveyors, a multi-national corporation that does real estate, property development among other things.

“I knew that wasn’t for me,” she said, “that’s not what I wanted to do, and I know that what I wanted to be is a lawyer.”

She decided that BCQS was a start that she needed towards accomplishing her goal and felt that any job that came along that had the leanings of something in the legal profession she would seize the opportunity.

It was not much longer afterwards that an opening came at Maples and Calder for a Legal Secretary, which our Young Professional applied for and was successful in acquiring.

Today, Shalya is a Corporate Administrator at Maples and Calder, entrusted as the sole person with the responsibility of conducting searches in their trust company division (Maples and Calder is also a law firm).

During her day to day role, Shalya gets to determine whether other companies possess a good enough background and are in good enough standing for other organisations to do business with.

It is no lean feat, as she described, there are often days when as many as 50 or 70 searches are required. This doesn't deter her in any way though, she says. In the meanwhile, she gets to work alongside legal minds, gaining a reasonable impression of what it takes to execute in the profession.

The mother of one said when she was much younger she had an avid interest in martial arts as her mother’s business was located right across from the Purple Dragon dojo (martial arts school) which was on Main Street at the time.

Though she was not allowed to join at the time, her interest remained throughout the years. Shalya explained that she grew up watching kung-fu movies and television series such as Xena: Warrior Princess that made her desire to join even stronger. “I wanted to do that too,” she said.

Just before graduating from the HLSCC, she met Senpai Verne Turnbull and began taking martial arts instructions at the Purple Dragon Don Jitsu Ryu and hasn’t looked back since. Since that time, our Young Professional won the title of world champion for sparring in 2008 in San Antonio, Texas and has also been inducted into the Caribbean Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2010 amongst other wins at various tournaments. .

Today, she is the holder of a first Dan Jet Black belt in the Purple Dragon Don Jitsu Ryu system which she recently acquired in Boca Raton, Florida at the 134th Purple Dragon Black Belt grading. Though she was a bit nervous in going for her black belt, her Senpai (teacher) expressed the needed confidence that led her to become successful in gaining the accolade and creating history by becoming the first indigenous female BVIslander to become a black belt in Purple Dragon.

There is no gender division in the field of martial arts as Shalya disclosed, “On the floor, everybody trains together… once you’re on the dojo’s training floor, you’re on the dojo’s training floor.” She related that there is a saying in martial arts that states, ‘once martial arts begins, all friendship ends’.

Though there aren’t many women involved in the sport in the Virgin Islands, Shalya said she encounters quite a few females at tournaments abroad. She shied away from describing herself as a trendsetter of any sort, but hopes that other women can also be encouraged and inspired to take up the sport that teaches discipline and self-defence along the way.

She also assists in instructions for kaerobics classes in the Caribbean infused form of martial arts that blends so many other disciplines of martial arts together. She explained that the classes are taken by women and are very similar to aerobics but also has elements of self defence involved.

Shalya is also the co-proprietor of Naturally Curly BVI, a company that was created to promote and bring awareness towards natural hair and natural lifestyles. The organisation provides information that gives the support and encouragement to persons interested in growing their hair naturally without the use of harmful chemicals.

Naturally Curly executes much of its business through a Facebook page and blog and also held its first ‘Loving Your Natural Hair’ workshop sometime last year. Another workshop is scheduled for June and will features international speaker and hairstylist to the stars, Felicia Leatherwood and master loctician Petra Matthew.

Shalya also provides hair styling and maintenance through Island Essence Hair Studio on weekends where she braids, washes and takes care of natural hair through the use of simple and everyday natural products. She also makes natural hair and skin care products on her own.

Apart from all of this, our Young Professional still finds the time to be an artist in her own right. She paints and draws in addition to doing designs with the aid of computer software. Shalya also writes and performs poetry in her spare time. She credits her artistic side to her parents, her mother is deeply involved in craft making while her father is one of the first sign artists in the Virgin Islands.

Shalya advises young persons to endeavour to strive for positive aspirations. “Just stick with it,” she encouraged while adding that there is no goal that is too far or out of reach. She credits her achievements to God and a strong support team of friends and family.

“The sky is not the limit,” Shalya said, “once you reach the sky, go for the stars… you don’t have to stay there and whatever you’re doing, don’t quit.”