UPDATE: Objective achieved! VG youths take advantage of workshop
That was Ms Tonya S. Vanterpool, a young lady from Virgin Gorda who had teamed up with her colleague Ms Emily-Ann C. Grant to conduct a one-day workshop on Virgin Gorda on Saturday July 26, 2014.
“Ms. Grant and I are truly happy to see that we were able to impact the lives of individuals through this workshop. For me, it was heartwarming to see the dream come to reality. I even smiled when someone said ‘even if it wasn't for free, I would still be here,’” Ms Vanterpool told Virgin Islands News Online.
Like sentiments were also expressed by Ms Grant. “It was indeed a pleasure to be one of the facilitators for such a great workshop. As I indicated in my closing remarks to the attendees, it is my passion to see young persons throughout the community shine and excel while choosing their career paths or job of interest. I was extremely impressed by the turnout and I promise to continue to encourage persons to sharpen their business communication skills, among other things. I can reassure, everyone left the workshop learning something new. This is just the beginning of many other workshops to be held."
But hearing directly from persons who attended the workshop validated what the organizers and facilitators said.
Athema S. Turnbull was one of the several who testified, "I thought the workshop was very beneficial to me and taught me things that I never even knew like after saying dear sir/madam or whomever, you should put a colon and not a comma. That was very surprising because after so many years of writing cover letters, I never knew I was doing something wrong. I was very pleased with the workshop and I hope there's another one in store."
One other workshop she recommended was one on etiquette.
The subject of self-esteem found a special place with another attendee Ms Lakia J.E. Leslie.
"I learned how important it is to have a good self-esteem. To know what I want for myself and to strive for only the best and always present myself with excellence, good appearance, good attitude and to be determined,” she said.
As it relates to the heart of the workshop she said what stood out the most for her were the pointers on writing a cover letter. "A cover letter complements a resume. The cover letter should be short and straight to the point. Only relevant information is necessary on both cover letter and resume," she said.
And in sharing part of what was learnt Ms Leslie said that when going for an interview, “Always reach on time for an interview or before time, wait until told to be seated. Dress appropriately. If given a business card read it through before putting it away. It's okay to ask employers questions in the interview.”
As a for a follow up workshop Ms Leslie would like to see a mock interview workshop and even a hands on cover letter and resume writing session where people bring their laptops.
The workshop was a day filled with sessions that ranged from Personal Development, Time Management, Career Planning and the majority of the workshop was centered around Resume Writing/Building and the interview process.
Ms Vanterpool and Ms Grant were very grateful to their sponsors who they said chipped in at the right time with the right value.
“A heartfelt THANK YOU to our Sponsors: Rosy's Supermarket, Buck's Wholesale, The Rock Cafe, Fishers Cove Beach Hotel and Pops Printing whether they provided supplies, materials or refreshments. Special thanks to our family and friends that contributed to the efficacious event. They are Vanessa Rymer, Tacita Morgan, Arthur Grant, Grace Vanterpool, Coralie George, Kenesha Bascombe, Ortis Williams, Alexander Parillon Sr., Alexander Parillon Jr. and Merander Stevens. Special thank you to The Valley Sound Leo Club for their special presentation and also to all of the attendees for coming out and having an open mind,” said Ms Vanterpool.
See previous story published on July 22, 2014:
‘Sell Yourself Successfully!’ - Tonya S. Vanterpool & Emily-Ann C. Grant
-Interview & Resume Building/Personal Development Workshop to be staged by two young adults of Virgin Gorda
VALLEY, Virgin Gorda, VI – Come Saturday, July 26, 2014 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm two young women of the Virgin Gorda Community Tonya S. Vanterpool and Emily-Ann C. Grant will be seeking to give back to their community through a one-day Interview and Resume Building/Personal Development Workshop.
The session will be held at the Administration Complex - Vanterpool Building, Conference Room B Millionaire Street, Virgin Gorda and will include interview Do's + Don'ts, Resume Writing/Building along with a critique session (persons are encouraged to bring their resumes), how to manage your time effectively, career planning, the importance of getting involved in your community and more.
The two young women’s passion to share their knowledge with others in their community was one that did not go un-noticed by this news site. Ms Vanterpool said that her motivation was because of her involvement in similar programmes at the University of Central Florida which she attends in the USA.
“With the many resources available to me for free at my university, I was able to utilize the workshops offered by Career Services which included workshop sessions about interviewing, resume building, marketing yourself to potential recruiters etc.,” she said.
In addition Ms Vanterpool attended a one-on-one resume critique session where she learned of ways and new techniques to improve her resume.
“With the knowledge I gained from these workshops and sessions, I wanted to be able to come back home to help others in my community so I asked persons via social media earlier in this year how beneficial they thought a workshop built around resume writing would be during the summer vacation. In addition, I have always been asked by persons to assist them with their cover letters and resumes, something I enjoy doing. Therefore, with much positive feedback from many persons in the community, I decided to go ahead and host this free workshop,” she said.
She said that Ms. Grant, who also had plans to do a similar workshop for the community, reached out to her and together they decided to collaborate on the community project. “Ms. Grant is dedicated to helping others and works well with people, we both share the same sentiments when it comes to assisting others, especially the youths. Emily believes this workshop will benefit all participants and hopes that individuals take advantage of this free opportunity,” said Ms Vanterpool.
The workshop target current high school seniors, recent high school graduates, current college students and recent college graduates along with young persons who are currently working.
“This however, doesn't limit any other individual from attending the workshop, we are welcoming everyone and encourage all persons who are interested to register as soon as possible. She said that previously the deadline for registration was Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014 “but we have decided to extend the deadline to Friday, July 25, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. to allow additional persons to register.”
Interested persons can contact Tonya Vanterpool or Emily-Ann Grant in person or via Email, tsvanterpool@gmail.com or emilycgrant@hotmail.com. Also, persons can click the following link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B60nC6nb3QZuVWZSUUZ1N0ZBNGs/edit?usp=sharing and download the registration form, complete it and return in person or via email.
The duo expressed thanks to their sponsors The Rock Cafe, Fishers Cove Beach Hotel and Rosy's Supermarket.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Participation along with valuable information they can utilize in the future in their packets/folders.
The day will also feature special Presentations by The Valley Sound Leo Club and Rotaract Club of Virgin Gorda and another organization.
About Ms Vanterpool and Ms Grant:
Tonya Vanterpool is a 20 year old resident of Virgin Gorda currently studying abroad at the University of Central Florida where she is pursuing a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration and is set to graduate by May/August 2015. She is currently an Accounting senior and is a proud product of the Bregado Flax Educational Centre.
She graduated from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College as Summa Cum Laude with her Associates of Science in Business Administration. Being involved in various organizations is something she enjoys, especially ones that she can give back to her community such as the Valley Sound Leo Club. At her university, Tonya is the current President of Golden Key International Honour Society and she is actively involved in many more organizations and has traveled to represent her university/organizations in Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida this year.
In addition to being involved in the community, she enjoys listening to music, going to the beach, networking and traveling.
Emily-Ann Grant has an overzealous passion for customer service and effective communication. She is a BVIslander, born and raised in Virgin Gorda. The Bregado Flax Educational Centre both Primary and Secondary Divisions are her alma mater. She is an Alumnus of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, where she graduated with her Associate’s Degree in Finance in 2006. She is also an Alumnus of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, where she did a double major and pursued her Bachelors of Business Degree in Finance and her Bachelors of Business Degree in International Business, Class of 2008.
Emily is a proud member of Beta Alpha Psi (Eta Iota Chapter), an honor society for Finance, Accounting and MIS students, Finance Honour Society, Financial Management Association and International Business Honor Society. Emily has over 8 years of work and educational experience in the financial accounting field. She also loves spending time with her daughter, loves reading, music, networking and community involvement.
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