Craig Myron Thomas
UWC showed me the importance of agriculture and since then that has been my passion
Craig Myron Thomas (SB 94-97) is currently studying for a BSc in agricultural engineering at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. Previously, he taught agricultural science and farm administration at the Jennings Secondary High School in Antigua for eight years. Craig had never left Antigua before he travelled to Venezuela to study at Simón Bolívar UWC. He heard about UWC through the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), a specialised agricultural development agency for the Americas.
His UWC experience had a huge impact in this future career choice. “It showed me the importance of agriculture and since then that has been my passion” he says. He believes that the biggest impact UWC had on him was appreciating different cultures and the approach to agriculture at Simón Bolívar UWC. Coming from English speaking Antigua, adapting to learning in Spanish was a huge change to his previous education.
Upon graduating from UWC, Craig returned to Antigua to teach agricultural science. He felt it important to inspire young Antiguans of the importance of agriculture, and views this as one of his main achievements in his career so far. He believes that his time at UWC has influenced his teaching, in terms of “what it takes to change the culture and thinking of a particular situation, in this case the stigma attached to agriculture.”
While he was teaching in Antigua, he was also involved in other projects. From 2000 to 2005, he was president of the Antigua and Barbuda Agriculture Forum for Youths, and Vice- President of the Caribbean Agriculture Forum for Youth (CAFY). These roles involved representing Antigua and Barbuda at seminars to promote agriculture to young people across the Caribbean.
His favourite memory of his time at UWC is graduation day “with the marching of all the flags which represent each student who has been inspired by, or whose life has been changed by their UWC experience.”