Kingstown, St Vincent 11 May 2026 – A former student of the Girls’ High School has told current pupils that academic setbacks should not define their futures, drawing on her own experience of repeating secondary school before building a career in agriculture, consultancy and entrepreneurship.
Delivering the school’s 115th Anniversary Lecture under the theme “Honouring Our Legacy, Shaping the Future” , featured speaker Tasheka Haynes‑Bobb said her journey to success began after disappointment in her CXC examinations.
“When I received my CXC results, they were not stellar,” she admitted, recalling how she repeated Form Five at Marriaqua Secondary School, where she discovered agricultural science a subject that ultimately shaped her career.
Haynes‑Bobb, now a sustainable development consultant and agro‑processor, urged students not to allow failure, rejection or delays to discourage them. “Your setbacks do not disqualify you. They prepare you,” she told the audience.
The anniversary programme highlighted the school’s expanding focus beyond traditional academics into leadership development, entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology and skills training aimed at preparing students for a changing global economy.
Closing her lecture, Haynes‑Bobb reminded students that challenges can be transformative:
“Sometimes the greatest turning points in our lives come disguised as endings. Your toughest moments become the very things that build your character, your strength, wisdom, resilience, and faith.”
Founded in 1911, Girls’ High School is one of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ oldest and most prominent institutions for girls. The Kingstown‑based school marked its 115th anniversary on 8 May 2026, celebrating generations of alumnae who have gone on to become educators, public servants, business leaders and professionals across the Caribbean.