Student Alumna Spotlight: Nekejah Attico

Name:

Nekejah Attico

Approximately what age were you when you were involved with World Ocean School?

11 years old

What year(s) were you involved with World Ocean School?

2008

In what location(s) were you involved with World Ocean School?

St. Croix

Tell us about a favorite memory from your time on board.

Participating in raising the sails. I also really loved being on the water overall because I was scared to get on the ship. The crew did a great job making it fun and interactive.

Since leaving World Ocean School, what have you gone on to do? School? Work?

For university, I studied international business because I wanted to learn more about the world and doing business with other cultures. During this time, God gave me the vision and purpose of my career path being in supply chain and logistics. Eventually, this lead me to entering the maritime industry as a Vessel Agent, which was my second job since graduating, that I did for almost three years. Currently, I am working in supply chain at Ocean Point Terminals. So I am still within the industry and on my God promised career path.

How has your World Ocean School experience impacted your life or career?

During my time as an agent, I absolutely loved being in this industry and all of the adventure that came with it. When I started boarding ships, it reminded me of my first ship that I ever boarded, which was the Roseway when I was 11. At first, I was fearful of boarding, but I got my sea legs in no time. Even though I did not intend to do this for the rest of my career, I wanted this to still be part of my life because I loved boarding and the adventure of sailing. I love seeing the beauty of different vessels. Being part of the World Ocean School Alumni Council is aligned with my blessed career path because I can still be involved in the maritime industry and I can still board beautiful ships [Denis Sullivan and Roseway] and watch them sail. Most importantly, I can give back to other public school students by helping this school carry out their mission to educate them about the Maritime industry. My hope for the students is for them to understand that their dreams can be as vast as the ocean and anything is possible. It truly feels like I've come full circle and I'm excited to grow with World Ocean School.

What advice would you give someone who is interested in joining World Ocean School as a student or crew member?

My advice as a former public school student to the now public school kids would be to stay open minded and seek adventure. There is more to life and let this experience show you just that. The world is bigger than your school and your neighborhood. You deserve adventure, you deserve to explore, you can dream big and those big dreams are possible. Have faith in both yourself and in God, never stop believing.