Add the label ‘gifted’ to a child and a whole range of preconceptions kick in to judge what that child is like. Some will see him or her as ‘little Einstein’ and others as the product of pushy parents. Most will regard the child as fortunate because he has been blessed with abilities the moment he was conceived.

Such is the path of a 19-year-old, who along with his mother was part of the ‘multi-talented’ Class of 2008 of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College that graduated on Thursday, June 5. It was quite unlikely to see a combination of this kind especially among teenagers who are often distracted by the society they live in, which sometimes account for them leaving school at a very tender age.

The proud mother of Demario Williams, Evadne Alkhatib, said she was honoured to share in the same joy with her son who was equally happy from the smile he wore on that day.

The duo enrolled at the college a year apart to continue their studies on separate career paths, little did they know, they would be graduating together.

“I never thought it would be like this, not the slightest idea, until the last. I figured we’ll be walking together”, said a very ecstatic mother.

Alkhatib started out at the college in spring of 2005, pursuing a degree in Financial Associate, with concentration in the Financial Services and was later joined by her son Demario in 2006, an aspiring doctor pursuing a degree in General Sciences.

Attending college was not a new thing for the duo, as Alkhatib during her pregnancy with Demario, attended regular classes while in pursuit of her first degree at the Tallahassee University in Florida , where she met her son’s father who was also a student and subsequently got married.

“His father and I attended every class together during my pregnancy, everyone told me Demario would be a smart boy, because he was in college before he was born. He was dubbed ‘The College Baby’,” she added with a smile.

Being a straight ‘A’ student at the St. George’s Primary, Demario went continued  his secondary education at the BVI High school now the Elmore Stoutt High School , where he coupled his academic performance with his musical talents on the alto saxophone in the school band, earning him a distinction in music.

Demario was also a member of the jazz band during his stint at the college.  During an interview with Demario’s mother, in the absence of her son who is on vacation, told the StandPoint her son, who is a native of the US , will continue his studies at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas .

“We do almost everything together, he his very attached to me. I think he is not mature for his age, ‘mommy do this, mommy help me with that’. My son is very quite,” she lamented.

Meanwhile, the 48-year-old Vincentian fills the capacity of a supervisor in Client Services at the Trident Trust Company in Road Town , where she worked for over 14 years with her eyes fixed on her goals in life, to manage her own Trust Company.

Alkhatib, who has been residing in the Territory for over 30 years, is now a naturalized citizen of the Virgin Islands and a very proud beneficiary of the Governments Tuition Assistance Programme.

A very God-fearing Alkhatib is of the view that with God all things are possible.

“I sacrificed a lot for my son; I feel that as long as your mind is at the right place, you can accomplish whatever you want out of life, no matter how long it takes,” she advised.

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