sharon-wilson-web.jpgMIAMI GARDENS — The Hon. Sharon Wilson, president of the Senate of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is set to return to Florida Memorial University (FMU), her alma mater, to deliver the keynote address at the fall commencement ceremony.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8:30 a.m. in the A. Chester Robinson Athletic Center. FMU will also present Wilson with an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters. The entire community is invited.

The graduation ceremony is preceded by the Baccalaureate Service, which serves as a spiritual sendoff for the graduating class. The Rev. Dr. George E. McRae, pastor of Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, will deliver the baccalaureate address.     

Wilson, a 1971 FMU graduate, enjoyed a successful tenure as an educator and head of the English departments at Prince William Baptist High School and St. John’s High School, both in the Bahamas. The Bahamas native studied law in the Bahamas under the articles of the Firm of Seligman Maynard and Company and became a practicing member of the Bahamas Bar in 1983.

During her legal career, she served as a magistrate, chair of the Rent Control Board of the Bahamas, and established the Sharon Wilson and Company law firm in 2000. She was elected to the FMU Board of Trustees in 1987. Her family also financed an endowment for Bahamian students at the institution.

In 2002 Wilson was appointed president of the Senate of the Bahamas, and served until 2007. She was reappointed to a non-consecutive second term as the chamber’s chief in 2012.

“At FMU, we offer our students a quality instruction and a competitive learning community,” said Mary A. O’Banner, the institution’s acting president. “Sen. Wilson, a faithful FMU alumna, is proof that the students can develop their promise and create bright futures here at South Florida’s only historically black university. She can share her wealth of experience and commitment to excellence with our graduates. ”

Schedule of Events

Thursday, Dec. 13
7 p.m., Senior Banquet, Smith Conference Center (Tickets Required)

Friday, Dec. 14
6 p.m., Baccalaureate Service, Susie C. Holley Religious Center
Speaker: The Rev. Dr. George E. McRae, pastor, Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church, Miami

Saturday, Dec. 15
8:30 a.m., Commencement Ceremony, A. Chester Robinson Athletic Center
Speaker: The Hon. Sharon R. Wilson, Esq., president, Senate of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

*Pictured above is Sharon Wilson, president of the Senate of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas