This past school year has been nothing short of amazing. I came with a hunger to perform well the beginning of my Junior Year since I performed so poorly my last semester as a Sophomore. I had originally planned to retake the classes that I didn't do too well in to increase my cumulative GPA but I was advised not to. I think this was the right decision for me. I can remember feeling a sense of emptiness at the beginning of Fall semester and I had no idea where it was coming from. Initially, I was going to fill this void by joining a sorority. I had never ever pictured myself as a sorority girl but I had a lot of friends who are in sororities and it seemed like it would be a cool thing to do. However, after doing some research, I realized why I never pictured myself being a sorority girl.
At one of the Honors Open Houses, I was one of the ambassadors that was welcoming the new Honors students. One of the students came up to me and said, "Hi I'm from Jamaica!" I excitedly replied, "You are? I'm from the Bahamas!" This student didn't even take the time to let me know her name. She told me that she was interested in starting a Caribbean Student Association on campus. I told her that I loved the idea and once she was committed to making sure that we became a new student group on campus, I was all for it. From that point, I found a group of women who were committed to the cause and were willing to put in the work. After weeks of garnering support, creating flyers for the Akwaaba Black Student Welcome Celebration, constitution and bylaws and getting the word out, Cariba Caribbean Student Association was born. It was such a gratifying feeling. The void had definitely been filled and I learned a lot about myself as a leader. Cariba went on to have its a official launch party after being approved and hosting an event called Taste of the Caribbean. Both were huge successes. Cariba received two awards for its achievements this past school year. I honestly couldn't be happier with the amount of support I have received.
This year was also my first year as an RA for the Gen-1 Theme House in Stratford Heights. During my first semester, I handled the most extreme incidents seen in the hall. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly but it did. This has been one of my best experiences to date. I have been able to meet so many different people and connect on a deep level with my residents. I was also the President of Cultural Connections this past semester and will continue to be my senior year. I am in the process of changing the direction of the group. I am really excited about that as well. I am also happy to say that my grades have remained solid during both semesters and I think I have now realized what I need to do in order to properly balance my academic, personal and social life. I am excited for the upcoming year ahead and I can truly say that I have changed a lot as a person and I am happy about that.
At one of the Honors Open Houses, I was one of the ambassadors that was welcoming the new Honors students. One of the students came up to me and said, "Hi I'm from Jamaica!" I excitedly replied, "You are? I'm from the Bahamas!" This student didn't even take the time to let me know her name. She told me that she was interested in starting a Caribbean Student Association on campus. I told her that I loved the idea and once she was committed to making sure that we became a new student group on campus, I was all for it. From that point, I found a group of women who were committed to the cause and were willing to put in the work. After weeks of garnering support, creating flyers for the Akwaaba Black Student Welcome Celebration, constitution and bylaws and getting the word out, Cariba Caribbean Student Association was born. It was such a gratifying feeling. The void had definitely been filled and I learned a lot about myself as a leader. Cariba went on to have its a official launch party after being approved and hosting an event called Taste of the Caribbean. Both were huge successes. Cariba received two awards for its achievements this past school year. I honestly couldn't be happier with the amount of support I have received.
This year was also my first year as an RA for the Gen-1 Theme House in Stratford Heights. During my first semester, I handled the most extreme incidents seen in the hall. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly but it did. This has been one of my best experiences to date. I have been able to meet so many different people and connect on a deep level with my residents. I was also the President of Cultural Connections this past semester and will continue to be my senior year. I am in the process of changing the direction of the group. I am really excited about that as well. I am also happy to say that my grades have remained solid during both semesters and I think I have now realized what I need to do in order to properly balance my academic, personal and social life. I am excited for the upcoming year ahead and I can truly say that I have changed a lot as a person and I am happy about that.