I am the oldest of six siblings. I have 5 sisters and 1 brother named; Joanna, Tanisha , Vannessa,  Ruthanne, Channa. Family plays an important role in the continuation of my education. My mother stressed college to me which is partly the reason why I decided to attend Wesleyan University. Attending college allowed me to be independent because my family is either in Boston or Florida- my parents are not in a commutable distance to my location.

Both of my parents are of Haitian descent born and raised in Haiti. I am the first generation in my family to graduate from college. I believe I learned from this experience that it is important to be independent. Throughout my college years I’ve made genuine relationships with people in the community and university although I struggle to sustain those relationships.  

In the courses I’ve taken at Wesleyan I learned more about my haitian identity. Freshman year I enrolled in Histories of the Caribbean where we read primary source documents about The Common Wind-  the communication of those enslaved through the sea, during the Haitian revolution, in the New World. In addition to other texts as it relates to Marxs and Engles in the Caribbean. The Caribbean courses offered by Wesleyan is one of the reasons why I decided to pursue a Liberal Arts education. In my time at Wesleyan I got the chance to work with Professor Elizabeth McAlister taking photos of Haitian art in the fall 2020.  While working with Professor McAlister, I learned about different modern artists and the materials used to make Haitian art. For example, the image above is of a Haitian artist.  October 7th 2019 I got the chance to met artists from a haitian band RAM. Overall, attending Welseyan allowed me to explore my identity. 

A common theme in my writing is about the nuances of being black.  What I mean by that is I tend to do research about my identity and how that fits in the space I occupy. For example, in 2020 I took a Public Speaking class and for our final project the class was tasked with writing a gala speech for a non-profit organization. I choose to write about colorism and how that may impact black girls in education. Prior to Wesleyan I took an Intro to Anthropology course and African Culture and Languages through the Harvard Crimson Academy. In the Anthropology course in 2018 I wrote a research paper on colorism in the Caribbean and the Americas. Similarly in 2016 I wrote a ted talk on beauty standards

Colorism is defined as ‘the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group’.

There was a shift in the trajectory of my higher education. When I returned to the country, schooling became virtual and we were required to take courses via Zoom public speaking. This was a dramatic shift for me and my peers as we were not accustomed to taking courses online. As a result of COVID, I had to create a video of the speech I would have presented in class Spring of 2020. Being robbed by COVID from practicing public speaking skills in person, I wanted to take an interactive course upon return from Isolation. My sophomore year, fall semester, 2022, I took the startup incubator. I decided to work on creating a plan for a hypothetical vending machine that sold beauty supplies. It was difficult to communicate the importance of the vending machine on campus because not everyone in the community related to the machine (wouldn’t buy) and did not think it was necessary on campus. Although that did not stop me or my ideas! 

Through the courses taken throughout my academic trajectory I’ve learned valuable research skills, writing techniques, and project management skills. I’d say that I am still developing interpersonal skills such as public speaking and relaying information to an audience. With preparation and knowledge I feel like I am able to collaborate with a team.