“We have been given the task of leaving the mark on the world that the Caribbean is supposed to … We are sons of slaves and indentured laborers.”
The Caribbean Students Association at the University of Central Florida (CSA at UCF) prides itself as being one of the largest most active multicultural student organizations on the UCF Campus. Through my experience as a member and the eventual president of such a student organization, I can truly say this has become my Uknighted Caribbean Family.
The membership contained students from Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago as well as members from Turks and Caicos Island, Antigua and Barbuda, and Belize. From each island comes with it’s own customs and traditions from its music, cuisine, and dance influenced by the British, French, Spanish and Africans. Historically, the Caribbean has a culturally diverse population as one of the center posts of trade and globalization. For 25 years on the UCF campus, these same aspects have mirrored over in CSA at UCF. We never cease to provide those "Good Vibes" the Caribbean is known for while promoting unity, pride, and respect.
I dedicated a large sum of my undergraduate career participating in community outreach and professional development in the Greater Orlando Community at the side of CSA at UCF. A few of our accomplishments include:
- Collecting 400+ books for the Kerosene Lamp Foundation Athletic and Academic Camp to be held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Hosting Jamaican Reggae artist - Gyptian in a Meet and Greet on the UCF Campus
- Participating in Knights Give Back at the Orlando Wetlands - the UCF annual campus wide day of service
- Winning the 2012-2013 Caribbean Students Association of the Year (tied with USF) from the Florida Caribbean Students Association, for work in Community Service, Outreach and programming
I value diversity as one of the most important aspects of life. In order to create new insights and concepts, we must grasp ideas other than our own. The best type of innovation comes from diversity, presented with the opportunity to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world comes from learning to understand other perspectives which in turn boosting creativity.
Photo Credit: Marlon McCoy and Jannine DaSilva