By Raissa Henderson
I first met Dr. Schuyler Esprit at a leadership conference seminar at U.W.I, while I was still attending the Convent High School. She struck me as an intelligent person and her words about being your own person and enhancing writing and presentation skills stuck with me. Since then, I saw her very often; at various talks at school, the publishing of The Orchid House, and the 2015 Dominica History project launch at the Dominica State College. There, I learnt of the organisation, Create Caribbean Inc., which is directed by Dr. Esprit. I never thought anything of Create Caribbean, until my history teacher referred the website to my class to find out more about the people providing us with background information of many topics we covered. I was impressed and fascinated by the presentation of their research and how brilliant it was. I then arrived at the Dominica State College as a freshman in September, where I was once again introduced to a wide range of clubs, fellowships and organisations to choose from, including the opportunity to be an intern at Create Caribbean. I was tempted to sign up for an interview, but I hesitated to because I thought I was not good enough to be an intern at such a prestigious and successful organisation, since I am not the ‘brightest of the bunch’. However, I was encouraged by my best friend and I signed up and few days later. Glad to say, I was accepted as an intern and here I am now.
As a college student, I understood that I was one step closer to fulfilling my career plan and that there will be changes and transition phases that I must go through, like the transition between my high school life and my new college life. Additionally, there are more responsibilities to take on and a lot more time must be dedicated to my work to meet deadlines and to understand the work rather than to regurgitate it. With change comes growth, whether mentally, emotionally, or physically and it is important that this growth does not have a negative impact and that I do not find myself in a very deep hole that I cannot climb out of in my first year of college. That is what really motivated me to be a part of Create Caribbean, the need for positive mental growth, positive emotional growth and positive physical growth (those stairs are a killer). I wanted to be a part of something important, something that will impact others in the littlest way possible. Create Caribbean is important to me and has changed my life in little and big ways. Though I still procrastinate, I have bettered my time management skills and I understand the importance of priorities and how slacking off can affect others who depend on me. I am indeed thankful to Create Caribbean for this growth.
I no longer believe that I must be the ‘brightest of the bunch’ to be a part of the Create Caribbean family. I am happy to have met the wonderful people of this family and look forward to a continuous journey. As time goes by, I do expect more and more growth and in many other ways. I am willing to push myself and remain dedicated to the organisation which will in turn prepare me for the road I am about to walk.