For many students, attending a diverse campus such as Andrews University is a time to explore new identities. However, for Caribbean students such as Ysa Dennis (sophomore, digital communications), it’s also about staying connected to their roots.
Ysa, a proud Jamaican, is the president of the Caribbean Club for the 2024-2025 school year. She and her family were born and raised in Jamaica, where she lived for eight years and then moved to Barbados for four years.
“Even though I lived in Jamaica until I was 8, I really loved it there,” Ysa told me. “My friends and family are all there, and learning more about who I am and where I come from while in primary school is something that has impacted me a lot, positively.”
She currently lives in Virginia, studying digital communications with a minor in graphic design at Andrews University. Her hobbies include creating new things every chance she gets, history, reading and writing, and learning new things.
“Living in the Caribbean versus living here in America was a very different transition,” Ysa said. “One moment, I am with my family and friends, and the next, I’m far away from them. To this day, I sometimes still struggle with accepting the fact that I don’t live there anymore.”
Most people who attend Andrews must have feelings similar to those that Ysa is experiencing. Being far away from home in a foreign country, no matter the age, can be difficult. Some cultures have different traditions and ways of living. For instance, Ysa is used to strangers greeting each other when walking by each other.
“An overall absence of warmth that you get from people here is something that I struggle with accepting,” she said. “I appreciate all of the opportunities that I have had while living in America, but it has not been easy adjusting to living here.”
Ysa has a few goals that she wants the Caribbean Club to accomplish this semester: Establishing cultural preservation and promotion are her main focuses. She believes creating a cultural space for the Caribbean students at Andrews will allow them to have the opportunity to be themselves around people who come from the same or similar countries. Having a Caribbean family while at school allows them to have a taste of home—a home away from home, essentially.
“Other goals are to keep the culture alive, basically, when it comes to engagement and creating events together,” she said.
Black History Month, to Ysa, is more than just one singular month: It is “a story of perseverance and excellence, whether it be within the workplace, educational setting, and or in daily life.”
Last semester, One Place hosted a potluck and requested that the Caribbean Club, alongside other cultural clubs, bring cultural dishes to provide for the student body to attend and enjoy. The event had a great turnout.
Coming up soon are two cultural events the Caribbean Club will be participating in: AUnited Weekend, which will be happening from March 7-9, where there will be an agape feast, a fashion show hosted by the clubs and an exhibit open to the public. In April (date to be determined), the campus-wide International Food Fair will be held at Johnson Gym. Many clubs, including the Caribbean Club, will be there to share and express their cultures’ food. For more information, follow the Caribbean’s Instagram page at @caribbeanclubau.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.