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My mother came to the US (Lubbock, Texas) to give birth but returned home to Dominica with me shortly after.
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From kindergarten to grade 6, I attended the Convent Prep. It was a Catholic-run, government-funded predominantly black school since Dominica was a predominantly black island. I generally performed very well academically and placed third on the island for our high school entrance exam. Throughout this time, I lived in a fairly poor village but was far more privileged than most others in the community. Overtime, I inherited elitism, which I had to unlearn very quickly.
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Within the span of a month, my mother lost her brother and aunt. I wasn't very close with either of them, but it was my first experience with death.
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My sister, with whom I share a birthday, travelled to the US for an American high school education at Phillips Academy Andover. From my first moments on campus, I knew that one day I wanted to attend that same school. She and I grew up sharing a bedroom and were extremely close.
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I attended the Convent High School, another Catholic-run, government-funded predominantly black school. It was an all-girls school that my mother and older sister attended. Again, I excelled academically.
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In an effort to be able to better provide for our family, my mother took a job in the Turks and Caicos Islands. I continued my education in Dominica living with my father and spending a lot of time with his side of the family. My mom's side mostly lived in the US but provided more financial support to my family than my father ever could.
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My mother was struggling with the idea of me going through high school without having my mother around, so she took a job in Grenada, where the educational experiences were better than those in TCI. I moved to Grenada with her and my father stayed in Dominica looking after the house. For the first few months, we lived in a hotel and then moved to our house where we stayed for the next four years. The political climate in Grenada was less turbulent than Dominica and the country was more developed
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In Grenada, I attended another Catholic-run, government-funded predominantly black, all-girls school. For the first year, I struggled to make friends because of shyness and a superiority complex but eventually found my people and grew as a person. I also emerged as a leader in the national debate circuit, and many other extra-curriculars, and became fairly well-liked among my peers.
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One of my aunts, who was a teacher at my first high school and who acted as a second mother to me, died of cancer in Dominica. I hadn't visited Dominica as often as I wanted to, and was very upset. At this time my friends were also losing family members and we all grieved together.
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The friend of mine with whom I connected the most, moved to New York.
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This was one of the most stressful time periods of my life. I spent these years preparing for the Caribbean-wide examination. I sat exams for 14 subjects and ended up doing well in all of them, and getting the highest grades in the island.
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Dominica was devastated by Hurricane Maria. Many lives were lost and I was out of communication with my family for some time. My childhood home was badly damaged and repairs didn't start until 2020. The response by the government was unfortunately lacking. Many still don't have access to reliable water and electricity. Some areas on island are still inaccessible as of July 2020
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I was kind of close to her, but it was more an exercise in comforting my family.
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After four years of taking part in debates with my team, my school finally won (after making it to the finals the year before). I hadn't gone on stage before the first time we made it to the finals but had been a writer and researcher for two years before then. It was a major time commitment and sacrifice
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I decided to return to 10th grade after completing high school in Grenada to get an American high school experience before university. Moving here, I ended up becoming more acutely aware of race, sexuality, gender oppression, capitalism, and many other issues that simply did not present themselves in the Caribbean. The systemic violence against minorities was definitely shocking. I was lucky enough to go to a very well-off school so I didn't see it much, but I went on full financial aid.
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I followed in my sister's footsteps and started rowing at Andover to replace dance (which I had done on and off since I was a child but was never very good at -it made me really insecure-). I fell in love with the sport and was invited to preseason training in Florida and competitive rowing with my school for the spring term. all of this was canceled because of COVID-19. Rowing was interesting since it was a predominantly rich white sport (I'm neither of these), but I still felt comfortable
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I took part in a musical for the first time. Here, I made some of my best friends and memories. Unfortunately, we were not able to perform because of the COVID 19 pandemic
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I left Andover after the winter term and was not able to return to campus. As of July 2020, I still don't know when I'll be able to return to school. I haven't been able to go to Dominica to see my parents, and have been in Texas with some difficult family members. All of my belongings are still at school, and the airport at home is closed. Most of my friends are in Grenada or somewhere else in the US so I likely won't see anyone until next year. I've been completely indoors since March.
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During the surge of protests on systemic racism, I was forced to look at myself and America more critically, and to challenge systems of power.
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After years of living apart and trials with their marriage, my parents announced that they would be going through with a divorce.
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I think many young women would relate to the insecurities I felt as well as the struggle with parents who have a rocky relationship. This summer program will hopefully help refine me as a leader and independent thinker. My contribution to women and non-binary youth would be my help in elevating their voices and providing support in whatever ways they need it from me.