I was born in the United States and raised in Haiti. I returned to the United States at the age of eleven. Witnessing the struggles my mother faced, a single parent, made me more appreciative of the education and opportunities I have had as a Haitian-American woman. Having to learn English as a second language and completing my Masters in Social Work are my two greatest achievements.
Growing up in the United States and having to adapt to a new culture was a difficult and challenging experience for me. However, my struggles were minimal compared to my mother’s. She worked two jobs, at the time her English speaking skills were minimal, and she supported four young children. Also, even after we moved to the United States, my mother believed that she had a responsibility to care for her siblings who lived in Haiti. As a result of this belief, she continued to send them money regularly.
My mother always stressed the importance of education. She didn’t want to see her children fight as much as she did. With education in mind, I finished high school believing that earning a high school diploma was all the education I needed. Unfortunately, I had a guidance counselor who, instead of supporting the idea of me going to college, reinforced my belief that high school was education enough for me. Fortunately, I met a successful professional black woman who became my mentor. She taught me the importance of continuing my education. She believed in me and helped me believe in myself. Although my mom had also emphasized the importance of education, up to this point my experience was seeing women from my culture who had immigrated to the United States get jobs as cleaning ladies and I considered them successful. So, with a broader understanding of success, as well as the help of my mentor, I applied and was accepted to Syracuse University where I majored in Social Work and eventually earned a Bachelor of Science and Social Work.
I learned many valuable life lessons during my undergraduate years. I lived in Harlem, New York; and as a result, I wasn’t exposed to many different cultures. When I went to Syracuse University, I was faced with culture shock! I had to learn to live with people from different backgrounds and religious beliefs. I was impressed with the different student organizations to choose from. However, because I wanted to feel like I belonged, I helped create a Haitian-American organization so that I could meet other students from my own culture and who, I assumed, would face the same challenges as me. I soon began to realize that I was segregating myself from the many different cultures represented by other students on campus. I started branching out and getting involved in different organizations so I could learn more about different cultures. To my surprise, I found students from a wide variety of cultures struggling like me and their parents struggling like my mother.
My first professional experience was as Director of a child abuse prevention program. Working with parents was rewarding for me because I was able to educate them on parenting skills and help them learn stress reduction techniques. After about a year, I was accepted onto the staff of an organization that specializes in domestic violence. In my capacity as Lead Social Worker, I met many minority women who were victims of violence in their primary relationships. I soon learned that it is often difficult for women to break out of violent relationships. For the women I worked with, things were further complicated because many of them were undocumented and, as a result, were often unwilling to ask the authorities for help because they feared deportation. These women also faced the language barriers, job difficulties, and social isolation that we often see in both battered women and new immigrants who have not yet settled into American society. Of those who were able to leave their abusers, they often found themselves unable to navigate the system and financially unable to support themselves without the help of public assistance. Of those who received public assistance, they often became dependent on public assistance because their English speaking and writing skills were poor or they were unable to obtain training in a vocation that would enable them to support themselves and their children.