I always knew I wanted Africa to be the first continent I explored outside of North America. Being from New Orleans, I was always surrounded by popular Black diasporic culture. Although it filled me up, I still wondered about the origins of traditions and cultures of Black people in New Orleans.
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“My Birthright experience freed my mind and made me realize that the possibilities for me are truly limitless; that the strife of my forebears shouldn’t be and isn’t in vain because here I am today, a living representation of them. Part of the work that Birthright has its scholars undergo is envisioning their own legacy of innovation — the imprint and influence they will leave behind. Since I once walked through the world feeling disempowered, I decided to focus my legacy of innovation on empowerment and having our people truly control our own destinies.”
– 2018 CUNY Birthright Alum, Shaina Louis
– excerpt from Shaina’s article in Teen Vogue
As a first-generation college student coming from immigrant parents, I feel blessed to know that my prayers were answered when I received the birthright travel experience outside of the classroom. I come from a humble beginning living in a single parent household and I feel lucky to have been chosen by Education Partner GrowHouse NYC.
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Having the chance to explore my cultural roots and legacy of innovation within NYC, DC, and Ghana was life-changing! Growing up in a multigenerational family in the Bronx, my family instilled me with values like a need for honest introspection, the value of education, and a drive for excellence. While I excelled at school, things at home would take a different turn. Right after graduating high school, I made the decision to put off college and help care for my 6-year-old brother to support my mother who was overcoming a health condition. When my mother’s health improved, I enrolled in the City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College to study accounting, returning to the New York of my childhood and working nights at Apple’s 24-Hr Genius Bar. Despite some success, remembering the strong values and community I was raised with, I still sensed a lack of support for young professionals like me. An email from CUNY’s Black Male initiative regarding the Birthright AFRICA mission would change that. Birthright has given me a sense of community similar to my family values where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This whole now includes a connection to my ancestral roots in Africa. Because of Birthright AFRICA, I have found that my greatness and potential go far beyond racial boundaries. I am self-affirmed and fearlessly blazing my own career path.
Being born and raised in Barbados, I never realized how rich and strong the African American story is including the untold stories of business owners and executives of African descent in the U.S and in African countries.
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