As a Jamaica native who moved to the US at 9 years old i experienced culture shock, adversary, and toughness at a young age. America was the first place I learned that color was a thing, I had never known this before. In school I would be bullied because of my accent, my clothes, my hai
r, my dark skin, almost everything when I first arrived because I didn’t fit the bill of what my young peers had seen before. I would say I learned during this stage of my life how to be resilient. The culture shock of going from a small country to this was shocking, hurtful and a trying time. It was during this time I learned that you aren’t going to be it for everyone, and not everyone will like you and that’s okay. Eventually did gain friends, and I found my way through the public school system all the way to college, and graduated and joined the corporate world. I navigated co-workers who had differences in opinions on immigration, color, and life, and I managed to show up for myself, speak for myself, and stand up for what was important for me.
These years taught me just how resilient I could be, and it’s something I have held on to during my adult life.
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