I have a wonderful crew of 8 people and a great professor. They have become my second family. The experiences I have gone through here will definitely be an added treasure to my life.

My family moved from Georgetown, Guyana, and settled in Hartford, CT where I was born. I grew up on the north end of the city, where there was culture, danger, and friends, then later moved to the peaceful south end. I now attend the University of Connecticut. I just finished my freshman year at Storrs campus. It was a wonderful experience. I was generally a shy person, but I learned to get out of my little turtle shell and met so many people. In the past, I could count my friends on my hand, but now I have more friends than I know what to do with! My friends are a blessing to me. I thank God for them and all the opportunities that come my way.

I have been on my Amistad journey for nine days now. I had came into the program knowing close to nothing about the story of the Amistad Africans, but after listening to and talking with a dozen bright and charismatic curators from different museums, I feel that it is finally my turn to tell the story. They were the mentors I needed to equip me with information I need to keep this remarkable story alive. The Africans on the Amistad were the only Africans to be kidnapped from the motherland, brought to America, and successfully make it back home.

I joined the Amistad America program because of my two darlings: Coastal Studies and African American Studies. The nautical experience of sailing across the Atlantic ocean appealed to me. I aspire to be a marine biologist someday, so sailing on the Amistad schooner will give me some training at sea. Plus I know the scenery will be breath taking; I long for the leisure of star gaze during my night watches. Along with maritime experience, I am learning about the Amistad incident, a major occurrence in the African experience as well as an international story of the struggle for freedom and acknowledgement of humanity. I am learning about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in a way I never did before: as an international story of suffering, hope and transcendance. The Amistad story is one that should not be forgotten. The Africans and abolitionists did a lot to enlighten the world on human right, and for the remainder of this journey, their voices will speak through me.

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