My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Global Scholars

Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the MBK Global Scholars Program, an innovative educational program that has helped make international education and study abroad programs more accessible to African-American students at Santa Fe College. Hear from two MBK students, Jamaal Baptiste and Kevin Savoi, to learn how they have grown in their global knowledge, intercultural competence, and international experiences. 

Transcript

Vilma:

Welcome to Santa Fe College. My name is Vilma Fuentes and this is our podcast Developing Global Citizens. In celebration of Black History Month, I have invited two really special MBK students to join us and talk to us about some of the global experiences they've had at Santa Fe College. So welcome, Jamaal Baptiste and Kevin Savoy. I'm so happy you're here with us today.

KK:

Thank you.

Jamaal:

Thank you.

Vilma:

So MBK, what is MBK?

KK:

MBK is My Brother's Keeper. So it's a program based predominantly for the success of Black males in college, especially at Santa Fe College, it's a great program. But the biggest thing that we do, we want to make sure that the individuals that are there, because we accept everybody from males to females as any color, but we just wanted to build leaders and then make sure that they leave with the tools necessary to succeed in life.

Vilma:

Jamaal, how long have you been a member of MBK?

Jamaal:

I'd give it about two years. Two years or so.

Vilma:

Two years. Awesome. So when you started it, were you completing your associate's degree?

Jamaal:

I joined MBK when I was at the tail end of my associate's degree. I was actually working retail and I thought about quitting school, but MBK wrote me back in like, "Hey, you should finish your degree." And I got my first job at Santa Fe through MBK as being a work study at the front desk.

Vilma:

Wonderful. And now are you still in school?

Jamaal:

Still in school.

Vilma:

What are you studying?

Jamaal:

I'm sorry. I study organizational management business analytics, and I also study user experience design.

Vilma:

So that's a bachelor's program at Santa Fe?

Jamaal:

Yes.

Vilma:

Awesome. And Kevin, what about you? What are you studying?

KK:

So I currently study digital media and technology while I have a secondary degree in journalism. So I plan on running, going to the field of cinematography and directing in film, as well as transferring to UF to get a major in journalism.

Vilma:

Awesome. So now the two of you are part of a really unique program called the MBK Global Scholars Program, and this is a program that effectively tries to expose, help develop global citizens. And it does this by developing students critical thinking skills as it pertains to international issues, promote their global learning and their intercultural competence. And so for the two of you, and really for any student that's involved in the Global Scholars Program, it involves curricular and extracurricular activities. I'd like for the two of you to tell me, what are some of the extracurricular things you've done as part of this program that have helped expand your mind, if you will, or think more about the world? So Jamaal, I'll start with you. Tell me some things that maybe you've been involved in.

Jamaal:

So one of my favorite things I've been involved with, we had our Egyptian delegation visit, I believe last fall. And we went out to the hotel where they were staying and we had this nice sort of feast and a dance party and everything. Got to see many sides of our guests, which I really appreciate.

Vilma:

But did you meet them first on campus?

Jamaal:

Met them first on campus at the Fine Arts Hall. Then I was invited later that evening to have festivities and eat their food, what they really enjoy.

Vilma:

Yeah, I remember that day, I was there too. And not all of our international guests do that, but the Egyptian delegation wanted to treat some of us at Santa Fe to a special Egyptian meal so that we could better understand them and their traditions. Is that the only international group you've met?

Jamaal:

No.

Vilma:

Tell me more.

Jamaal:

I've also met some guests from the Caribbean as well, guests from St. Lucia, [inaudible 00:03:54]. Let's see.

Vilma:

Granado?

Jamaal:

Yeah.

Vilma:

No, Grenada.

Jamaal:

I think so, yes. I remember having the coconut, so yeah.

Vilma:

Yeah, that's right.

Jamaal:

I remember. I really liked the chocolate. And among many others, Dominica as well. I think the DR. I'm not sure.

Vilma:

No.

Jamaal:

No.

Vilma:

No, we never... I don't think we... Maybe we did, but I don't remember that, but possibly. Great. And so what do you do when these international guests come to campus?

Jamaal:

I show up. I just show up.

Vilma:

Hey, that's often the first step. No, hey, absolutely. You show up.

Jamaal:

I show up, say hello, introduce myself. And sometimes it's a little bit more awkward than others because we don't really... I don't know what to expect. They might not know what to expect. The way I see it, we're just two strangers meeting for the first time, and normally after some conversation there's some laughs and we start getting along very well. So far I've visited, I remember our guests from the Philippines. I remember our guests from Sweden. I remember... Let's see. I think-

Vilma:

That's a lot.

Jamaal:

And the more I sit here and talk, the more I'm going to remember, but I've just met many of our guests at Santa Fe.

Vilma:

So do you think these conversations or meetings that you've had, have they helped you learn more about the world or develop your intercultural competence?

Jamaal:

I'd say so. The more I meet our guests, the more I realize how human we are. I've only been in Florida, really. I've only lived in Florida. I haven't traveled out of the country. But the more I meet our guests, it's like, oh, it just makes me think that someone in another country is just a friend I haven't met yet. Like it's just, we have so much in common.

Vilma:

That's wonderful. Now Kevin, have you had an opportunity to meet any international guests yet or no?

KK:

Yes, ma'am. I actually met the Filipino delegation. I met them. It was fun because you did a great job of bringing them around campus. So I met them a few times. So I met them at the first generation meeting and somebody, one of them came up to me and asked, "Hey, where do you find your hat?" And I was just wearing a normal skully, and I was just like, and then my first reaction, I think, in my head I was like, "Everywhere." And because I don't know who I'm speaking to at the moment, because he's speaking great English, so I'm over here, I'm thinking like, "Well, you can get them at any local hair store." And then he goes, "Oh, that's cool. I like that style. I need one of those hats." And I was just like, "Okay, okay. For sure. It's a nice hat."

Vilma:

That's great.

KK:

If it wasn't fact that I already wore this one, I would've gave it to you. You can literally get them everywhere. And then it was fun. And the funnest point was when I met them, they were walking around and then that's when I realized, oh, this is the delegation she was telling us about at the Global Scholars meeting. But it was really cool when they gave us a presentation in senate. And that presentation-

Vilma:

At student senate you mean?

KK:

Yes, ma'am.

Vilma:

Okay. Sorry.

KK:

So at the student senate meeting, they came in, they brought food so we could understand the culture, but I really loved the presentation and then them speaking on their clothes because their clothes are see through, and they gave us a quick history lesson on how that was, and I was like, wow, that's amazing just to understand that they were at war with the people, so the people that oppressed them, made them wear see-through clothes so that way they could see if they're carrying any weapons. I was like, wow, I would've never knew that. I thought you guys just liked clothes like that. And it was cool. They did their dance. They even allowed us to join in with the dance. So it was just a fun time and I was like, wow, I really hope that the more and more delegations to come, I really stay active and go out to go see them because they're a great time.

Vilma:

Yeah, I actually remember that they were wearing their finest of the Filipino attire, and I believe it's called Filipino barong tagalog. I'm probably totally mispronouncing that, but yeah, you're right. It was this beautiful fine cloth and it was see through. And what they explained was during their period of Spanish colonial rule, the Spaniards, the Filipinos were up in arms and trying to protest that colonialism and so they were forced to either go around shirtless or wear see through shirts so that the Spaniards could detect whether they had weapons on them. So that was pretty cool. So I'm wondering to myself though, we don't always have international guests, and not everybody gets a chance to travel. Jamal, you mentioned you've never left Florida. Kevin, have you left Florida?

KK:

I've left Florida but only for business. I've gone to LA and I've gone to New Jersey and I've gone to Atlanta, but it was all because of a job with my cinematography.

Vilma:

Okay. Have you left the United States?

KK:

No, ma'am.

Vilma:

Okay. So I wonder to myself, is it possible for someone to have international or global experiences without leaving Florida or without leaving Gainesville? What do you think?

KK:

Yes, ma'am. I believe international experiences are cool, but the international experience is an experience. So if somebody were to gain an international experience and bring it back to you, you can kind of live it through them. But one thing we do at Santa Fe is we have a lot of international events or workshops. So a cool one I went to was the Roselle Festival, which was cool because I didn't even know what roselle was. But the first thing that comes in, I see Dr. Fuentes, she says, "Hey Kevin, make sure that you're here. Come get a beef patty, come get on a roselle, and make sure you get some roselle tea." And I'm just like, oh, this hits the spot.

Vilma:

Wait. Okay, so stop here for a second. So what is roselle, for those of us who don't know?

KK:

So roselle is originally a plant that's indigenous to Africa and the slaves from Africa brought it with them, and roselle's pretty common in the Caribbean and you can use it for many different things. The way that I'm addicted to it is that roselle tea. It's pretty cool, has a nice taste and I feel like it's very... It reminds me a lot of my grandma's. She had a hot chocolate coffee mix. It wasn't coffee, it wasn't hot chocolate, but it just had a nice weird taste to it. And it's just like, I always thought it was an indigenous thing because I'm originally Haitian, thought it was just us. When I had that roselle tea, I was like, oh, this is exactly what I was thinking about.

Vilma:

Okay. So your grandparents were Haitian, were born in Haiti?

KK:

Yes ma'am.

Vilma:

And you, were you born here?

KK:

Yeah, I was born, I'm the first generation American. My mom and father are from Haiti.

Vilma:

So something about the roselle reminded you of your Haitian roots, but what is roselle? Is it like a wheat, is it a bean? What is it?

KK:

So it's a flower. It's actually a hibiscus.

Vilma:

Cool. And if I'm not mistaken, I think it's used all over the Caribbean oftentimes for drinks and food and all. That's super cool. Jamaal, tell me more about maybe some international experiences you've had even right here on campus. I mean, you've already mentioned some and all these international guests that you met, but are there other experiences you've had, in a class outside of a class?

Jamaal:

So at Santa Fe I've participated in virtual exchanges and in some of them we had a few with participants from South Africa. They showed us the importance of street art, how culturally significant it is. And we also learned about pollution, just how we may have issues with pollution in our beaches, just all around Florida. If you look in California, you see those images. Yeah, the world struggles with that and I realize that with our meetings.

Vilma:

So when you look at street art, so you spoke to, was it an artist?

Jamaal:

Yes.

Vilma:

In South Africa. And so out of curiosity, was he white, was he Black, was he Asian? Because South Africa is a rainbow nation.

Jamaal:

Well, yep. He was Black. He looked like me. I don't recall offhand the specific country he's from, but when we met, we just immediately got along. He was excited to know what kind of street art Gainesville had to offer. So as a part of the event, everybody in MBK that wanted to participate went around town and took pictures of their favorite street art.

Vilma:

Awesome. Have you connected with, virtually that is, with people from someplace else? So South Africa, almost halfway around the world, very long way from here. Have you connected with people from other continents?

Jamaal:

Oh, I remember meeting students from Indonesia. They were very quiet, but it was fun talking to them about just local animals. I remember telling them about our sort of alligator Florida situation, just how many alligators are in Florida, the likelihood of coming across an alligator in Florida.

Vilma:

Which is what? High, low?

Jamaal:

Depends on where you are. I'm not an expert, I'm not an expert in animals, but I was kind of just looking up facts and I was actually pleasantly surprised just how they had similar sort of predators. In Indonesia, they have the Komodo dragon and I'm like, well, when I look up the Komodo dragon, just, well, what do you even do about that? I remember sharing an article with them, or more recently, someone got thrown off of their motorcycle from a long alligator tail on the road and they were just completely shocked. Like, "What? You have that in Florida?" So just made me realize the world's a bit smaller.

Vilma:

Yeah. I can't tell you how many people I've encountered or even hosted from other parts of the world that I'll say, "Oh yeah, this is called The Swamp here in Gainesville because there's alligators everywhere." What? "Yeah, Lake Alice at the University of Florida has alligators. We at Santa Fe have alligators at the zoo," and they're like, "What? Right here? Just a few feet away?" Yes. And in fact, in Florida, I think the general rule is anywhere where there's a body of water, you need to just assume that there's an alligator because they could be there and they're horrified. They can't believe that we live under these circumstances. But we also don't have Komodo dragons in our backyard.

Jamaal:

Yeah. Growing up in Florida, they teach you to run in a zig-zag. That's just unlike most other states in the United States, let alone just around the world. So we're dealing with a unique alligator situation.

Vilma:

Yeah, definitely.

KK:

Now a funny story, I actually, two times I embraced an alligator ferry within three or four feet of me. I was walking around my mom's neighborhood and I was like, oh, look at this little lake. Let me just relax and enjoy a breeze and everything. I was sitting down for about 20 minutes and I just happened to look to the right and there's an alligator less than eight feet away from me, and I'm just like, I'm just walk off. Excuse me sir, I apologize if I was in your neighborhood, I apologize.

Vilma:

That's right. I'll never forget we're sharing this space with him. So Kevin, and tell me you, have you had any unique experiences, like international experiences, just chilling right here in Gainesville, either at the college or at home?

KK:

So one of the coolest experiences was a surreal moment when there was an online concert that the Global Scholars, the study abroad program gave us access to. So it was cool because I was at home doing homework the entire day, and I'm not good at doing homework at home, which is weird, but I had put in my calendar that this concert was going to be going on at seven. So I put on a concert and just be looking at it and just kind of trying to understand the vibes and trying to just give myself a break from my homework for a second, I got into the surreal zone and for the next, I want to say next 45 minutes or hour and a half, I was just knocking out my homework. By the time the concert, a little bit after, probably 20 minutes after the concert, I didn't even notice it was over, and I was done with my homework and I was just like, oh.

Vilma:

So wait, what was the concert? Were they playing like-

KK:

It was Brazilian music, I believe to be... Yeah, Brazilian music.

Vilma:

Like Brazilian Jazz, like bossa nova or something like that?

KK:

It was cool. It was more, I don't remember the exact thing, but it reminded me of lo-fi music that you would use to put any... But it had that spunk to it. It was just a cool... There were times I was doing my homework, I wanted to stop and dance, but I was like, okay, hold on, let's sit down and focus.

Vilma:

But it actually helped you concentrate?

KK:

Oh, 100%. And it kind of just took me out of a place. It took me, I felt like I was there in the place with them and I was just like, oh, this is music.

Vilma:

And what about inside your classes? Have you ever taken any classes where you're also being exposed to international content or you're thinking about other parts of the world?

Jamaal:

Oh, definitely. I'd say with both technical writing and professional writing, in each class, we had to learn that there are different standards internationally, our standard in the US may be a little bit different, depending on the culture. You may signature a letter differently or you may refer to someone differently depending on their honorific, depending on who you want to communicate with and what country and their specific background. So I'd say Santa Fe emphasized that very well.

Vilma:

Good. What about you?

KK:

I've taken a few cultural, international classes. I took Spanish one and two, that was fun and almost made me want to go to Bolivia but I chose a different study abroad program, and then I also took humanities which really opened my eyes up to the eastern side of the world. But the coolest assignment I've ever gotten in college that was international was in public speaking, our second speech we had to write was about our country. So me personally, I just did it on South Africa. I treated it as a presentation. I did well, I got an A on it, but I didn't know is that a lot of my classmates were international students and a lot of international students take public speaking to help them with their English.

So the student standing next to me was Venezuelan and he did his speech on Venezuela, but you could just see how much they immersed themselves into the speech. They really sat down and let you see the good, bad, the ugly. And they brought up stories and it really made me sit down and wonder like, huh, life is different in different countries. Even though we might, me personally, I probably wouldn't really think about that country until I see a famous person from that country, maybe an athlete from that country, or somebody says, "Let's go to a restaurant with that food." But there is genuinely life, and that was the first time that really sparked me to think like, hm, I'm not just a citizen of America, but I'm a global citizen.

Vilma:

So the two of you have been part of the MBK Global Scholars Program for a while, Jamaal maybe you a couple years, maybe more, right? Two years? Okay. And then Kevin, maybe you're a few months close to a year, so you've taken the courses, you've participated in these international activities on campus. Now what? What's the next phase?

KK:

Oh, that's the fun part. Now it's time to go. Now it's time to go international. I've chosen to join the study abroad program to Morocco so it's going to be studying-

Vilma:

Ooh.

KK:

Yes. We're going to be studying art history and culture in Morocco. And there's just so much cool stuff to do on the itinerary. We start off by landing in Casablanca and then immediately we're on the bus.

Vilma:

Wait, Casablanca? I thought that was a movie.

KK:

That's what I thought too until I found out, until I saw it on my itinerary. I was like, "Oh, we're going to land there. Okay, this is cool." And we're going to do so much cool stuff. The thing I'm looking forward to most are the fabrics and the culture. The fabrics and the tie and the textiles that they make in Morocco, really looking at those to be inspired. But we're going to be spending three days in a Sahara Desert camp. We're going to be riding camelback and it's just going to be so cool.

Vilma:

Very exciting. And you, do you have travel, international travel, on the horizon?

Jamaal:

Yes. For in the coming summer, I plan to go to Sweden and Denmark with Santa Fe through their study abroad program. I'm looking forward to studying deaf culture potentially. Also, I'm interested in independent studies as well so I may figure out just what I want to learn from those countries. I know those countries are very technologically advanced. Or their government emphasizes technology, whereas our country may be slower to develop those sorts of things, preferring the older, more familiar methods. So I'm interested to see just how their culture is day to day.

Vilma:

Why did you pick Sweden and Denmark?

Jamaal:

Well, since I haven't been out of the country, I've been around Florida, I haven't been out of the country. I figure, hey, I'll get to see two different major groups in one go. So it's going to be a longer trip, it's going to be two weeks, and I'm looking forward to it.

Vilma:

So how did you afford this?

Jamaal:

So I afforded this through a few different scholarships. I'm someone who, if I can, I will apply. There's the MBK Global Scholars as well as the Global Scholars Program offering, they offered a scholarship to help me travel abroad for the first time. Otherwise, it would be unaffordable for me.

Vilma:

Okay. Scholarships. And you Kevin?

KK:

I was also awarded a scholarship in for the MBK Global Scholars Program. And I'm also applied for the other scholarships. But the biggest thing is just by creating a plan to sit down and formulate and think about, how can I make this work? As well as, how can I make it work while I'm in Morocco? And how much money will I be coming back to? So I've chosen to do a couple different things. So I signed up for the scholarships and I've been awarded one, I'm praying to get another one. And then as well as making sure that I'm saving money, as well as speaking to my family, I've spoken to every single family member that loves me and I'm telling them like, "Hey-"

Vilma:

Is it a big family?

KK:

"Hey, in March..." I'm a huge family, we're Haitian. "So by March, I'm going to need you to start putting money away." Every time we have a conversation, our normal just, "Hey, how are you doing?" "Okay, how are you doing?" "Make sure that you're putting money away. I got to make sure my bills are paid when I'm gone." And I'm doing that to make sure that I'm safe and there's a safety cushion because I would love to go to Morocco and buy so many fabrics, buy some textiles, buy some cool stuff, and enjoy myself in the country, really not have any borders or boundaries. To really sit down and just immerse myself and feel what it feels like to be in Morocco. But as well as just being smart, because it's cool to go on a trip, it's cool to have fun, but these trips cost as much as a used car in some senses. So you got to make sure that you're financially stable and financially set. And when you come back, you're not incredibly broke because you're going to be gone for 16 days, so you won't be able to work. So just making a plan and just sticking to that plan has been my big process of how I've been able to pay.

Vilma:

So, okay. You're scaring me a little when you say these programs cost as much as a used car. So how much did the program to Morocco cost?

KK:

So my program to Morocco cost about $4,400.

Vilma:

Okay. And what about the program to Sweden and Denmark?

Jamaal:

I don't recall the exact numbers, but it's around 3,500 for the whole trip.

Vilma:

And that's two countries?

Jamaal:

Two countries.

Vilma:

Awesome. So I know you've got a long way to go. I actually look forward to hosting you back here after these study abroad programs and then you can give more feedback, you and others, about this experience. But if I think about the MBK Global Scholars Program, focusing more on the MBK, how has this program impacted not just you, but other students in My Brother's Keeper?

KK:

It's powerful. This program is cool because a lot of us don't even think about traveling abroad or going to different countries. We think about maybe as a vacation, as like a joke or something like that. But sitting on and understanding different cultures is an important piece to being a global citizen. So by having this program for us, for our Black students who, Black males who are the people that travel the least, really opened up our eyes. I've never even thought about going to Africa before. It's on my vision board. It'd be a cool thing to do maybe one day, but I literally got an opportunity to do it and there are people willing to help me just to make sure that I expand the horizon of my mind. So I think it's powerful and it's going to help motivate people.

My goal is when I get there, to make a really touching piece from, catch as many great shots as I can, and make it a really touching piece to show people visually that yo, you can go study abroad, you can go to different countries. And it's really helped inspire people, not just my MBK brothers, but my family itself. My dad keeps asking me every time I talk to him, "Hey, you know you're going to have to take a 16-hour flight?" And I was like, "Yeah, for sure." Okay. Every time I speak to him. So I'm sitting there thinking that never had, I've never seen my dad really focused on something so much before, so its powerful.

Vilma:

Maybe he's worried. Jamaal, and you? Any...

Jamaal:

Well, what I've learned in MBK Global Scholars, I realized that I'm an American. Now, I know that sounds odd, like oh, of course you're American. What? You're born in Florida, what? But being in America, it's very likely that you can forget that you are an American, you have an American culture, even if you identify with other cultures about you. So when Dr. Velma introduces, oh, this is Jamaal Baptiste, he's an American student at Santa Fe, I'm expecting in the back of my head, this is Jamaal Baptist, he's a Black student at Santa Fe.

Vilma:

Got it.

Jamaal:

So that was very powerful for me. I'm like, oh, I am an American. I realize I carry that culture with me and I think when I travel, I'll realize that even more because when I go to another country, I imagine, oh yeah, American culture, this is an American, not this is an African American or Black American.

Vilma:

And I'll just share as a Latina who was born and raised in the US that, so I know that when I have traveled abroad, everyone sees me as an American, that's for sure. They're not just seeing me as the Florida girl or the Latina or the whatever, but sometimes you'll get somebody looking at you saying, "Where are you from?" And if you say... So like if I was in New York, I would say I'm from Florida. If I'm in Gainesville, I might say, "Well, I was born in Miami," and there's all these subgroups here in the US.

But if I'm abroad and I say, "I'm an American," sometimes they'll look at me and they'll give me the eye going, no, no, no, but where? They're digging for more. And of course, all of us are from somewhere. So some of you, Kevin, you shared that your parents and your grandparents are Haitian. Well, mine are Cuban and Honduran, and we have people here that they're just from all different places. Sometimes people are searching for that. But you're right, it is important to remember that we are American. You, me, the people recording this, the people listening to this. And it's really obvious when you travel abroad because of the way we dress and the way we carry ourselves, the thing, the sports that we watch, the music that we listen to, you're not Swedish. That's for sure. You're not Moroccan. Right? It's going to stand out.

Jamaal:

With our Swedish guests, I just felt so immediately at home, it just felt like our cultures were so similar, or our personalities of our guests were so similar. I'm like, oh, we're just so immediately alike in our mannerisms. I'm like, "Whoa. You're not very touchy-feely either."

Vilma:

Well, and that's an important point, right? Because that traveling abroad or having these international experiences might make you realize, "Hey, I'm an American, not just African American, or not just Cuban American or whatever." But it can also remind you that ultimately we're all members of one human family, right?

Jamaal:

Definitely.

KK:

Yes, ma'am.

Vilma:

So well, I want to thank the two of you for taking the time to share your experiences with us and I can't wait to have you back, hear about your upcoming travel opportunities.

KK:

Yes ma'am. And we appreciate you, Dr. Fuentes, all the work that you're putting in to make the MBK Global Scholars Program, people like you and Dr. B are really doing an amazing thing because my class and the people now might not really look at the Global Scholars Program as something that's for everybody. But yo, this is an amazing experience and y'all would hate to miss this out, especially now while we're in college, to really take that chance to spend your summer in a different country or your spring break in a different country and really learn a different culture. You can't beat this. So we really appreciate you too for exposing us to this and opening up this door for us. And we pray that we continue to grow and that this continues to make an impact in our community.

Vilma:

Absolutely. Thank you.