Clevette Greene is attending Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. She says becoming independent and being exposed to a different culture are two reasons why she decided not to go to college at home in Freeport, Grand Bahama. “One of the reasons why I wanted to actually study abroad as appose to studying home at the college back home is because I wanted to gain independence you know and not depend on my mother and father that much and just to gain exposure to a different culture,” she says. “I found that when I came here to Goucher it wasn’t that bad. My RA (resident assistance) she was really nice to me my first year. She checked up on me in terms of my classes and she was involved in a lot of activities around campus and my professors and what not they really made me feel at home and the people in residence life here you know everybody was just nice so it wasn’t that hard for me to make friends and what not, but cultural difference one thing that I found that was really different as appose to living back home was racial issues,” she says. “I found that over here in the U.S. that it is more back and white whereas back home it is not like more out front.”
Clevette heard about Goucher college through an education foundation program back home. Studying pre-med was initially her interest, then Clevette had a change of heart. “I came to Goucher primarily because I wanted to do Pre-Med and eventually I found out that was not what I wanted to do anymore so I took a couple of communications classes and I liked the major so I decided to declare Communications as my major,” she says. “With communications I could do a lot more with the major. I like to talk to people and I like just interacting with others. Also I love music so I thought that was the way to get behind the scenes to get into that a little bit more. I can show my creativity a lot better.
Music has always been apart of Clevette's life. One thing is for sure, she has made time in between her studying to participate in some of the college's music organizations. “I love that it is a small school. The classes are small. The professors are really nice you know once they see that you are putting that effort forward they will really work with you and try to help you out as much as they can,” she says. “In terms of what I am involved in at the school I am involved in Goucher Chorus, that is a choral group on campus. I am also involved in the Goucher Jazz Ensemble, Goucher Christian Fellowship, Revelations Gospel Choir and in the choir I am the co-president and also the choir director there,” she adds. “I am also involved in Breakage and that is a group that does community service well somewhat community service around the Baltimore area or what they do is visit like different religious organizations around Baltimore.”
Clevette is in her senior year at Goucher. As for what she will do...she has a few thoughts. “Right now I just brought my GRE (Graduate Requirement Exam) books so I think I want to go to Graduate school, apply to grad school and try to get a job on the side and then I am also trying to see if I can get a demo tape started so I can do my music career on the side.”
Clevette is very happy that going to Goucher College has worked for her. She also says she has some advice for other international students that may be thinking about coming to the United States to study. “Well one piece of advice I would give is that if they can and if they have the money and the resources is to actually go and visit some of the schools and you know just get a feel even if they want to do an overnight stay you know a lot of the schools they do that,” she says. “That and basically just research the Internet is there and a lot of the college sites you can look at the campus it is like a virtual tour. That and know what you are getting into and just be yourself.”