‘The island could be so much more’

In the WeConnect podcast this month, Zakiya Lake is the central guest. She moved to Saba when she was little and attended high school on the island. At the age of 17, she finished school and moved to the Netherlands to pursue a HBO study ‘Life Sciences’ in Nijmegen. 

Zakiya, now looking back, did not find it easy to grow up in Saba: “I was bored on the island”. She mentions that there is little to do for teenagers and points out the small island community where the dependance of family is big. “It’s very frustrating because there is a lot of unused potential.” She points out the lacks in healthcare, democracy and politics.

School system

Also, she is very critical about the school system, that is based on the British Caribbean model. This makes the connection with the Dutch higher education system quite challenging. “For an island that is pushing their children to go the Netherlands so much, there is a large disconnection with it.”  She emphasis the need to learn and speak Dutch, as that is the language used in the government. 

As a second year student ‘Life Sciences’ at Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen (HAN), Zakiya feels more and more at home in Nijmegen. She visits other cities and gets a lot of new experiences. The first year was challenging, especially as she had learn how to study: “I had to tap in to more active and efficient learning, using different methods.”

Tips

Zakiya shares some tips for future students: “Stick to your plan. Find someone, whether it’s a teacher or a family member, who really pushes you to be the best.”

WeConnect is an educational foundation based in the Netherlands. The foundation also gives preparatory workshop on Saba Comprehensive School about budgeting and learning strategies for student life. 

The podcast is hosted by Supharmy Lard and is available English: