The Haitian Student Association (HSA) was started in the late 1980s when the immigration rate was at a peak in the United States. Today, it continues to grow as one of the most successful student run organizations on campus. President Jonathan Medor, who became a member as a freshman in 2012, is devoted to keeping the dream alive in 2015.

The mission of HSA is to promote and educate the Kean community of Haitian culture through events, meetings and community service but it hasn’t always been this way – during its origins, HSA served as a tutoring group as well as cultural club for those new to the United States. Haitian immigrants first coming to America for higher education did not have the easiest time with their studies due to a language barrier and unfamiliar environments. The HSA spent much time teaching the new students English and making them feel at home. This friendly and warming demeanor is still alive and well within the club’s spirit.

“[We’re trying to] inspire more students to come study abroad,” said Medor, who himself came to Kean University due to his experience at the HSA’s annual  KreyolFest in 2009 which he attended while he was still in High School (even though this was not a trip abroad, he still decided that this school was right for him).

In this fall semester alone, HSA has increased by 15% and they are anticipating an additional 5% after Haiti Week, which is taking place mid-November. Haiti Week offers the people of Kean University to come together and experience a slice of Haiti for themselves. The schedule for this week of culture is as follows:

November. 16th, 2015: Konpa 101 - A workshop where we show Kean University students how to dance the tradition Haitian dance, Konpa and Zouk. This will take place in D'Angola Gym from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and those planning to participate are advised to bring a partner and wear comfortable clothes.

November. 17th, 2015: Apollo Soiree - A night where Kean University students will showcase their talents. The twist is that the audience is going to be able to judge their performance. This will take place In the Miron Student Center (MSC) Little Theatre, from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

November. 19th, 2015: Game of Zoes - A game night where students convene and play different Haitian games such as dominoes, mancala, UNO and a host of other games to close out Haiti Week. This will take place in MSC room 228, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Haiti Week is just the beginning for the group’s stacked year ahead of them. Other HSA events that will be happening throughout the year are Haitian Connect, the annual Rebound for Haiti basketball tournament and KreyolFest in the spring; along with their bi-weekly general body meetings that take place Mondays between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in MSC room 226A.

Rebound for Haiti, which has been a regular event for the past six years, has managed to raise over $10,000 for relief for Haiti since the high-magnitude earthquake in 2010.

“My family was [luckily] not affected,” started Medor. “But we need to come together and rebuild. We need to be naturally together and humble. The earthquake only made us stronger.”

Medor is not the only member of HSA with family members overseas. Twenty-five members of the group have family still in Haiti and two members are actually natives of the country. Medor maintains a good and active relationship with his cousins, uncle and grandfather via regular daily FaceTime calls – which is more than some resident students put forth with their relatives in America.

Members of the HSA are proud of their heritage and that contributes to how successful and long-running the group has been over the years. Being Haitian is something that needs to be respected and honored to fully appreciate one’s roots. Medor spoke for the rest of the group (or anyone who has a strong connection to his heritage) when he conveyed that pride is a way to connect to his ancestors.

“The way you cook, speak, dance – being Afro-Caribbean in general, we understand who we are and where we came from,” said Medor.

The HSA encourages people to join them in their weekly meetings and upcoming events. For those interested in more information, contact hsa@kean.edu or Medor’s personal email at medorjo@kean.edu.