Established in 1991, the Florida Carribean Students Association (FCSA) has interlinked Carribean students across the state while servicing 6 districts and more than 15,000 students. A mere 8 of those students, representing the heritage and culture of five distinct islands, make up the executive board of Stetson’s own Caribbean Student’s Association. In 2024,  a few members of this current executive board had the pleasure of attending FCSA’s 48th installment of their annual Christmas pageant. Inspired, the executive board wanted to see the diverse heritage of Stetson’s students represented at the state level in 2025. The last time Stetson had representation on the state level by a delegate was 2022, when now-graduate student, Melissa Ndiaye ‘23, claimed the title. 

Ndiaye still has high praise for the pageant and her experience as a delegate at the subsequent conference, stating, “If you ever have the time to do FCSA, I highly recommend it to anyone…Do it. Get out of your comfort zone. That’s the whole point of college, to learn more about yourself.” This year’s contestants embodied that advice, and had the nerves to go along with it. When speaking with the 2nd contestant in this year’s pageant, Ervenica Saint Fort ‘25, the pageant gave her the stage to confront cultural fears. Saint Fort, a now proud representative of Haiti, often felt a clash between her heritage and her socialization, growing up. 

“I really never told anybody that I was Haitian. I was like ‘No, I’m not Haitian, I’m Haitian-American’ or ‘I’m just American,” confided Saint Fort, “So with growing up and embracing my culture…I don’t want to hide it or anything like that anymore. I want to be proud about being a Haitain and representing my country.” This sense of cultural empowerment is one of the hallmarks of competing in the Miss Stetson Carribean Student Association through the eyes of the past Miss, Ndiaye. “You have the opportunity to teach other people about your culture and what your island is all about,” which she feels is of the utmost importance, “Especially here at a PWI…you have to get reminded… Organizations like [the Carribean Student Association, Multicultural Student Council, Black Student Union, Lation Student Union]  all of those organizations (cultural organizations) I love that Stetson has them here. Because I feel…students [can] not only be educated but be educated in the right way versus what they see in media and stuff.”

 Additionally, the opportunities for education are not limited to the viewing audience. Rather, “pageants [are] actually very helpful for your personal growth and a little bit of your leadership skills too because,” Ndiaye lists further examples of the self-discovery that she gained through the pageant process, “You have to go through an interview process. They want you to raise money for a charity of your choice…The unique thing about Miss CSA is that they have that community service [aspect]…it was also exciting because I was able to connect with other students here in Florida.” Reflecting on her involvement Ndiaye can say, “I was just learning a lot. It was fun because I was able to experience…different cultures.” From her own positionality, growing up in a household that could best be described as multicultural, Ndiaye also found the space to be extremely inclusive. Whether she was at Stetson or at the state level she found that  “even though, you know [it] is mainly Caribbean students, they still open the room up for Americans and Africans…they still have space for them.” A sentiment which was echoed by Kaise Tinglin, the Vice President of Stetson’s own CSA who shared that in prepping for the pageant she wanted everyone to feel their excitement, “ to be able to present the Caribbean to the Stetson campus and the traditions of our island especially and whether the island is Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, whatever island you hail from”… said Tinglin, “We hope to represent you and that you’re able to learn more.” 

Representation is part of the reason they chose a Tropical Christmas theme, “because…you’re not seeing snow when you’re celebrating Christmas [in the Caribbean],” said Tinglin, “and depending on what country you’re in, you might even see [a] carnival.” There are many ingredients for a true Tropical Christmas for Jomar Rosado ‘27, CSA’s historian one of them is “the overall time I get with my family- that feeling of Christmas morning.” Meanwhile, others need the taste of fruit cake and sorrel while being serenaded by the voice of Bob Marley. Next Christmas, you may be able to find Saint-Fort who has now been crowned Miss. Stetson CSA, enjoying a cup of cremas. Until then, her and other Caribbean students turn their attention to Florida Carribean Student Association‘s (FCSA) 49th Annual Leadership Conference. Kicking off the 3-day weekend on April 3rd in Boca Raton, the theme “Unmasking a New Era” highlights the growing identity of the Carribean islands and encourages Carribean students take up space. Saint Fort, in this capicity, is not only an ambassador for Haiti, but all of Stetson’s Carribean students because in the words of FCSA, the Caribbean is “divided by water, united by culture.”