Student treks across world to attend Holland College

People do many things to reach their future goals, whether it is saving money, studying harder, working longer, or moving to a new place.
But few people would move half way around the world to a new place, alone, and at a young age.
Christina Sukie, an 18-year-old student from Nassau, Bahamas, decided to move to Charlottetown, P.E.I. to go to school at Holland College where she studies Journalism.
Sukie said Canada offers better education than in the United States, and there are higher standards here. Her English teachers suggested the move would be a smart one if she wanted to get a better education.
Sukie said the Island is strange, and a very big change from what she is used to. Everything from the change dispensers at the Wendy’s restaurant to the red brick buildings is different from her hometown in Bahamas.
"It’s a whole new place.”
The manager of international business development for the North America sector, Lornie Hughes, does the recruiting for Holland College from areas around North America, focusing mainly on places like Bermuda, Bahamas, and Barbados. He is the one who helped recruit Sukie.
Hughes came into contact with Sukie during a career fair in Bahamas. While searching for schools Sukie came across a Holland College representative, and told him about her sister, Asha, who was in her fourth year at UPEI. A month later, at a meeting at UPEI, the representative told Hughes about Sukie. Hughes immediately found Asha and had a lunch meeting about Sukie coming to P.E.I. The sisters got talking and Sukie’s ticket to the island was as good as bought.
Sukie is the first person Hughes recruited from North America, and he said she is very important to the College.
“She’s been very successful, and we use her in many promotional items.”
Hughes said it can be hard getting people to leave the warm climate of the Caribbean to the cold Canadian weather, so Holland College is taking more of a strategic approach into recruiting. They recruit into hospitality programs because a lot of North America is driven by tourism.
Sukie admitted she does find it hard to adjust to the weather. She went from being in a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It is hard to adjust to the weather here, I was crying it was so cold."
Sukie quickly learned that in P.E.I. one must wrap up in layers in order to keep warm and fight the breeze.
"I was getting weird looks about my snow boots but I just kept on walking and said, ‘I don’t care what they think, my feet are warm!’"
The weather is not the only difference Sukie found between the Islands. The parties on P.E.I don’t compare to the huge dance parties with tons of entertainment like DJ booths, parades and cowbells in Nassau.
"I miss going out to the clubs," said Sukie. "At home there is food, a bar, and you don’t have to supply your own drinks. Here you have to bring all your own beer, I have never heard of that before."
The long move into a new room and empty apartment was hard for Sukie at first, but it was made easier when warm faces and big smiles welcomed her. She said the people on P.E.I. are very nice and accommodating, and very perky.
It also helps Sukie that her sister is on P.E.I. Although it is hard sometimes because of the sibling rivalry, in the end, she wouldn’t know what to do without her cooking skills and family chats.
Sukie’s goals are to finish the Journalism program at Holland College and then go to U.P.E.I for the two-plus-two program, where she will get her degree in print Journalism.
No matter what she does within the next few years, Sukie’s says her future includes P.E.I.
"I like the red brick buildings, and how you can see the little grannies walking down the street. It’s cute."