Yesterday, I conducted an interview with Vincia Woods who is a Senior (4th year) student at Howard University in Washington D.C. Attending school in the nation's capital offers so many perks, particularly for students pursuing careers in fields such as law, politics, public administration and medicine. There are countless internships available in the various fields and to my knowledge, many of the professors at universities in the DC/MD/VA area are well-connected. Vincia is from the island of St. Kitts and is an aspiring medical doctor. She began her studies at Howard University in the Fall of 2006 and now she is preparing for her graduation in May 2010. Below is the brief conversation I held with Vincia:
Ozelle M: Why did you choose to attend Howard University?
Vincia W: Well firstly, I love the DMV area which includes District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia and also Howard has a great accelerated Biology/M.D. program. It was also the school that my mother dreamed I attended since I spoke my first words (haha)
Ozelle M: So this program allows you to complete your undergraduate degree and medical degree in a shortened time as oppose to if you did them independantly of each other?
Vincia W: Yes! That's correct!
Ozelle M: Is the student population at Howard accepting of Caribbean students?
Vincia W: Yes they are. They seem to enjoy different cultures and they support the Caribbean-related activities that are held on campus.
Ozelle M: Are you apart of the Caribbean Students Association?
Vincia W: Yes and I joined it to feel connected with my West Indian roots while I'm studying in Washington D.C.
Ozelle M: What plans do you have after you complete your degree at Howard?
Vincia W: I'm hoping to go on to graduate school.
Ozelle M: Would you encourage Caribbean Students to come to Howard University?
Vincia W: Definitely! Academically, it is a good school and it is very diverse. Also, there is a large West Indian population.
Ozelle M: Thank you for your time Vincia. I do hope that even more Caribbean people will be encouraged to attend Howard University in the future.
Vincia W: No problem. Thank you for having me on your blog and I invite more West Indians as well.
I really hope that you guys were able to benefit from this interview and will be encouraged to apply to Howard University to further your studies. Believe me, Washington D.C. is a great place to study. This summer, I made my inaugural visit to the nation's capital and it was nothing short of awesome. Even though, I was not able to visit the campus at Howard University, I did stop by Georgetown University for a bit. The area surrounding Georgetown is nice, chic and trendy. It seems as if it caters mainly to the Georgetown University community as most of the people were about in their 20s. Another thing I noted, Downtown Washington D.C. is VERY clean and many of the building look very stately. Hey! They should, since the President of the United States is now a D.C. resident.
