S3E48: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Giovani Headley of Jamaica

Publishing this episode on August 6th - the day that commemorates Jamaica's independence from the United Kingdom, which occurred on August 6, 1962! 

In this our forty-eighth episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Giovani Headley of Jamaica about his experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Giovani!

Copyright © Seattle Colleges International Programs 2023. All rights reserved. For more information about being an international student at Seattle Colleges, please visit intl.seattlecolleges.edu

The theme music 'Bounce' is an audio file pursuant to the Pixabay License as defined in the Pixabay Terms of Service available at https://http://pixabay.com/service/terms/

Also, connect with us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok) at
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Transcript

Evan Franulovich  0:05  
Welcome to Seattle Colleges International Programs and our show 'Conversations with!', where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu.

Evan Franulovich  1:05  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with!' We are here today with a very special guest from the island nation of...? 

Giovani Headley  1:16  
Jamaica.

Evan Franulovich  1:19  
Welcome!

Giovani Headley  1:20  
Wagwan. 

Evan Franulovich  1:22  
So glad to have you. 

Giovani Headley  1:23  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  1:23  
Our first guest from the Caribbean nation of Jamaica. So tell everybody who you are, how long you've been here, what you're studying, that kind of stuff.

Giovani Headley  1:33  
All right, so firstly, my name is Giovanni Headley. I am from the great island of Jamaica. We don't really say Island, we say a country, because we're up there, right? So we say country, we're that mighty. Yeah, I am from a town called Jerusalem Mountain, and it's very close to this popular tourist spot called Negril. So that's where I'm from. I'm currently studying nursing. I recently just got accepted into the nursing program. So fall, that's when it begins. And right now, I'm living in Seattle, so I'm actually pretty excited for all of this. 

Evan Franulovich  2:14  
So if you just got accepted to the nursing ground, that means you're finished with your prerequisites. 

Giovani Headley  2:19  
Yes, I am. 

Evan Franulovich  2:20  
So you've been here one year? 

Giovani Headley  2:22  
Yeah, one year. 

Evan Franulovich  2:23  
So let's talk about the prerequisites. I have a lot of students ask about nursing. 

Giovani Headley  2:25  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  2:26  
Lot of students want to come here, get into that field. Tell them about that first year. What kinds of classes did you have to take? What kinds of things did you have to organize and keep track of? 

Giovani Headley  2:39  
Alright, so firstly I did English. You have to do English 101 and 102. You have to do the biology subjects, so I started with microbiology because I wanted to do ANP 1&2 respectively. I know most of my friends, they like to do ANP one and two first, then do microbiology. But I don't like to break my studies and skip. So I'd have to do ANP one, then micro then ANP two. Nah, I just went the straight way. You have to do math statistics. So those out there who are afraid of math, it's time for you to get those Mike Tyson gloves on. 

Evan Franulovich  3:18  
Be tough.

Giovani Headley  3:19  
Yeah. So and psychology one and two, and those are the basics at Seattle Central College, you have to do NAC, which is the CNA program. And that's actually a very great initiative, because it gives me hands on already, I've done clinical, I've been in the work space, and that has reassured me of my passion of nursing, right? 

Evan Franulovich  3:41  
Right. Did some of the students that you took that with discover that, hey, nursing is not for me? 

Giovani Headley  3:48  
Definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  3:48  
Really? 

Giovani Headley  3:49  
Definitely. So that's the thing, when you get into the position or the place where you're actually experiencing what you want to dive into, it's a two way street. You either want to go further or you want to back out. But for me, the passion is there, the drive is there. I'm very highly motivated so I know what I want, so I kept going. 

Evan Franulovich  4:09  
That's awesome. So the blood doesn't bother you? 

Giovani Headley  4:12  
No, I'm not hemophobic. 

Evan Franulovich  4:14  
And the vomit?

Giovani Headley  4:18  
I'm Jamaican after all. We're not scared that easily. 

Evan Franulovich  4:22  
Okay, fair enough.

Giovani Headley  4:27  
Tips, when you're doing your prereqs, always organize. I'm a very organized person. I don't know if it's because I'm a Virgo, but I'm very organized. I use my notes up on my phone. This is what I'm going to be doing this quarter. I start looking for study tools already. I start getting my quizlets in line, and I like to study earlier before the quarter starts, right? So I start nursing in fall, and would you believe me from today that I already have the syllabus and I already started checking things off? 

Evan Franulovich  4:52  
This is gold right here, solid gold information.

Giovani Headley  4:56  
So I realized right the early bird actually does get the word. 

Evan Franulovich  5:01  
Right, right. 

Giovani Headley  5:02  
So I'm sticking to that philosophy all the way through, and then I think that will get you to accomplish anything you set yourself to. And friends, it's always good to have a mentor. So I'd like to take a moment to show to Emmanuel. He's from Nigeria. And that guy has been like a brother and a mentor to me. 

Evan Franulovich  5:20  
Let's get him on the show. 

Giovani Headley  5:21  
Yeah, definitely we need to. I was telling him about it too. I think he'd be interested, right? 

Evan Franulovich  5:25  
You tell him. 

Giovani Headley  5:26  
Because we're always doing that Nigeria versus Jamaica feud, but we know Jamaica is better, right? There is not much of a feud anymore. But definitely it's good to have a mentor, especially someone in the field that you're going into, right? And even if it's not someone in the field, someone in faculty is actually good too, because they've heard many experiences from different students too, and experiences teaches wisdom, right? So that's that's pretty good too. So he always says something important to me, he failed so I can succeed. And I stand by that, because he's made so many mistakes and It taught me, 'Hey, don't do this, don't do that.' And I appreciate it, right? 

Evan Franulovich  6:04  
That's great. 

Giovani Headley  6:06  
So that's good. Have yourself a mentor. Pay attention in class. Put your phone away. So I was living in Canada before I came here. 

Evan Franulovich  6:18  
What were you doing there?

Giovani Headley  6:20  
 I was doing biology, then I found out it wasn't for me. 

Evan Franulovich  6:24  
Okay. 

Giovani Headley  6:25  
So then I switched to nursing. And besides that, I've always had a passion for nursing, because my aunt operates like a non profit organization helping people back home. 

Evan Franulovich  6:36  
What's the name of that organization? 

Giovani Headley  6:40  
Live and Care. 

Evan Franulovich  6:41  
Yes, shout out to Live and Care.

Giovani Headley  6:43  
So a great man in my country always says, If you want to know what you want to be in the future, mix your passion with your talent, right? 

Evan Franulovich  6:50  
Good advice. 

Giovani Headley  6:51  
Both of them together, and you know what you want to be. So I did that, and here I am. I came to Seattle, I do not regret it. I've made a lot of great friends, family, I could say. And Seattle Colleges is definitely where community is. I've never felt left out here. So shout out to Seattle Colleges. Shout out to South Campus, right? 

Evan Franulovich  7:20  
You know, you could have done a number of things to go into nursing though, you could have also had pursued a bachelor's degree. Did you consider that versus an associate's degree?

Giovani Headley  7:28  
I am pursuing. So the thing with me too, Evan, I'm just very ambitious. 

Evan Franulovich  7:36  
Okay. 

Giovani Headley  7:36  
So do you mind if I share you my plan? 

Evan Franulovich  7:38  
Please do. 

Giovani Headley  7:39  
All right. So we start here with an associates, right? 

Evan Franulovich  7:43  
Okay. 

Giovani Headley  7:43  
And then right after, I'm going to Bellevue, after I take my OPT and I work for a year, I'm going to Bellevue to do my RN to BSN. 

Evan Franulovich  7:51  
Gotcha. 

Giovani Headley  7:52  
But I don't stop there. After there, I'm going to either U Dub or Seattle U to get my DNP, because it has to be Dr Headley, right? So I'm looking at acute care or anesthesiology, right? 

Evan Franulovich  8:08  
Great field. 

Giovani Headley  8:09  
But the thing is, Seattle did me a number with that, because there is no anesthesiology school here. It's in Spokane, right? But I fell in love with Seattle, so I don't want to go. 

Evan Franulovich  8:23  
I'm surprised U Dub doesn't have it. 

Giovani Headley  8:25  
Exactly. 

Evan Franulovich  8:27  
What about OHSU down in Portland? 

Giovani Headley  8:32  
Portland? 

Evan Franulovich  8:33  
You stay in the west side of the Pacific Northwest. 

Giovani Headley  8:35  
I have to check it out. 

Evan Franulovich  8:36  
OHSU, I bet has it. You can look into that.

Giovani Headley  8:40  
Definitely, I look into that. So that's where I'm at right now. And then, even after, I want to help a lot of people back home. So I came here and I see that care homes are pretty popular here. I wouldn't say that they're very popular back home, not to my knowledge. So that's one of my first steps after getting my DNP.

Evan Franulovich  9:02  
Right. So when you say care homes, are you talking about for the elderly? 

Giovani Headley  9:06  
Yes, long term. For example, I'd have a cousin, and she'd have to be at home with her parents. And you know that can be a bit of a disadvantage to you. You don't get the chance to go down work, because you have to be looking for the eldery. So if I can put affordable care homes and communities, that would actually eliminate a problem right there. 

Evan Franulovich  9:29  
Right. 

Giovani Headley  9:29  
Yeah, and I would definitely make sure that it's cost effective, right? Because I know my country is getting there, so that's one of my targets right now, so I'm definitely not stopping here. It's Dr Headley. All right, you can check back in a few years.

Evan Franulovich  9:48  
So let's talk about you finishing your prerequisites and then applying for the nursing program. So tell us about the application procedure. What do you have to do? 

Giovani Headley  9:59  
All right. So Seattle Colleges has a very straightforward application portal. It's not a third party website, it is Seattle Colleges, because I am where Seattle Colleges, they already have your transcript, whether or not central, but you still have to transfer your credits to Central, because the nursing program is hosted right by central so you still have to transfer credits, just so they can evaluate it and has and have it on the central registration system, right? So after that, they need you to complete the CNA, which is a part of the application. You need to submit your certification from the DOH.

Evan Franulovich  9:59  
CPR stuff done too?

Giovani Headley  10:22  
Yeah, Seattle Colleges made it pretty easy. They incorporated the CPR in the CNA program, right? Two birds, one stone, right? 

Evan Franulovich  10:59  
Nice. 

Giovani Headley  11:00  
So we did that in our third week. 

Evan Franulovich  11:02  
Okay. 

Giovani Headley  11:03  
And that's more hands on training. I'm telling you guys, it's always good to get hands on experience. That's where you know, if you want to quit or you want to stop. We were doing CPR on the babies, and some of the females were like, 'No, I can't.' But you know, you have to get into the mindset, right? You won't know if it's yours until you have truly done it. 

Evan Franulovich  11:31  
There's two enrollments, right? There's fall and winter. 

Giovani Headley  11:34  
Yes, there's no Summer enrollment. It's fall and winter.

Evan Franulovich  11:38  
In the application deadline for the fall was when? When did you have to get that in? 

Giovani Headley  11:43  
I think it was June 23. 

Evan Franulovich  11:45  
Was it June? 

Giovani Headley  11:46  
June or April.

Evan Franulovich  11:48  
Yeah, I think it's April. And I think if you want to apply for the later one, then I believe it's summer.

Giovani Headley  11:54  
Yeah, it closes sometime near in Fall. Yeah, but it's good. And you can always speak to your advisors. You can always  reach out to the nursing program. They're always quick to respond.

Evan Franulovich  11:55  
The nursing program has a lot of really specialized information, so you can work both worlds. 

Giovani Headley  12:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  12:08  
For sure. Good website.

Giovani Headley  12:08  
So their website, your advisors are always there. You can always book with starfish, right? 

Evan Franulovich  12:08  
Yep. 

Giovani Headley  12:08  
And as I said, if you have a mentor, it's good. So once you enroll into the college, it's always good to find someone who is in your career. But I can't over express that enough, because I'm telling you, it just been an easy path for me having a mentor. 

Evan Franulovich  12:35  
So are you gonna pay it forward? Are you gonna be a mentor for someone? 

Giovani Headley  12:46  
Definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  12:46  
There you go, guys. 

Giovani Headley  12:47  
I'm already. 

Evan Franulovich  12:49  
Are you?

Giovani Headley  12:50  
Yes, I'm actually a part of Project Baldwin. Do you know what? 

Evan Franulovich  12:53  
Yes.

Giovani Headley  12:54  
Let me tell the viewers. 

Evan Franulovich  12:55  
Please.

Giovani Headley  12:55  
Project Baldwin is a mentorship program at Seattle Colleges for men of color. We help with one on one, where we just started incorporating tutoring, tuition support. We help you to connect with persons in the workforce, right? So we're really a good program. 

Evan Franulovich  13:15  
Yeah, we've talked about Project Baldwin on here before, but it is worth mentioning again. It's open to everybody, really. They do specialize in helping with people of color, and it is a great organization. And there's international and domestic students.

Giovani Headley  13:33  
And if you're female and you come to us, we will try our best to direct you to the right resources, too. And then we know how to have a sister program too for women of color. It just started very fresh, it's getting here, but it will be up there soon enough. 

Evan Franulovich  13:50  
And that's here at Central? 

Giovani Headley  13:52  
It's at South. It's called SWAC, for woman of color. You can look into it after. I don't have much information, because it's pretty new. So they're really trying to get the structure and everything started out. 

Evan Franulovich  14:11  
Cool. 

Giovani Headley  14:11  
But it's good to look into when you get here. There's a lot of resources, but you won't find them unless you look.

Evan Franulovich  14:18  
So in two years, we'll have to redo this interview after you're graduating. That would be cool. Let's go back a little bit to you're in Jamaica, living in Jamaica, and you decide to go to Canada, right? So you went to grade school and high school in Jamaica? 

Giovani Headley  14:33  
I went to boarding school. Yeah, so let me tell you a bit about that. Maybe my parents wanted to get me out the house. But yeah, when I went to boarding school for seven years. 

Evan Franulovich  14:45  
Oh. 

Giovani Headley  14:45  
Yeah, I did pre college there. 

Evan Franulovich  14:47  
In the same town or different town? 

Giovani Headley  14:49  
No, a different town. So boarding school is a bit on a mountain, so it's the Santa Cruz mountain in a parish called Saint Elizabeth. Very good school. Very cool. 

Evan Franulovich  15:02  
What's the name of the school? 

Giovani Headley  15:03  
Monroe College? So shout out to Monroe College. That's where all my structure, everything that I've learned, besides home training, right? I got it right there. 

Evan Franulovich  15:14  
Cool. 

Giovani Headley  15:15  
So, that's good. So I went to Monroe College for seven years, right? Then I did pre college, we call it six form, so it's like 12 and 13 grade here. 

Evan Franulovich  15:26  
Okay. 

Giovani Headley  15:27  
It's like pre college. So the courses I did here, to be honest, I already did them in pre college. So that has made it really easy. Yeah, so most Caribbean students and Africa as well, has something similar to that. So when they come here, for all of us, it's a bit easy to just go through the first part of the preregs, until we start doing like A and B2 where it's different from the first part, right? I think in ninth grade, we had a career day, and I was speaking with my guidance counselor, which is still like an advisor here. And we were discussing medical fields, and then she was saying that her cousin studies anesthesia in Russia, and she was saying, it's a great field to go into, and it's not very popular, because other people are scared of the time you spend in actually getting the degree. And then I was actually scared too. And I went back to her a few days after and she asked me, 'Would you rather wait 14 years and have no degree, or spend 14 years and have a degree?' And obviously I chose, I want the degree. 

Evan Franulovich  16:34  
Sure. 

Giovani Headley  16:35  
So I did that. So then my aunt lives in Canada. 

Evan Franulovich  16:40  
Which city? 

Giovani Headley  16:42  
Vancouver. 

Evan Franulovich  16:42  
Oh, it's up the road.

Giovani Headley  16:43  
Yeah. I drove there last week. 

Evan Franulovich  16:45  
Easy. 

Giovani Headley  16:45  
So it's a easy commute. 

Evan Franulovich  16:46  
Do you need a visa to go to Canada? 

Giovani Headley  16:46  
Yes. I go there, back and forth, because I still have friends there. So I went there, and I was studying biology. But as I said, I just realized it's not for me, because the thing is, doing biology puts me in just lab work. I respect my lab takes, but I want to achieve a lot more, right? We were at a conference there, and the nurses were there, and then I met someone and we were talking, and they're like, 'Yeah, I asked a lot of question, because I love to ask questions. If you don't ask, you won't know.' So then I started thinking about everything that I've been doing so far, shaping me up to this, and I'm actually built for this. I know I am. So then I reached out, my mom lives here. 

Evan Franulovich  17:38  
In Seattle? 

Giovani Headley  17:39  
Yeah, my mom is there. And then I said, 'I think I'm actually planning on coming to Seattle.' Because in Canada, they don't allow like international students to study medical fields, right? So I think it's very slim, but so it's varies by school, none of the schools. So UBC doesn't accept nursing students. I went to Kwantlen Polytechnique... 

Evan Franulovich  18:06  
Interesting. 

Giovani Headley  18:07  
...they don't accept nursing students from the International diaspora. They have a nursing program, which is psych nursing, which a lot of students are scared of Psych nursing, which it says in the name, right? So I chose to come here. I came here and then I started my prereqs. I came here just actually about two weeks before I met you. 

Evan Franulovich  18:32  
Okay.

Giovani Headley  18:32  
Yeah, I just came over, then two weeks later and I went to orientation. 

Evan Franulovich  18:36  
Right. 

Giovani Headley  18:37  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  18:38  
So you had to get a visa to come be an F-1 student? Yeah. So you applied for Seattle Colleges from Canada. Did you have to go back to do your visa interview?

Giovani Headley  18:50  
No, I did in it Canada. 

Evan Franulovich  18:52  
You did? 

Giovani Headley  18:52  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:52  
In Vancouver?

Giovani Headley  18:54  
Vancouver. 

Evan Franulovich  18:54  
Easy. 

Giovani Headley  18:55  
They're very easy. It was not a very stressful process. Usually, when people hear about like visa applications, they start to worry. Once your documents are in order and you answer your questions very intellectually, it's not good to rush into a question, right? A question is just like a challenge as anything. No matter how simple the question is, it's good to process your questions, right? Because sometimes you might put an image and the person will be interpreting something else, like you're trying to come here and not go back, which is what they're scared of the most. 

Evan Franulovich  19:32  
Of course. 

Giovani Headley  19:32  
So you have to just think, understand your question and just answer it, and you'll be good. 

Evan Franulovich  19:37  
What kind of questions did they ask? 

Giovani Headley  19:40  
So what am I going to do there? What program I'm studying? Do I have anyone there? They try to ask you questions relating to back home like, 'Who do you have back home?' Because they want to ensure you have ties back home, to ensure you're going back home. It's nothing to study for. You don't need a Quizlet. So you're good.

Evan Franulovich  20:02  
You don't have to study for it, but you should definitely understand your path. 

Giovani Headley  20:07  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:07  
Know what you're doing, why you're doing it, speak about it naturally. 

Giovani Headley  20:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:12  
Those kinds of things, if you sound rehearsed, they're not gonna like that. 

Giovani Headley  20:15  
So it's good. It's just be yourself, right? Everything they're asking you, you already know the answer, right?

Evan Franulovich  20:20  
Right. That's very cool. And how long did it take? You got it on your first try? 

Giovani Headley  20:27  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:28  
And then how long did it take to actually get the visa?

Giovani Headley  20:30  
Three days. 

Evan Franulovich  20:31  
Oh, super fast.

Giovani Headley  20:32  
Yeah, it's very fast. 

Evan Franulovich  20:33  
That's wonderful. 

Giovani Headley  20:35  
Yeah, three days.

Evan Franulovich  20:36  
What are you doing for housing in Seattle?

Giovani Headley  20:40  
All right, so I'm living with my mom. 

Evan Franulovich  20:43  
Oh, yeah. 

Giovani Headley  20:44  
Right. But I'm growing up, right? I want that experience to be a man. So when I heard about the RA position being open... 

Evan Franulovich  20:53  
Wonderful. 

Giovani Headley  20:54  
Yes, that that's my perfect time. So I applied, and went to the interview. I wooed them as usual. I'm a Jamaican, right? So after that I was told that I would get a response in a week or two, but it was three days. 

Evan Franulovich  21:12  
Oh, my God. 

Giovani Headley  21:13  
So I knew I really left an impression in that interview. And then in early August, late July, I'll be moving in. I'll be right across the street. I'll definitely come by and say hi. 

Evan Franulovich  21:23  
So I want to just help the viewers understand what we're talking about. So as an international student, you can work on campus up to 20 hours a week. 

Giovani Headley  21:33  
40 during the break. 

Evan Franulovich  21:34  
Yeah, 40 during the break. So we have a number of jobs available on our campuses. We have three campuses, plus our district office, but he got a job as an RA, which is a residence assistant, and in my opinion, it's one of the best jobs, because you get free housing. 

Giovani Headley  21:49  
Free housing is always really cool. And a good thing to note, if you're going to North, you can work at Central, and if you're going to Central, you can work at North. So there's no limitation on your campus, as long as it's within the district.

Evan Franulovich  22:02  
Yeah, that's an advantage of being here. That's cool. 

Giovani Headley  22:05  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:07  
And your housing here is close to where you're going to be doing nursing school, yeah? Because nursing isn't actually in the building. 

Giovani Headley  22:15  
It's not. 

Evan Franulovich  22:17  
Where is it exactly?

Giovani Headley  22:18  
I'm not really sure where the building is, I won't know until orientation. I've been there before, and it's maybe like 12-15 minutes from here, it's 10 minutes away from South. 

Evan Franulovich  22:30  
Oh, it is? 

Giovani Headley  22:31  
Yeah, it is. 

Evan Franulovich  22:32  
Oh, I thought it was further. 

Giovani Headley  22:33  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:34  
Oh, I guess I don't know where this place is at.

Giovani Headley  22:37  
With no traffic, it's 12 to 15 minutes from South.

Evan Franulovich  22:42  
Can you take the bus to get there? 

Giovani Headley  22:46  
I think so. 

Evan Franulovich  22:47  
So walking isn't an option. 

Giovani Headley  22:51  
But the thing is, I didn't want to do nursing at that campus so I stayed at South. 

Evan Franulovich  22:58  
So you're a South student? 

Giovani Headley  23:02  
So I'm a central student but South is my main campus. Yeah, it gets really confusing. 

Evan Franulovich  23:12  
I'm gonna count you as a South student because we haven't had any South guests. 

Giovani Headley  23:17  
All right.

Evan Franulovich  23:17  
Well, you're both, so that's great. 

Giovani Headley  23:18  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:19  
Awesome. So you're going to be very busy. You know, we had a guest on from South Korea who was in the nursing program, and once he started it, he was busy. Well, you're involved with Project Baldwin. Do you have other clubs that you take part in?

Giovani Headley  23:38  
No, previously, I did, but we didn't. We had a Soca Club students of the Caribbean and African ancestry. 

Evan Franulovich  23:46  
Oh, cool.

Giovani Headley  23:47  
Yeah, but then there's not many students of the Caribbean from here, so not many members. 

Evan Franulovich  23:52  
We need more. 

Giovani Headley  23:53  
Yes, we need more. But with that being said, Seattle Colleges accept everyone. There's no bias towards anyone. So regardless of your background, you can join any club you wish. 

Evan Franulovich  24:07  
Sure. So will you take the NCLEX exam after you're done with your nursing program, and will that transfer to Jamaica, no problem? 

Giovani Headley  24:16  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:17  
Okay. Because I always wonder going from one country to another with those credentials.

Giovani Headley  24:22  
So American education is always accepted by most countries. 

Evan Franulovich  24:27  
Yeah. 

Giovani Headley  24:28  
It's just coming here from Jamaica, you might have to do a test. It all comes down to accreditation, actually. So in Jamaica, there's a popular university, the Caribbean University of the West Indies, right? So University of the West Indies is mostly accredited. Well, I know the US, accepts the courses, right? I have friends who came here that transferred the courses easily. So maybe if you did a degree at UWE, you just have to do a test to get into the path you want to do. 

Evan Franulovich  25:00  
Gotcha. So in Jamaica, is the health field pretty easy to get into. I mean, if you have the credentials in the education, are there jobs?

Giovani Headley  25:16  
There are jobs. I think with the health field it's just expensive to study in Jamaica. 

Evan Franulovich  25:24  
Oh, it is? 

Giovani Headley  25:25  
It is, because the tuition is actually registered on the University of the West Indian in US dollars, not Jamaican dollars. It's pretty pricey. Yeah, after graduation, there's always jobs in the medical field around the world. It's a ever growing field. 

Evan Franulovich  25:25  
For sure. 

Giovani Headley  25:27  
Yes, and you will always need help. So it's always a good profession to go into.

Evan Franulovich  25:30  
So are you saying it's more expensive if you had stayed in Jamaica than to come to Seattle Colleges? Or is it similar? 

Giovani Headley  25:56  
All right, to be honest, what I'm paying now, it's more expensive back home, if I compare it.

Evan Franulovich  26:03  
Wow. 

Giovani Headley  26:03  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:04  
But housing must be cheaper. 

Giovani Headley  26:07  
100%. 

Evan Franulovich  26:09  
Yeah, cool.

Giovani Headley  26:11  
It's a bit similar too, because I think it's like 1 million Jamaica dollars, and that's pretty much the same to what I'm paying here. 

Evan Franulovich  26:17  
Oh, yeah. 

Giovani Headley  26:19  
Or sometime it fluctuates, too. But why I came to the Canada and the US is because our family and opportunities. You know, in Jamaica, we call it the land of milk and honey, just to represent the countless opportunities here. And in Jamaica, you can't go to school and have a job. It's pretty near much impossible, right? So here is, you know, where the Malecon honey is. 

Evan Franulovich  26:47  
Nice, great. What about scholarships? You know, you are going to be here a while with us, January through March. We offer our Foundation Scholarship. Did you apply for it?

Giovani Headley  26:58  
You're looking at our recipient. 

Evan Franulovich  27:00  
Cool. 

Giovani Headley  27:00  
Yeah, so I have the foundation scholarship, and then Project Baldwin covers up to $1400 of my tuition per quarter. 

Evan Franulovich  27:10  
How? They have a scholarship? 

Giovani Headley  27:11  
It's for students, it's not a scholarship. Once you're a part of Project Baldwin and you're an active member, you apply through Formstock, and you're eligible. Except it sounds pretty easy, right? But all we ask for in return is participation and support towards our program, right? And that's $1400 per quarter for all men of color students who are involved in our program, right? So once you apply, we never told anyone no, actually. We just need activity. We just need participation. We're trying to build a community, right? 

Evan Franulovich  27:51  
Right.

Giovani Headley  27:52  
So we know the money is free, so in return, we're just asking to just be an active member.

Evan Franulovich  27:58  
So do they track how much time you spend volunteering?

Giovani Headley  28:04  
We just started incorporating that actually. We know school is hectic, so we say at least three or four of our events per quarter. 

Evan Franulovich  28:14  
Right. 

Giovani Headley  28:15  
We have events bi weekly, we cover topics range from mental health, financial education. So once you come to our meetings, we don't ask you to sign in and leave. At least stay half of the meeting, that's all we're asking you for. So that's how we track it.

Evan Franulovich  28:33  
Wow. Well, check that out. I didn't realize that was a benefit. Is there a cap to the number of members they can have? 

Giovani Headley  28:41  
No, we actually have almost 300 members now across the colleges. 

Evan Franulovich  28:45  
Wow. 

Giovani Headley  28:46  
And it doesn't stop there. We offer book resource, book support as well resources. So for example, if you're doing welding and you need a welding equipment, we have a Book Request Form, but we have slash resources. So boots, your equipment for welding, your equipment for if you're doing arts, you as long as you're an active member, there's a lot of benefits for you. 

Evan Franulovich  29:09  
How about textbooks? 

Giovani Headley  29:11  
Yeah, definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  29:12  
Check it out. 

Giovani Headley  29:14  
If it's on your syllabus, we can get it. 

Evan Franulovich  29:16  
Yeah, that's amazing. I didn't know that. 

Giovani Headley  29:19  
But as I said, if you don't ask, you won't know. So it's always good to ask plenty of questions. There's no such thing as a stupid question.

Evan Franulovich  29:28  
Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. So that's why, listening to this podcast, you get these experts in here that have been through it. They know what to tell you. 

Giovani Headley  29:38  
Yeah, we're failing. So we can make it easier for you. We make the mistakes, right? We correct them, of course, because we don't just fail and stop. 

Evan Franulovich  29:45  
That's right. 

Giovani Headley  29:46  
We make a mistake, we correct it, and then it's your turn.

Evan Franulovich  29:49  
Well, what do you do for fun?

Giovani Headley  29:53  
Oh, my God, I'm very shy to say this to my fellow Jamaicans that are seeing this. I'm a huge Anime watcher.

Evan Franulovich  30:00  
Oh, cool. 

Giovani Headley  30:00  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:01  
Why is that a big deal? 

Giovani Headley  30:03  
I'm a nerd.

Evan Franulovich  30:08  
Anime is big. 

Giovani Headley  30:09  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:10  
A lot of people love anime. 

Giovani Headley  30:11  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:12  
Jamaicans check out anime. It's cool. 

Giovani Headley  30:14  
Yeah, a lot of Jamaicans watch anime quietly, they just don't want to be considered a nerd, but I'm a huge anime fan, and soccer. 

Evan Franulovich  30:22  
Oh, yeah, sure. 

Giovani Headley  30:23  
So, you know, the FIFA Cup was just here. I went to two of the matches. 

Evan Franulovich  30:27  
Oh, cool. Who did you see?

Giovani Headley  30:30  
Paris Saint-Germain from France. 

Evan Franulovich  30:32  
Sweet. 

Giovani Headley  30:32  
Yeah, that's my team, through and through. So I went to those matches. And even on my way here, I was listening to a match on my phone that was playing. So soccer, studying. Let me admit, I'm a nerd, I love to study. 

Evan Franulovich  30:46  
Cool. 

Giovani Headley  30:47  
So soccer, studying, movies and anime, that's me. Yeah, I'm not much of a outgoing person, like parties.

Evan Franulovich  30:59  
Well, I know one of the things I get, when I talk to Brazilian students and some of the other Caribbean students I've talked to is, you come to Seattle, the weather's a little different. How have you been doing here?

Giovani Headley  31:16  
All right, so I was in Canada for a year. So Canada, Seattle, it's pretty much the same. 

Evan Franulovich  31:22  
It's pretty close.

Giovani Headley  31:23  
Yeah, same weather, except in Seattle it's more bipolar. You can never know what the next move of Seattle weather would be. 

Evan Franulovich  31:33  
That's true. 

Giovani Headley  31:33  
Right now, it's hot outside, but I might go outside and it's snowing, right? 

Evan Franulovich  31:37  
That's not true. Today is beautiful.

Giovani Headley  31:41  
Today is very beautiful, right? 

Evan Franulovich  31:44  
Yeah.

Giovani Headley  31:44  
So because I was in Canada, it has been an easy matriculation for me. Yeah, so it wasn't bad. Yeah, I have my winter clothes, my jackets. And in summer, I have my shorts, so I'll be wearing shorts soon. 

Evan Franulovich  31:57  
You're good. 

Giovani Headley  31:58  
Yeah, so I'm good.

Evan Franulovich  32:00  
Because you're not taking any classes this summer, you're not even working. You don't start until August.

Giovani Headley  32:05  
Yeah, but I still drop in the Project Baldwin while in office, just in case, because we have students sure who come through before the quarter to find out about the resources that are available. I was just at the office too.

Evan Franulovich  32:17  
Yeah, it's just right across the hall from our international programs. It's very convenient. 

Giovani Headley  32:23  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  32:23  
And who should they talk to if they go in there? 

Giovani Headley  32:25  
All right, definitely. Our person that was here, he matriculated to a different position. 

Evan Franulovich  32:32  
Oh, yeah. 

Giovani Headley  32:32  
So Julius will be here for the summer quarter, which is our director, Julius Lloyd Wright. Project Baldwin is on the Seattle Colleges website as well. So you'll see who to contact there. It's very pretty straightforward. Reach out to Julius, he'll respond as soon as he can. And then from there, you come in-person, you meet your ambassadors. We have ambassadors at each campus, right? We're also looking for Ambassador for Central, right? Because our ambassador recently graduated, so we'll have a position open, and that's a paid position as well. 

Evan Franulovich  33:04  
Open to international students? 

Giovani Headley  33:06  
Everyone. So as I said, there's a lot of opportunities on campus job related too. For contact, or to get active, look up Project Baldwin on the Seattle Colleges website, and look for Julius Lloyd. Reach out, and then you can get active from there. 

Evan Franulovich  33:29  
You're good to go. Right on. It's Trivia Time. This is the part of the show where you ask you five questions, just for fun. This is no big deal. If you miss a couple you will cry yourself to sleep. No big deal. All right. Question number one: Since you are a soccer fan, what is the name of the soccer team here in Seattle? 

Giovani Headley  33:50  
Seattle Sounders. 

Evan Franulovich  33:51  
Yeah, good job! Now let's see if you're consistent. Now, baseball is really popular in the Caribbean. We have a baseball team here in Seattle as well. What's the name of our baseball team? 

Giovani Headley  34:02  
The name of the baseball team? How can I forget? But I did. Is it the Mariners?

Evan Franulovich  34:13  
Nice job. All right. Very good. So Seattle is in the northwest corner. North of us is British Columbia. What state is directly south of us?

Giovani Headley  34:26  
Directly south that's Portland, Oregon.

Evan Franulovich  34:28  
Yes, Oregon. Nice job! Question number four: How many credits do you have to take every quarter in order to remain full time?

Giovani Headley  34:42  
All right, so that's 12 credits, right? And you can have a few online, but there's a minimum to that. You have to have seven in-person credits or hybrid, or hybrid. So it's 12

Evan Franulovich  35:05  
Nice job. Very good. Final question: Since you're into movies, what was the last movie you saw in the movie theater? 

Giovani Headley  35:13  
All right. So that was How to Train Your Dragon. It's blowing up all over the web. I had to be a part of the hype. 

Evan Franulovich  35:20  
Yeah? 

Giovani Headley  35:21  
It was really good. It was the perfect adaptation of a cartoon. 

Evan Franulovich  35:26  
Really?

Giovani Headley  35:27  
 Yes, chef's kiss.

Evan Franulovich  35:29  
Go see it. You're on the wall of fame. Nice job! That's really impressive. Good job! Have you seen a Mariners game as well? Have you gone to the game?

Giovani Headley  35:41  
My friend invited me, so I'm actually looking to go to one. And I think the Foundation Scholarship hosts like this thing with the Mariners, so I'm looking forward to that. 

Evan Franulovich  35:49  
Yeah. And then in the spring quarter, if you're here for spring, they do an international night for international students. Super cheap tickets. They get a section of the field. It's really cool. Yeah, so check that out. In your fall quarter, when you started the nursing program, do you know how many international students you'll be going to school with? It's quite a few, right? 

Giovani Headley  36:15  
For nursing? Yeah, there's quite a lot. I know a lot are from Africa. 

Evan Franulovich  36:21  
Yeah. 

Giovani Headley  36:21  
So my mentor, Emmanuel told me that a lot of students in there are international. Not many too domestic, right?

Evan Franulovich  36:31  
Not too many domestics. 

Giovani Headley  36:32  
Mostly international students.

Evan Franulovich  36:33  
Interesting. There you go. Good nursing program. 

Giovani Headley  36:37  
It's very great. 

Evan Franulovich  36:38  
But one thing I want to clarify, they do a lottery system, right? 

Giovani Headley  36:44  
So that's actually a big misconception. 

Evan Franulovich  36:51  
Is it? 

Giovani Headley  36:50  
Once you complete all your requirements, right? The person that finishes everything are prioritized first. Is that a lottery system? I don't know. So that's how they do it. So if you have all your your prereqs completed, your NEC certification is in, there's no outstanding documents. 100% you're definitely in. 

Evan Franulovich  37:18  
You're in. 

Giovani Headley  37:19  
So the person who has standing requirements are are not really prioritized, right? 

Evan Franulovich  37:26  
Gotcha. 

Giovani Headley  37:26  
You are placed on like a waiting list, so it's good to always plan accordingly, so you're not one of those students, right? So I asked the program specialist, and she said it wasn't lottery based. 

Evan Franulovich  37:42  
Interesting. 

Giovani Headley  37:43  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:43  
I learn something every day. It's awesome. 

Giovani Headley  37:45  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:46  
Cool. 

Giovani Headley  37:47  
That's good. Have a plan in mind. Stick to the plan. That's where planning with your advisor comes in handy too, right? Your advisor sees 100 steps in front of you. 

Evan Franulovich  38:01  
Yeah. 

Giovani Headley  38:02  
You will definitely not be on the latter, and you will definitely be in the topic of the nursing program, or whichever program you apply to.

Evan Franulovich  38:10  
We have lots of students from all over the world, not just the Caribbean or Latin America, in the nursing program, not just Africa, but Asia, Europe, everywhere. So you won't be alone. You'll have many people to talk with, above you, below you, in your cohort. Don't worry, you won't be alone.

Giovani Headley  38:30  
Yep, and nursing is a team sport, right? So it's good to get that team building with your friends, organize everything together, and it's good to have a person in when you're doing like your clinicals. It starts right there. 

Evan Franulovich  38:47  
Now I told you that I'm getting ready to go to Jamaica in October. Food, what should I be looking for when I get there?

Giovani Headley  38:54  
So first and foremost. So my grandma came up and I had to drive to Canada just for this, and it's our KFC chicken. Jamaica has the best KFC chicken. It's seasoned with love and passion, I'm telling you. It's seasoned with the Jamaican spices. So definitely go to Jamaica and KFC the first thing right after that. Try our oxtail. 

Evan Franulovich  39:17  
Oh, yeah, you said that.

Giovani Headley  39:20  
Or jerk chicken. And do you eat pork by any chance? 

Evan Franulovich  39:25  
Yeah. 

Giovani Headley  39:25  
Jerk pork. We have ackee and saltfish too. Oh, I'm missing Jamaica now.

Evan Franulovich  39:35  
Have you not found a good restaurant in Seattle? There's so many good restaurants in Seattle?

Giovani Headley  39:39  
I tried searching for Jamaicans restaurants near me, and I went to one, and it was very good. And now it got closed recently, so I'm hoping it will soon be up, and that's good. So when I go to a Jamaican restaurant, I do a Jamaican test, I speak Patwa to the person at the cashier or the chef if I can, and if the chef cannot speak Patwa, I'm leaving.

Evan Franulovich  40:05  
It's a sign. Which brings us to the part of the show where we ask you to speak in your language. You are from Jamaica, which is primarily English speaking in a lot of places, right? You also speak...?

Giovani Headley  40:22  
We speak Patwa, which is like broken English, right? Many Jamaicans do not like to call it broken English. We like to call it our language, right? Just tell me, what do you want me to say? Should I just...?

Evan Franulovich  40:36  
You can do 10 to 20 seconds. It doesn't have to be a lot, but you know, you can encourage students back in your home country that are thinking about maybe going overseas, or you can even just say hi to your family if you want to. 

Giovani Headley  40:47  
All right, so I'll give an encouragement in Jamaican (Patwa) language. *Giovani's advice in Patwa mixed with English* 

Evan Franulovich  40:47  
Well, that sounds like you're speaking English. 

Giovani Headley  41:13  
I made sure I put in some English words here.

Evan Franulovich  41:13  
All right. 

Giovani Headley  41:13  
I didn't want you to be clueless, like, 'What is he saying?'

Evan Franulovich  41:21  
Well, do just 10 seconds of just Patwa. 

Giovani Headley  41:23  
All right, just Patwa? *Giovani's message in Patwa*

Evan Franulovich  41:33  
Nice. 

Giovani Headley  41:33  
How was that? 

Evan Franulovich  41:33  
That was perfect. I don't know what you said, but it was awesome. 

Giovani Headley  41:36  
I said, 'I'm here with Evan. I'm doing an interview. When you come here, you should try it, and I bet you will like it.' 

Evan Franulovich  41:39  
You should get on the show. 

Giovani Headley  41:42  
Yeah. So Patwa is fast, right? So the first time I did it, we call it code switching, where you include one or two English words so the person can understand. Not many people in Jamaica are fluent in English. 70% of the island is not fluent in English, right?

Evan Franulovich  42:01  
So when I meet with students, is it going to be difficult for me to communicate with them? 

Giovani Headley  42:09  
No, students definitely speak English. If you're like on the roadside, maybe speaking to like a vendor, they will try their best to give you their version of English.

Evan Franulovich  42:20  
If I go to KFC? 

Giovani Headley  42:22  
English. 

Evan Franulovich  42:23  
English is good. All right, cool. What makes it so good? What's so different? Have you been to this KFC here? It's not the same, apparently, what's the story? 

Giovani Headley  42:33  
Not, it's not. KFC in Jamaica has barbecue, right? And we have hot and spicy, right? It's just so different. And what I realized here is the fast food restaurants tend to use a lot of oil in their cooking, and oh my God, we're afraid of oil in Jamaica. So our tasty chicken, it's not oily, and it's seasoned to perfection. I can taste it. 

Evan Franulovich  42:55  
I'm gonna have to check it out when I get there. 

Giovani Headley  42:57  
Yeah, definitely. Just give me a call and be like, 'Hey, I'm in KFC. What should I order?' 

Evan Franulovich  43:02  
So your mom is here. So do you have family back home still? 

Giovani Headley  43:07  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  43:08  
Who's home? Do you have brother sisters? 

Giovani Headley  43:10  
I have great grandma, grandpa, uncles.

Evan Franulovich  43:16  
Maybe I'll run into them on, that be great.

Giovani Headley  43:20  
Yeah, definitely. If this interview is posted before, they'll probably be looking, 'Oh, you met my cousin.'

Evan Franulovich  43:26  
Yeah, cool. All right. And the very last piece, and you've kind of been giving advice the whole time, so it seems repetitive a little bit, but you've been through the process, what's your last bit of counseling, your wisdom that you can pass on to people that are thinking about coming?

Giovani Headley  43:43  
All right. So firstly, when you're coming to America, it's a mixture of a lot of different cultures, a lot of things that you're not accustomed to, but always remember, keep an open mind, and it's a community space, no bias. Always be welcoming everyone and their differences, right? And when you're here, try to make good friends, try to be involved as much possible. When I was in high school, I wasn't really involved as much as I should have been. So try to be involved in different clubs on campus. As I said earlier, have a mentor. It's good. Reach out, speak to your advisors. Study like tomorrow is the exam, even if it's next year. 

Evan Franulovich  44:35  
Yeah, it's good advice. 

Giovani Headley  44:25  
And definitely join Evan's podcast. That's actually a requirement of graduating. I'm joking, but join Evan's podcast. 

Evan Franulovich  44:49  
Yeah, thanks. Well, it's great having you on the show. So good to meet you again. It's been a long time. 

Giovani Headley  45:04  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  44:41  
I'll be excited to see where things take you. In two years, we'll sit down again as you're getting ready to graduate. Please don't forget you guys can join us every Wednesday, right here, same place. Learn all about being an international student, coming to Seattle, being at a community college. Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, Share. With everybody you know, educators, parents, everybody you know, grandma, the dog even. Just come on and do it. All right, thanks again. Good luck to you. Have an enjoyable summer. 

Giovani Headley  45:11  
All right, thank you.

Evan Franulovich  45:11  
Yeah, thank you, man. We'll see you soon. Bye, bye. 

Evan Franulovich  45:18  
Conversations with! is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me, Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl, that's Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.