National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP) Conference
Post by Stephane Rosarion ’17
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP) Conference. It was an amazing experience and I was able to grow my professional network. As a young and concerned Haitian, I have always been interested in the socio-economic situation in my country. Haiti is considered to be the poorest country in the western hemisphere and it truly bothers me when I know that we have so much potential. During the conference I was able to listen to fellow successful Haitians and hear them provide potential solutions.
Over the 3-days period, I had the opportunity to meet the Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., Paul Altidor and also the Attorney General of Washington DC, Karl Racine. Without this opportunity, I would not have been able to initiate those relationships. I also met a successful Haitian politician and businessman, Jerry Tardieu who was a Harvard graduate. He shared his experience with me and urged me to keep in touch so he could keep me updated on more opportunities.
One of the key takeaways was that I realized that we as Haitians have unused resources: The Diaspora. We have millions of Haitians living abroad and many of them are very successful. However, there is a disconnection between the mainland and others living abroad. They have both financial and intellectual resources at their disposal but it is not taken advantages of. The issue posed is how can we bridge that gap?
I am extremely grateful that Babson and the Undergraduate Professional Accelerator Fund for the opportunity to gain this exposure. It really provided great insight on my professional life. I now have a broader view of the magnitude of the issue, but most importantly the amount of help that is available. I believe that Haiti can be changed through business and entrepreneurship hence why I chose Babson for my education. The conference showed that there are many people that share my view and are willing to help. With our forces combined, I know we can implement the many ideas that we discussed at the conference.