Ampersand: Stetson’s Pantheon of Caribbean Student Leadership

Zeus: Supreme leader of the cosmos and king of the gods

The legend of Zeus is one of the world’s most well-known stories. The all-powerful god who sits at the head of the table on Mt. Olympus; his name is synonymous with leadership, power and justice. On Stetson’s campus, we have Zeuses of our own – not ones that reign from a cloud, but from the executive boards of organizations with leaders who oversee aspects of student life. 

Lewwe Talk About It - Kaise Tinglin ’26, President of CSA

Tinglin, president of Stetson’s Caribbean Student Association, is a Jamaican American who takes her role as a leader seriously. When asked about her feelings on being the head of her organization, Tinglin attributes her devotion to the role to her predecessor. “It means quite a lot to me. I joined this organization as a freshman under Deja Smith, who was president at the time, and just watching the passion that she had,”  Tinglin said.  “She made so many sacrifices to ensure that the organization had the connections it needed to have different events [and] to ensure that the students on campus felt the vibrancy of our community.” 

Tinglin further emphasized the importance of cultural organizations by recognizing that CSA accomplished this, “while also being a home away from home and having the foundation to build friendships.” 

“I can just ensure that people understand what the Caribbean is versus some of the things that we often hear about the Caribbean, because it’s very diverse,” Tinglin said. “With Indo-Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean andLatin-Caribbean cultures all coming together;  it's so important that people truly understand what we’re all about. That’s what it means to me to be president.”

Tinglin’s presidency is a tool she uses to educate people on the realities of the Caribbean and its people as a whole. She has represented her own definition of leadership through her action in on-campus roles. “Student leadership to me is being someone that just lives [their] life as a good person, as a kind person, someone people can reach out to. You don’t say, ‘Oh, I want to be a leader.’ You say that you want to be a good person and, being a good person, people will start to look up to you and see you as someone that they can reach out to,” Tinglin said.  “Over the past few years, I’ve been able to connect and help people in different ways that they needed on campus, whether it’s through finding resources for financial [assistance] or any other obligations that they may have, to just being someone that they can talk to every now and then and help connect them with something in either their area of interest or just [help them for] personal reasons,” said Tinglin.

Guiding with Grace - Tierra Thomas ’26, President of BSU

Thomas, president of Stetson’s Black Student Union, is also a Jamaican American, herself. When asked about her role as the head of her organization, she stated, “My purpose as the president is to basically be a guiding hand and a helping hand to anybody on campus, any black student - but also non-black students - who want to learn more about the black community…I'm basically here to create a community on campus where black students and even non-black students can also feel that there is nothing to be afraid of…No question is too crazy…we are here to educate and teach and love as the black community at Stetson University,” said Thomas. 

On campus, student leaders like Thomas should be able to educate others and use their influence to build camaraderie through their teachings, in turn creating a welcoming atmosphere. Tierra’s thoughts on her role as a student leader align with these values. “As an individual on this campus who has influence, a lot of people come to me for a lot of different things,” Thomas included the example of “a personal problem they might have had with another student or professor… Racist things do happen sometimes on campus – so people come to me for that – and they also come to me for community.” Although Thomas loves her position, she is still human, so being a leader can take a toll on her, just like it would to anyone else. “It's a lot to take in and it’s a lot to comprehend. Just knowing that what I say and what I do [has meaning]. If I give somebody the wrong information [I] could harm them potentially or if I make someone feel like they’re not accepted I could [possibly] stop them from making a whole new community of people,” said Thomas. Even with all that on her mind, she recognizes that her efforts are very much seen and appreciated. “It just made me feel so amazing to know that what I’m doing actually has an impact. People actually see me, and see what I’m doing and see what I’m trying to do and it’s not just all going to waste,” said Thomas.