HELP Staff Interview: Smyrne SAINTIL
As a HELP scholarship student who eventually became an intern, Student Advisor, and now Student Services Manager, Smyrne Saintil has seen the program from almost every angle. English teacher Micol Issa sat down with Smyrne to get her perspective on the importance of student advisors, the particular challenges students face, and what she likes about working with HELP.
What role do the advisors play at HELP and for the students?
Advisors are the first contact for HELP students and we serve as a bridge between students and the administration. Our role at HELP is to encourage the students to respect HELP’s mission—to help them really understand the rules and objectives of the program.
What are the greatest challenges that new students face after being accepted in the program and as university students?
All first-year students face the problems of transitioning from secondary school to university. They often have preconceived ideas about the university and what they should study--for example, many want to be doctors, but only because it gives them a title, not because they are gifted in that field or have a real personal attachment to it. Others have no idea what they want to study, which can be very overwhelming.
Students from the countryside who leave their hometowns to study in Port-au-Prince struggle with the change in lifestyle, and they get homesick and feel lonely and discouraged. Surviving at university is difficult. Students from poor families can barely feed themselves or find the time and the place to study, and so they struggle with getting good grades. HELP offers these students everything the universities don’t: advising, stipends, a place to live, etc. and in this way can relieve this stress.
Once some students receive a HELP scholarship, their families abandon all responsibilities and financial aid and HELP becomes their only source of financial and personal support. Others feel they have to support their families with their HELP stipends so they skip meals to save a little money. When students don’t eat, they can’t study.
Do you believe HELP is important to Haiti’s future? If so, why?
My own experiences with HELP have made me think that HELP plays an important role in Haiti’s future. University access is extremely difficult, especially for young women. People need to know about HELP in order to have a chance, and to stay hopeful and motivated. It’s sad to think that, without HELP, many intelligent students won’t ever be able to live up to their potential.
What is your favorite aspect of working with HELP?
HELP offers its employees and students – young men and women from all over Haiti – training and opportunities for transformation. My English has improved through working here, and I wouldn’t get that somewhere else. HELP is not perfect, but it does create real opportunities for advancement. Seeing the success of the students is very encouraging – it shows me every day that my work is valuable.