The Haitian American Society (HAS) attended the National Haitian Student Alliance’s leadership conference in Atlanta, Ga., over this past weekend. The purpose of the NHSA conference is to gather Haitian students and student organizations to develop young leaders. This year’s conference was a trail-blazing experience for students because it not only provided a common ground for students of Haitian descent to come from all over the country to unite, it also allowed them to connect and build strategies to further the redevelopment of Haiti.
Among the representatives for the HAS from the University of Massachusetts Boston was the event planner and secretary of the club, Shoshana Nicolas. When asked how she felt the conference was, she stated, “I felt the conference was very insightful. It gave us much information that we could take back and not only use with trying to better the club (HAS) here on campus but also great networking strategies that we could take and apply in our own personal lives as well as our country.”
The conference gave the students the opportunity to network and also build leadership experience by attending master classes that were not only focused on leadership for their club, but leadership that can be applied throughout the community.
Throughout the weekend, there were many times to build with other students outside of the workshops as well. One thing that was highly regarded throughout the weekend was collectivism among the Haitian community.
“I was highly inspired by the individuals I met at the conference,” said HAS President Ted Hilaire. “I came to the realization that we all have a very similar passion, which is making Haiti better through education, infrastructure, and peace,” he added. “The responsibility is in our hands.” Hilaire plans to help the economy of Haiti by raising $20,000 to build an agricultural facility to help gain and sustain resources within the community.
 Jonathan Prudent, the vice president of the HAS at UMass Boston, stated that, “If people of Haitian descent unify and bring our ideas to the table, we can help make our motherland a better place.” He went on to say, “the future of Haiti depends on us.”
 The NHSA conference set out to build leaders in the Haitian community that will take initiative in fighting for what is theirs, as well as to inspire the youth to build together collectively for a common goal. After the conference, the Haitian American Society of UMass Boston feels compelled to do so.