Pierre-Louis was used to the tropical climate of his home city. But Zimbabwe was different \u2014 it was around 50 degrees when he landed in Harare, the dry and landlocked capital of the country.<\/p>\n
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Edwin Sheppard sits alongside Miami Central students on a safari.<\/p>\n
(Ponatshego Dziro, courtesy of the Blindfolded International Student Cultural Exchange Program)<\/p>\n
But despite these differences, there was something familiar about Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt very welcoming. It didn\u2019t feel foreign. I was part of their culture in a sense.\u201d He said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
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B.I.S.C.E.P. founder Edwin Sheppard takes a selfie with Miami Central Senior High School students in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
(Edwin Sheppard)<\/p>\n
Nearby was incoming senior Kayla Gardner. Stepping off the plane, she was moved by this warm welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe workers [at the airport] were very welcoming,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cAnd then they surprised us with a big greeting from all the students from Westminster [International School] and the teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kayla Gardner stands with the Westminister International School student Nicola at the airport.<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of the Blindfolded International Student Cultural Exchange Program)<\/p>\n
For months, Gardner has been preparing for this moment. Through BISCEP, she was partnered with a student from Westminster International School in Zimbabwe. She kept in contact with this student, Nicola, and was anxious to meet her when she landed.<\/p>\n
Pierre-Louis was shadowing the student he was partnered with at Westminster when he realized that there were similarities between them.<\/p>\n
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Ethen Pierre-Louis at the Boma Dinner and Drum Show in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in custom-made clothing.<\/p>\n
(Ponatshego Dziro, courtesy of the Blindfolded International Student Cultural Exchange Program)<\/p>\n
\u201cAmongst the students, there wasn\u2019t anything different at all,\u201d he said. \u201cWe [all] joke around in class. But they were very focused on their studies. But you\u2019ll have one student who’s the class clown and everybody laughs.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Edwin Sheppard, the founder of BISCEP, this is the goal of cultural exchange. When he attended Miami Central High School, there were no programs like this, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrograms like this do exist,\u201d Sheppard said, \u201cbut they don\u2019t exist for Black and Brown kids, not in the senior high sector. I think it\u2019s very important for the kids to have a sense of culture, for them to be able to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
For private school students, there are cultural immersion and study abroad programs available. But for public school students, there are fewer options that exist.<\/p>\n
Funding setbacks<\/p>\n
BISCEP is particularly unusual because it completely funds each student. They only need to pay for a passport if they don\u2019t have one. But plane fare, lodging, transportation and meals are provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe total cost of the trip was $65,000,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cWe funded it completely grassroots. It\u2019s just me reaching out to the community. I\u2019m from this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheppard had applied for grants, but didn\u2019t receive any. So he took to Facebook Live to ask the community directly to donate.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn those first three days, I raised $12,000,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/p>\n
But, despite this outpouring of support from the community, Sheppard was still disheartened by the lack of grant funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year has been the hardest year for us because of budget cuts,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cBecause of, unfortunately, what\u2019s going on in our current administration, it\u2019s very difficult for us to raise funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade public schools recently approved a budget that was 3.6% lower than last year, cutting millions of dollars from schools. For years, public school enrollment in the county has been on the decline, meaning less per-pupil funding through the state.<\/p>\n
On a national level, federal education grants have been slashed by the billions<\/a> under the Trump administration. But recently, the Senate education committee approved a bill<\/a> they hope will block the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite these challenges, Sheppard was committed to providing this experience for students at Miami Central.<\/p>\n And the opportunity didn’t come easy to them \u2014 students had to submit an essay, provide recommendations and have at least a B- average. Then, 10 exceptional students were selected from a competitive pool.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see more of the world,\u201d Gardner said, reflecting on the application process.<\/p>\n Kayla Gardner (middle) smiles as she sits in class at Westminster International School in Harare, Zimbabwe.\/<\/p>\n (Ponatshego Dziro, courtesy of the Blindfolded International Student Cultural Exchange Program)<\/p>\n An emotional journey<\/p>\n As the students immersed themselves in this new environment, some of the adult chaperones were deeply moved.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing [some adults] cry, seeing them embrace Africa and get this love,\u201d Sheppard said, \u201cit was very emotional for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the students and the accompanying chaperones are Black Americans \u2014 a reflection of the actual demographics<\/a> of the high school.<\/p>\n Feeling so embraced and welcomed on the African continent was life-changing for these adults.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have always wanted that connection,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cI also witnessed that for the students \u2014 the embrace, that love.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardner recalls her last days in Zimbabwe: participating in a freestyle rap battle with students from Westminster, hiking up a mountain and seeing an elephant up close.<\/p>\n This experience changed her perspective on her own history.<\/p>\n \u201cIt changes how I look in the past of what my ancestors have gone through, because it\u2019s not all bad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like there are riches in Africa, and it\u2019s not what people perceive it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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