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OUR YOUTH….Our Future | iChunes Ent. Magazine

AT the age of 8, she began helping out her mother, Sista Sharon of Island
Riddim Radio at the studio….at age 11 she became a DJ, at 12 began
co-hosting the show. “It helped build my conversational skills, and interaction
with the public.” Now Zaria at age 19, the last of four children and the only
one to attend college, is a sophomore at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
University or as it’s popularly called FAMU.
She shared that she “Fell in love with the family
vibe,” at FAMU after a campus tour, and knew
that she would learn a lot about her culture and
black history. She stated that “Being in
Tallahassee, isn’t too far away from home, and it
helps me make my own experiences.” The
Caribbean Students Association also allows her to
“tap into” her Jamaican culture, and she shared
“They are like my family away from home, and
were the first friends I made at FAMU.” With ini-
tial thoughts of being a pediatric neurologist, she
assessed that the study process would take about
18 years. So after a conversation with her
pediatrician, she redirected her study plans towards
that area of medicine, and armed with the initial
information she needed, it led her to her choice
of……FAMU. Her plans after graduation, would
be to transfer to a medical school in South Florida,
as it would allow her to learn the southern part of the state.

With regards to what she expects from others, she stated “Continued support
from my family, because I know that it will be a long hard road. I don’t want to
depend on others too much, but I know I can’t do it by myself.” As for what she
expects from herself, she shared “I expect to grow as a person, mature and
maneuver in ways that won’t hinder me in the future.” She further stated, “I
would love to stop procrastinating as much as I do now, and get more ahead of
myself, instead of working with what I have now, and thereby achieve
everything I have to achieve.”

In sharing the importance of good study habits, she stated they are “Extremely
important! In my freshman year, I just could not get studying down at all, and I
recently learned how to master it, because I was struggling so hard. Now I keep
all my classes balanced and I’m grateful to sit down and manage my time,
instead of studying in bulk.” Zaria’s advice for other young adults still trying to
figure their lives out…..“Have a mentor. They are amazing! They help you
figure out what you want to do. My mentor, Ashley helps me keep my head on
straight.” She further advised that they should, “Go to an HBCU, because you
learn so much about the African American culture, and how other cultures have
impacted us here in the United States. GOOD LUCK DR. ZARIA
RODRIQUES !!!!!

~ Written by Lyma Dunbar, ichunes Ent. Magazine Editor-in-chief

15 January / March 2018