6 minute read
Alum Spotlight
Shari Stiell-Quashie ’12 is the co-founder and editor of Shuga N’ Spice magazine, a publication connecting West Indians globally through Caribbean culture, lifestyle, and entertainment. She graduated from CSW in 2012 before going on to study at Howard University, Bard College, and Columbia University, where she earned a master’s in strategic communications.
Shuga N’ Spice is available in print and online on a quarterly basis. The magazine has four sections: Taste of Life (style, beauty & grooming, food, wealth, health), Real Good Vibez (music, film/ TV/streaming, cultural events, Internet), Sight to See (travel), and Piece of Mind (opinion), and they are currently looking for new contributors. Check it out and find out how you can support the magazine at www.shuganspice.com.
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Tell us more about Shuga N’ Spice magazine. How did the idea come about?
My family is from Grenada, and I just felt like there wasn’t really — and there still really isn’t — any media that catered to Caribbean people in the marketplace, culturally. We have a really, really, really big diaspora and there’s so many people in the region and there’s so much talent in the region that I’m excited to expose people to. When people think of the Caribbean, they think, Oh, it’s just a couple of islands, or That’s where I go on vacation, but not every Caribbean country is an island, and there are over 40 million people of Caribbean descent in the world.
Newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris is part Jamaican. What does this mean for other Americans of Caribbean descent?
She’s the second Caribbean woman to ever run for president, the first being Shirley Chisholm, who’s Bajan and Guyanese, and I just think it’s great. I’m excited! I’m like, “Yes, we finally have somebody in the White House!” And I think for people of Caribbean descent and such, it shows that once we put our mind to anything, we can do it. There’s nothing stopping us at all from doing whatever we want. Whether it’s being the vice president or the president. And so I’m just excited, and I’m curious to see what she’s going to bring about policy wise.
A few years ago, you spoke on a panel at SXSX (South by Southwest) titled “Nuance is the New Audience.” Can you talk more about that?
There are many layers to someone’s identity, so you can’t use one medium to tell an entire culture’s story. The way we connect and the way we communicate with one another relies on a variety of different channels. For instance, connecting with my family back home, we use WhatsApp to chat and share pictures or jokes, whereas we might use Facebook to talk a bit more about what’s going on in society. When you talk about media, you also have to take individual values into account, and not just the cultural context they come from.
What are some of the challenges of being a woman of color in the media industry?
Funding! Getting people to give you money so that you can pay creators and you can create a product. With a magazine like ours, it cannot be just me alone. I don’t represent every Caribbean perspective. I just represent my own personal perspective as part of the Grenadian diaspora. I also think that people often underestimate women in general and in the media field, you definitely have to have thick skin or else people will think they can just walk all over you.
What advice do you have for others interested in starting a magazine?
Definitely know why you’re doing it and who exactly it is for. Know your consumer. Do market research. Anybody who wants to create a product, in general, needs to make sure they do their market research before diving into product development. Read up on how the market is changing and determine how you can make your dent and stand out.
A YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER
One hallmark of a CSW education is the willingness and courage to confront challenges. Over its 135-year history, our school has weathered many challenges of its own, and each time, individuals in our community have helped us move forward with confidence and courage, allowing us to emerge even stronger. And that is true again today. As we continue through this unprecedented school year, we need our entire community’s support.
Make your gift to Partners in Progress, the
CSW Annual Fund, today! www.csw.org/giving
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 24 HOURS!
On April 9, we will harness the power of a single day to come together as a community in celebration of CSW, raising funds in support of professional development for faculty, financial aid, progressive curriculum, and more!
To participate, make a gift of any amount on or before April 9 or call 781-642-8645 or visit www.csw.org/dayofgiving.
Spotlight on the Impact of Planned Giving
THE PATIENCE LAURIAT SOCIETY
The society is named after Patience Lauriat ’46, who, after providing for members of her family, left the remainder of her estate to CSW to create an unrestricted endowment fund. To date, 120 alumni/ae, parents of alumni/ae, current and past faculty, and friends have become members of this honorary association by also making provisions for CSW in their estate planning or will. CSW gathers members of the Patience Lauriat society annually and also provides special communications throughout the year about the impact of planned gifts at CSW.
Holly (Ehrlich) Henderson ’59 was a devoted alumna of The Cambridge School of Weston, whose passion and drive for the pursuit of justice and a more equitable and inclusive world has transcended her passing. Holly was an esteemed member of CSW’s Patience Lauriat Society, an honorary association of individuals whose planned gifts have already been received or will someday accrue to The Cambridge School of Weston. Prior to her death, Holly was intent upon leaving her forever mark on CSW and was able to do so by including the school in her bequest. Funds received from her estate have since allowed CSW to create and support a highly important role on the school’s senior administration team: Dean of Equity & Inclusion. This role, now held by Rosanna Salcedo, leads and coordinates efforts to create a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive teaching and learning environment at The Cambridge School of Weston, by offering programming, training, and support to students, parents, faculty, and staff.
“I feel so grateful to be in a position to do the important work of promoting equity and inclusion at CSW,” Rosanna says. “In the time I have been here, I have already witnessed the power and impact of Holly’s gift in so many ways. It is a gift that has and will continue to contribute towards the healthy, informed development of a new generation.”
Funds received from Holly’s estate have been utilized to form a term endowment fund to offset the first several years of operating costs for the Dean of Equity and Inclusion role. In that time, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have been reshaped and expanded to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the CSW community. “Holly had a passion for children and for equity. That is why it is so appropriate that her gift honors both. Holly also had a very special place in her heart for The Cambridge School of Weston. She would be so pleased, and so proud, to know that her gift was advancing an important issue to the school.”
