Ezralee Rolle: the newest faculty member at the Bahamas Agriculture & Marine Science Institute: She brings experience, academic grounding and a love for Andros!
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IMAGINE the plot line: new entity springs up on the
economic landscape, sparks interest from a wide cross-section of society. Ripe
with radical ideas, the institution advances cutting edge technology within its
field, a talented and diverse workforce that pushes for industry best practices
and standards, and even the unwitting political controversy – all told these
elements raise its standing in the public sphere and add prestige points. As
the institute progresses it takes on a following of sorts, individuals who
stand on the outside, but who follow its every move - reading the stories and
headlines, tracking the development and even preparing themselves to one day
take advantage of the opportunity presented.
Perhaps not
as scintillating as a made-for-TV movie on Lifetime, this scenario unfolded
recently as daughter of the soil Ezralee Rolle joined the Bahamas Agriculture
and Marine Science Institute’s (BAMSI) team as a lecturer in biology and
environmental sciences. What makes her employment remarkable is that she is an
Androsian by birth – daughter of Bettymae and Ezra Rolle from North Mastic
Point - who watched BAMSI spring forth and grow from strength to strength, and
then decided that she would gain the skills necessary to position herself to
one day fill a place at the Institute.
Like many
young Family Islanders - including her eleven siblings – leaving Andros after
graduating from high school in 2001 was the best, no, only option in Ms.
Rolle’s view. “You swore you’d never return to Andros, there just was nothing
going on, nothing there.”
Free of the
restraints of secondary school, she would quickly head for the capital where
she landed a job, and eventually completed a Bachelor of Science degree in
Biology, Combined Science and Education from the University of the Bahamas (UB
‘12).
As fate
would have it however, BAMSI would be the bridge that would reconnect her to
the island of her birth. In 2014 the Institute was established and its launch
opened a window for Ms. Rolle, a window which revealed what life could be like
on Andros if she had a means to pursue her passion and a means to live her
fullest life.
And so
began a period of intense examination.
She watched BAMSI push through growing pains that any start-up operation
would experience, watched it prove its right to exist by increasing support for
Bahamian farmers and building market presence for locally grown produce. She
watched as BAMSI pushed for education (graduating its first class of Associate
Degree holder in 2016), research and technological upgrade in an industry that
was previously slow to alter course, and timid in its approach and impact on
Bahamian farmers and individuals who had an interest in agriculture. She watched as BAMSI flourished,
cementing its position within the economy as a powerful player and leader in
the agriculture industry.
“I’ve been tracking BAMSI in terms of
wanting to get involved in what it is that BAMSI is about, which is Bahamians
finally taking the lead in agriculture. And I love the idea that the plan was
executed in Andros! I like the idea that they made use of the wide open space
in Andros to diversify the economy and get people off Nassau, and also get
people like me to go back home, and have a job or means of providing a
lifestyle for myself while being in that type of environment - that’s something
that I didn’t have before, that wasn’t an option before.”
Ms. Rolle
joins the BAMSI team as an integral cog in the academic wheel. As a science
based institute, biology is a foundational course for both the agriculture and
marine science streams. It is imperative that students are steeped in the
theoretical and practical aspects of the science and have a firm grasp of its
application, so lecturers who are well versed in the subject area and are able
to connect the learning experience with the science of growing, harvesting and
exploring the growth of food and the nation’s marine life are of significant value
to the Institute.
“I’m
excited to be a lecturer at the institute. As a lecturer I will bring all of my
experience that I’ve had with education and working with students not only for
their personal betterment, but also the betterment of communities and,
essentially, of the nation.”
In Ms.
Rolle, BAMSI has found an educator who has actively pursued what was important
to her and used her platform as a biology teacher, in both the private and
public school systems, to incorporate agriculture and a passion for growing
food into the consciousness of her students.
Her
portfolio includes the launch of the Bahamas Reef Environment Education
Foundation (BREEF) Eco Schools Programme while at Temple Christian High School.
The programme allows students to spend time outdoors and experience more of the
environment. It focuses on activities that involve the beautification of the
campus - looking at ways for more sustainable uses of energy, promoting
recycling, and also has students working in the school’s garden. “This was my
attempt to get children to appreciate where food comes from, and the importance
of sustainability,” she noted.
Focused on
the way forward, Ms. Rolle, like any good investor, is ready to take full
advantage of her place at BAMSI. As someone who has her own interest in
agriculture and the nature of growing food – she is looking forward to the
learning aspect as well. She is currently working towards a Master of Science
degree in Agriculture and Life Science from Virginia Polytechnic and State
University. “This is something
that I feel will be great for me in terms of how much I can learn and how much
information I can gain, [having access to] people with all these diverse
backgrounds in marine biology and different sciences. This is something that I
can definitely feed off – helping my own personal development and aspirations.
“
Looking forward to a satisfying career with BAMSI -
in Andros - Ms. Rolle said she fully endorses the goals and vision of the
Institute. “I personalized it to make it my own mandate to extend this vision
throughout our whole country. I believe in education, I believe in the power of
unifying people to a cause that makes sense. It makes sense for us to be able
to feed ourselves It makes sense for us to develop products that we can easily
make right here in the Bahamas as opposed to importing products from all over
the world. So I endorse BAMSI and I think that in the long term it will be
something that builds our nation."