Two-thousand two-hundred forty-seven miles away from Iowa City lies the Island of St. Thomas, with Emma McPearce ’23 standing on the edge–her back to the Caribbean sea, and eyes wandering the new world in front of her. Little did Emma know how much her character would develop or how much her exposure to different cultures would expand. “So, the best thing to ever happen to me, I would say, is probably moving to the Virgin Islands.” Going from a predominantly white state to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands was one of Emma’s most valuable life experiences.  While there, she encountered many different people with varying backgrounds and origins. 

“And so I think that when I went there I was open to a lot of cultures. And so, when I [came] here–people just think that I’m a standard person. But I was also emerged into a lot of different cultures, [like] black culture, Indian culture.”

Emma’s sister, Alicen Emma, was interviewed about Emma through email. She talks about the many ways Emma has changed and developed to the better.  

“I think living in the Virgin Islands, from what I saw, made Emma more sociable with others and generally adaptable to different ways of doing things.”

Emma quickly identifies the differences between Iowa and a Caribbean island with no hesitation, describing the people in the Caribbean Islands as, “a lot more friendly.”

 Rather than entering a room silently, like what we have been accustomed to in Iowa, saying something like “Good morning” or “Good Evening” is part of societal norms in the Caribbean islands. Additionally, honks are used regularly in a friendly manner. For example, a double honk is the equivalent of a “thank you” in St. Thomas. Alicen also adds, “[…]we collected rainwater in a cistern, there was no running water besides what we had in the cistern.” She also points out that driving is on opposite sides of the road even though the driver’s seat in the car is still on the right.

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However, not all differences were simple, pleasant ones. “There was much more visible poverty […]” describes Alicen. On one end it was fancy beaches and wealthy tourists, but on the other it was poor slums.

Instead of coming in the way of Emma’s experience on the island, it taught her a valuable lesson. Alicen says, “I think living on the Virgin Islands made Emma realize that we lived a privileged life and that others don’t always enjoy those same privileges,” and from that, emerged Emma’s strong passion for social justice.The local population is actually relatively small. Most of the people occupying the island are tourists, which can sometimes reach up to 25,000 a day. Due to this low local population, Emma would have to deal with the same small amount of people every day, but she always remembers her mother’s voice in her head saying, “Everybody does the best they can with the sense they have.” This quote has always been with her and helped her through a lot of friendships.

Emma’s mom, Laurie McCormick, was one of the only psychiatrists on the island. As a result, she did not get to spend much time just talking to her because of the high amount of patients. “ I wanted to provide the best care possible and it turned out to be good for the people and community, but bad because the time I spent doing that was at the expense of having enough time for my family,” says Emma’s mom in an email interview.

While Emma’s mom was working as a doctor in the Virgin Islands, her mum was a professor back in Iowa.  

“I definitely think it was rough. Because I mean, that was around the time that my parents divorced. And so my mum wasn’t actually there. Because she was in Iowa and she’s a professor, so she couldn’t really afford to see us that often. And so I think that it was kind of hard because I didn’t really have, like, someone to talk to about it.”

But Emma always looks at the positive side of things. The time spent in her mom’s office with her brother alone has developed her independence and reliance on herself. “I’ve always kind of been self-sufficient.” So, for the most part, she was fine being on her own. 

For Emma, the biggest takeaway from her living in the Virgin Islands was simple, yet rich with meaning. “I think the problem in today’s world is that people aren’t conscious. People aren’t conscientious of racial things, of sexuality things, of really almost any problem. And I think I became more conscious when I moved there.”