From Haiti to New Hope

28 Jun From Haiti to New Hope

by Kenaze Navarre, SLP Team Leader

I grew up in a small rural town called Desdunes, Haiti. It was awesome to live there. As a kid I did not have any electricity up until I was 12 years of age. It was all fun living there. There was such connection with nature and family. Haiti is best known for being fierce and unafraid as well as for its good cooking. I miss the sea, the rivers, walking, and seeing old distant family members.

As a child, my dad was the school principal and he taught me at home. I didn’t go to school until 3rd grade. I skipped Kindergarten and the first two grades due to having been too much ahead of the school curriculum. I moved to Port-au-Prince, the capitol city, after my primary school to attend secondary school there. I finished high school in Port-au-Prince and attended the University of State of Haiti in the Faculty of Ethnology as a psychology major.

In 1990, I moved to Indiana to attend Union Bible College, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education. I am a life-long learner and have also earned my Masters degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. I hope to earn a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership one day.

Outside of work, I enjoy time with my family: my wife Linda, our adult sons, Caleb (26), Jeremiah (24), and Kendrick (22), and a grandbaby named Ezra (2). I also enjoy reading personal improvement and finance books, playing the piano and the keyboard while I sing, and traveling. I even play the accordion. I would also like to create a non-profit organization to help feed, heal and empower children in Haiti first, then around the world.