Cary James Podcast: International Stories

Mr. Francis, a former student, shares his experience at Grambling University. He was recruited by an international director and chose the university for its diversity. Initially shocked by the rural setting, he eventually embraced it. As an RA, he took his job seriously, motivated by financial need. Two individuals, his first RA and Dr. Ellis, impacted him greatly. Transitioning from engineering to finance, he chose economics at Grambling. His favorite memory is walking the stage for undergrad, a moment cherished with his parents. How are you doing, Mr. Francis? Can you state your name for the record of the recording? Hello, Francis. It's good to be in the building. Thank you. How are you doing? My name is Terry James. This is my old history project for Dr. Hope. Today, I just really want to talk to you about your experience at Grammarly today. I just want to ask you, like, what made you decide Grammarly first and foremost? There was an international director of international. I can't remember his exact job title. He came to my island and recruited. He used to go to other islands recruiting. He came to my island in 2009, spring semester, did some recruiting. Then in the fall, all 30 of us came to Grammarly. Okay. Interesting. When you first arrived at Grammarly, what was your first impression? To be honest, I didn't even know I was in America because I'd only ever been to major cities prior to coming to Grammarly. I'd been to New York. I'd been to Miami, Tampa, major cities. I never had a chance to experience the country life, the country aspect of it. I'd never been to a town where the only thing you had was a dollar general. So it was a bit of a culture shock for me. But after time, it grew on me. But initially, it was a bit of a culture shock because it wasn't what I expected. Okay. Okay. Before you, have any other family members or friends attended Grammarly? No. Okay. Okay. So, you know, we are in 2026 now. When you was in Grammarly, it was very much before me. So when you were on campus and attended Grammarly, what was the campus life? What was the student life? It was different. And, again, I didn't get out much. I spent most of my time between classes and being an RA in undergrad. I did 21 hours. And then, you know, in addition to that, I worked 20 plus hours a week. So I didn't really have time to get out much. But I know the international population was, you know, it was greater than it is now. And, like I said, Mr. Lambadani did a lot of recruiting throughout the Caribbean Islands. We had students from Africa who were here for a lot of them were here for track and field. We had some students here from Nepal. So I think the diversity on the campus was greater back then. Plus, you know, we had a lot of students from different cross sections of the country. We had a lot of people from Cali. I mean, we still do. New Orleans, New York, Florida, you know, we still do. But I don't know, for some reason, the diversity seems it seemed a bit greater, I guess, back in my time as opposed to now. Okay. Thank you for that. You know, being here after having a long time, I know you must have made a lot of memories. So I asked the man, what is your favorite memory? Favorite memory? Uh-huh. Actually, my favorite rambling memory is, I would say, surprisingly, walking the stage for undergrad. And surprisingly, I walked the stage actually a semester after because I wasn't planning to walk for graduation. You know, I finished, I had one class left, so I finished that summer. And then once I was done with that class in summer one, I went and got my diploma. And then, you know, through conversation with my parents, you know, they were like, hey, we want to see you go across the stage. So my mom made me apply to walk the fall semester, even though I was already in, I had already started graduate school that fall. So, you know, I applied to walk, and it just turns out that graduation was on my birthday, December 20th. So I walked on my birthday, you know. My parents got a chance to see me walk. And it was fun. My dad died two years after, so he didn't even get to see me finish my master's or, you know, do a lot of things I've done since completing my undergraduate degree. So I guess walking across the stage, you know, as a graduate, you know, was a good thing for me. And that's about my best rambling memory that I can think of right now. Very impactful, very impactful. And that's something you would think about for a lot of people. You know, life can happen in different ways. You mentioned being an RA at the time. You know, I am an ex-resident assistant of yours. And I would ask you, during your time as a student assistant or student resident assistant, how would you describe the relationship between you students during your time there compared to now? My relationship with students? As a resident assistant. Well, they didn't like me much then, and they probably don't like me much now. For me, the reason I became an RA as an international student was for, you know, the financial benefits of it. You know, that's the reason why I came into the job, you know, as an international student. And at the time, probably 75%, 80% of the RA staff was international students because, you know, we all had the same financial numbers. So a lot of us took the opportunity to work within, you know, within housing. And so for me, even though I came into the job, you know, for the financial benefits of it, you know, I still took the job really serious. You know, so back then a lot of students used to complain, oh, you know, you take the job too serious, it's not that serious. But for me, I knew how much I needed the job, so I wanted to make sure that I did. I went above and beyond because I didn't ever want it to be any doubt or question, should we bring him back next semester? Because I knew how much I needed the job because of the financial relief it gave to me and my parents. So, you know, maybe I did go, you know, do a bit much. And now as a professional, having done this job for a long time, you know, I see how impactful, you know, us as college and staff members can be. And so I take it, you know, as a personal charge to try and at least as much as I can keep students on the straight and narrow. And that's one of the reasons why I like working in Freshman Village because majority of the students, their first semester, you know, there's that freedom that they're not accustomed to having. And so sometimes they let that take away from the real reason why they're here, which is to gain an undergraduate degree. And so a lot of them stray, they don't go to classes, they, you know, they get mixed up with the wrong crowd. And so I make it part of my task to ensure that as much as possible I teach students on the right path, keep them focused on the reason why they're here. So that's really, you know, part of my mission, you know, working in Freshman Village. Sadly, I can't reach everybody, but, you know, the few I reach, you know, I take pride in that. That's all you ever need in life, just to help some helping hand who's willing to accept it. But this is more of a personal question towards me because, you know, when I first came to Grambling, I felt like you was my first mentor. So I would ask, was there a professor or a coach or somebody meaningful on Grambling's campus who had a major impact on your life and made you choose the decisions you do today? So actually, you know, I've come across quite a few. Probably the two most impactful, I will mention both of them. The first one is my, and he was actually the reason why I wanted to become an RA. My first RA, when I first came, you know, like I said, I came to Grambling. I'd never been anywhere remotely like this. The shuttle dropped me off right in front of Robinson Hall, and I had no idea where to go. And, you know, he met me, said a casual hello, and he was international as well. And just based on my accent, after he said hello, you know, with my accent, he stopped, turned around and said, hey, where you from? And this conversation went from there. He helped me get, you know, he helped me get to my room, helped me get to my classes, you know. He was, you know, real, real instrumental in assisting me when I first came. You know, we still communicate, you know, to this day. And so because of him, when the opportunity arose, you know, minus the financial benefits, I wanted to do the same for others like he did for me when I first came. And so he was, you know, my first real inspiration. And obviously, there's Dr. Ellis, who has been a great source, you know. I worked on him for three years when he was in housing. And to this day, you know, we've remained great friends. We pretty much talk almost every day, you know. I still reach out to him for advice, you know, when it comes to housing stuff. When I'm having issues with a particular student, you know, hey, how would you handle this if it were you or, you know. So those are really the two persons who've impacted me almost in my time at Grandwin. But there have been a lot of others. There have been a lot of others along the way. But those two have been the two most impactful. Okay. Coming to Grandwin, I see, you know, you had to choose a certain topic, a certain breed, and certain things you want to learn. Coming to Grandwin, what was your choice of study and why that choice? Well, prior to coming to Grandwin, I actually had no – I had no idea what, you know, what way I wanted to go with my studies. Actually, I went to – you know, I went to university before I came to Grandwin. And I did – I was doing engineering. And, you know, at some point, I realized that I wasn't doing engineering for me. I was doing engineering because my dad wanted me to get engineering. I never really truly wanted to be one. My dad wanted that for me. And so halfway through it, I realized, you know, as the classes got more challenging, it was getting harder and harder for me. Because I wasn't applying myself like I should, and it was just getting harder and harder for me to keep up. So I went back home. I left the college. I went back home for a few years. And when I went back home, I was working at a bank. And so in working at the bank, I got involved in, you know, finance and developed, you know, that type of interest. But when I came to Grandwin, they didn't have a degree in finance. So in speaking with my – what do you call it? My advisor, he recommended, hey, do economics, that's similar. So I chose economics. And then I also added business management during my sophomore year. So my undergrad is in economics and business management. Economics and business management, great. And lastly, talk about really your academic and personal growth. As an international student, there's a lot of scrutinization of a lot of things, like you said, you haven't experienced. So was there a particular experience at Grandwin that changed your perspective on life or maybe just new beginnings or new areas? Oh, like I said, when I came to Grandwin, there were so many international students here. It – once, you know, again, because it was – but once I settled in, I didn't truly feel – we didn't feel like outsiders because it felt like we almost made up half of the student population. You know, so you didn't feel out of place. You know, you felt – there were so many internationals that you – it was just, you know – and again, a lot of us did business. So most of my classes were majority international students. You know, even when I did my master's, when I branched off into my concentration, which was HR, there was nine of us in that and seven of us were international. So, you know, the adjustment period back then wasn't difficult because of the number of us that were here and there were also some that were here before us who were established. So once we came here, you know, there was something in place. There was this international group called – I think it was called Calypso at the time. That was there and every fall they did – they had a, you know, like a – I don't want to say a party, but a gathering for all of the incoming international freshman students. So, you know, the adjustment period wasn't difficult at all because of what was in place. I guess if we were the first international students to come, it would be a whole lot more difficult, but because there was something in place where international students haven't been coming since 05-06, then, you know, that would have been a whole lot more difficult. But the transition was pretty easy and pretty smooth because of the resources – because of the resources that we had in place. Okay. You're going to tell me about your whole experience at Graysdon mostly. I really want to know what was post-life for you, you know. Like I said, this new culture shock for you changed a lot of things or made you to become who you are today. So, how did this experience prepare for you after college? And the career path, like you said, engineering, and the career path you're going now, is that something you were able to learn through Graysdon? Well, you know, my career – I didn't choose my career path, actually. I always say a lack of preparation shows my career path for me. So, you know, it was my last semester, spring 2013, and I hadn't made any plans. I have family in Florida, and so the plan actually was to go back to Florida, work for a year, and then possibly do grad school at University of South Florida, which is in Tampa, just up the street from my aunt. So, that was actually the plan after graduation, but I hadn't done anything to – you know, I hadn't started applying for jobs. I hadn't reached out to USF, you know, anything. So, there was – the plan was just all in my head. And then, as it was winding down, you know, Dr. Ellis asked me, you know, well, hey, what are you going to do? So, I said, you know, well, I'm just going to go work for a year, then look into grad school. And he said, why don't you do grad school here at Grambling? So, I'm like, well, they don't have anything I want to do. You know, there's no MBA program here, so, you know, I'm just going to leave. And then he got me in – I don't remember who he got me in touch with, but it was someone who was doing the Masters of Public Administration program. And I spoke with that person. I was like, well, it's not exactly what I'm looking for, but it's close enough. And I was already here and established. And so, I decided to stay, you know, here at Grambling to grad school. And then, I transitioned to meet a graduate assistant with housing. And then, halfway through my Masters, opportunity opened up for a professional staff member. And I applied, got hired. And so, I finished my Masters, started my doctorate, and I'm just still here. So, you know, like, my career path really wasn't, you know, it wasn't chosen. It's kind of – I just fell into it, but I have no regrets. So, you know, if I could go back and do it over again, I would have done the same thing. I just would have probably prepared to do this instead of falling into it. And that's a real issue. Not a lot of people are honest about that. You know, sometimes you do just move life on and on, and it falls on your lap. But that's the best thing that can ever happen. Exactly how the resident assistant, I didn't think I was going to get it, but it just fell on my lap. Yeah. So, you know, sometimes, you know, it's the way – you know, it's the way it is. Because probably had I gone into business, I probably wouldn't have been as happy as I am working with, you know, working with the freshman students and, you know, trying to make an impact on them like someone did for me when I came as a freshman and helped keep me on the straight and narrow. And now my goal is to do that for the next generation, you know, help keep them on the straight and narrow, help see them across the stage in four years. That is really what I try to do now. Okay. Really asking, do you still keep in touch with professors, classmates, or just members of the community? You know, alumni presence on Grantland is getting smaller, so. Well, I don't keep in touch with – well, from undergraduate, I don't keep in touch with a lot of people from undergrad. I don't see them around at Homecoming. And majority of the people that I keep in touch with are the people who I did my master's with. And so what I've found is that, you know, as you move up through the degrees, you know, your friend circle becomes small because the people you went to high school with, if they're not going to college, you're leaving them behind. You're going to college, you're making new friends. The people who – you know, and then after bachelor's, the people who you're doing your master's with, you're leaving your bachelor's people behind. You're going – you're doing your – and as it continues. So, you know, a lot of the people who I keep in touch with are the people who we did – you know, we did our master's together. My network has grown, but it's grown with – it's now – instead of more people that I went to school with, a lot of it is people who are other student affairs professionals. And so I like to go to these different conferences annually because, you know, I'm able to network with people who are in the same field as me, sharing the same experiences as me, you know, bouncing ideas off of each other, you know. We stay – you know, we stay in touch and I'll reach out. Hey, you know, I'm having this situation, you know, where people reach out to me. I went to a conference two weeks ago and, you know, I met some – I met – well, I didn't meet him. Like, I knew him from a previous conference. He's like, hey, so, you know, I have this situation. We have a 15-year-old freshman and we don't know what to do with him. Like, what are you guys doing with a 15-year-old freshman? I'm like, well, hey, you know, we just had that this past year where we had a 15-year-old international freshman come in and we had to put some special things in place for him because, hey, he's 15, you know what I mean? So, you know, meeting with, you know, people like that, communicating with that really is important to me and, you know, bouncing ideas, sharing ideas. That is really, you know, my network now as opposed to persons who I may have just went to class and went to school with. I prefer to network with people who are in my field. And what do you really miss most about your college days? And second to last question also, what advice would you give to me or other students? To be honest, I don't miss my undergraduate days, to be honest. I don't miss it. I don't miss it at all. But for you as a student, what I will keep saying is, and like I said, I was different. For me, my whole undergrad revolved around being an RA and classes. I didn't take advantage of all of the other opportunities that were available in terms of joining clubs, organizations, being Greek, you know, these different things. I didn't take advantage of these opportunities when I was an undergrad because, like I said, I went to college and I didn't finish. So when I got a second opportunity to get an undergraduate degree, I didn't want anything to deter me from completing that goal. So I completely shut everything else out and focused solely on completing that degree. You know, and if being an RA wasn't financially beneficial, I wouldn't have done that either. I was just locked in on making sure I was able to complete my undergraduate degree. But for you, I would say, look, join as much stuff as you want to. You just have to remember what your number one goal is. And as long as nothing supersedes that, then you're going to be good. You know, be involved as much as you want to be. But if joining something is going to deter from your academics or take you from your academics, then you have to leave it behind. And which is sometimes, even with me, as great as someone may be as an RA, if I see it's harming their academics, I'll tell them, hey, look, you need to go focus on your academics because you're struggling to balance both. So as long as you focus on the books, getting your work done, turning your stuff in on time, then be involved in as much stuff as you want to be in. And then, because the ultimate goal is to walk the stage in four years, that is the ultimate goal. Or if you're a double major or if you change majors and it takes you five years, understandable. But the goal is after eight semesters that you walk across the stage, you know, and have your degree in hand. And as you look ready to start the next phase of your life, that is the goal. And you cannot simply lose sight of that. Okay. And last but not least, to end this amazing podcast, is there a time at Grambling that you think I should hear or the audience should hear? You know, everybody has a story at Grambling. Say what? I asked, is there a story about your time at Grambling you think I should hear or maybe the audience should hear? Because, you know, everybody has a story for Grambling. I don't really have a story, per se. I mean, I'm kind of laid back, you know, under the radar. I don't really have a story, an exciting Grambling story that I can tell. Okay. What about experience you would like to share but I haven't asked you? My Grambling experience, like I said, through undergrad, it was not the best because I didn't make use of a lot of the opportunities out there. So, you know, looking back on it now, you know, I have some regrets, which I probably got involved in more things. But, you know, like I said, when I came, because of my prior failure, I had tunnel vision, you know, in terms of coming to my undergraduate degree. You know, that was my sole focus. And I let that drive me. But looking back now, you know, I wish I got more involved in other things. So, you know, I always encourage people to, you know, hey, see what's out there, you know, get involved. You know, looking back now, maybe if I had to do it again, maybe I would have gotten more involved. But I didn't. And, you know, it's just something I have to live with. But, you know, I got to finish my bachelor's degree. Okay. That's definitely something. Mick, my experience and your experience is like two different ways. So hearing this and understanding your story helped me understand that, you know, the model of Grambling is very true where everybody is somebody or you can become somebody. So I thank you for your time, Mr. Francis, for coming out and talking to me on this podcast and answering my questions and showing it and telling the audience. Thank you for having me. My story and my time in Grambling, my 17 years, yeah, my 17 years here at Grambling. I'm calling this crazy. I don't know what it means. It's so surreal because I still remember the first day I walked in campus, you know. The shuttle dropped me off. I think it was August 11. The shuttle dropped me off. August 11 was a Monday morning. And I checked into my room and then went to orientation. So, you know, I can still remember it, you know, to know where, you know, I'm not a student freshman coming to campus. You know, I am, you know. Yeah. That's crazy. This concludes the end of the podcast. And I thank you, Mr. Francis, for coming out. I'll be checking my cash rep for you. All right.