“I grew up near the old Gendarmerie in French Quarter,” Serrant begins, describing a childhood shaped more by books and family than playgrounds and sports. Frequent migraines kept him indoors, but they also nudged him toward the academic world. “Though I have a lot of siblings, my childhood was relatively solitary due to the age gap between my siblings and me. I did spend a lot of time with my cousins though, almost every house in my neighborhood belonged to family.”
His academic drive was less a product of early ambition and more of collective influence. “I think my parents obviously had a great impact on my ambition and have been my greatest support in getting me to where I am today, but so have my siblings, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, and my friends. I luckily grew with a large safety net and a vast pool of smart, stable, and successful people to look up to.”
His academic drive was less a product of early ambition and more of collective influence. Serrant admits he didn’t have clear ambitions in childhood. His parents recall a moment in fifth grade (he calls it a ‘not so funny story’) when he told his teacher, in front of the class, that he didn’t really study, despite scoring high marks. It wasn’t until the latter part of high school that he began to take his future seriously. He now advises others to start earlier, given the impact it can have on university prospects. Reflecting on the people who shaped his ambition, he says it’s difficult to pinpoint any one person. With parents Bernard Serrant and Esther Gumbs-Serrant, a large network of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, Serrant considers his ambition a product of the community that raised him.
The Law Decision
The decision to study law didn’t come in a single epiphany. “One of the downsides of being viewed as a gifted child is that everyone preemptively labels you as a future doctor or lawyer. Though I’m not saying that was the sole reason I chose to study law, I’m sure that hearing it repeatedly over the years made the thought more appealing.”
He has amassed a formidable academic résumé: two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and a J.D., across the U.S. and Europe. But Serrant says this was driven less by ambition than by a sense of duty. “A lot of what I did academically was out of a fear of disappointing my family. It’s probably not the most uplifting answer, but I do feel like a lot of St. Maarten students abroad feel an immense pressure that comes with being sent away to better themselves.”
His study path reflects both personal interest and national identity. “I chose Political Science as my first degree for two reasons. First, politics is inherently linked to the law, and I believed that an understanding of one supported an understanding of the other. Second, when I began my first degree, I believe ‘policy officer’ was on the priority list for study finance, studying Political Science allowed me to qualify for that, or similar, roles.”
Later, Serrant chose Tilburg University’s Global Law program, drawn to its comparative approach. “Most of the courses I took covered both the Dutch and French systems, which I found especially appealing as a St. Maartener.”
His time abroad also shaped his views on legal systems and policy. “I think I tend to have a broader perspective on law and governance and am more flexible in how I approach legal problems. I tend to be more willing to break away from legal tradition, especially when I have first-hand experience with different rules in other jurisdictions that lead to more efficient outcomes.”
The Jenkins Award he received was both surprise and affirmation. “I didn’t find out I was receiving the award until a few days before graduation, so I was genuinely shocked… Though I never planned my actions in law school with recognition in mind, the award did inspire me to remain just as engaged in my future endeavors. It was also a much-needed win against my imposter syndrome.”
Challenges & Resilience
Despite his accomplishments, Serrant is candid about his struggles. “Oh, there were a lot of moments, actually. I hate exams and have never really been able to sleep the night before one. I would often call my parents, siblings, or friends, anyone in my inner circle who happened to be awake. No matter how ridiculous the idea of me failing or dropping out seemed to the person on the other end of the call, they would always try, in different ways, to remind me that I could do it, and that I had already been doing it for years.
Financial hurdles also loomed large. “In the U.S., international students are usually only allowed to work on-campus jobs during the academic year, with hours capped at 20 per week. In the Netherlands I ended up getting a warehouse job on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., but as a student, that wasn’t the most appealing schedule.”
He explained that he experienced varying levels of culture shock while living abroad,
“though I don’t know if there were any specific cultural or academic challenges that were unique to being from the Caribbean. Outside of St. Maarten, I’ve lived in the U.S. and the Netherlands. The U.S. is relatively close to St. Maarten, so much of our media literacy is heavily influenced by it.
“I don’t remember it being particularly hard to adjust culturally once I became familiar with it. I also think that because I constantly moved to places without other Sint Maarten students, I didn’t have the same crutch of community and wasn’t constantly trying to rebuild the aspects of home Imissed, which I think is a valid way to approach living abroad, but it can also prolong the growing pains of feeling comfortable in a new environment.”
Worldview
Living between cultures deepened his political and social awareness. “Living in both the United States and the Netherlands has offered me a striking contrast in how societies address inequality and allocate public resources. These experiences have made me more attuned to the idea that governmental choices, particularly in how tax revenues are allocated, play a central role in determining outcomes for vulnerable populations.”
His vision of equity is hands-on. “To me, equity means ensuring that individuals have meaningful access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. I hope to hold doors open for others like me by mentoring, advocating for inclusive policies, and helping to create pathways that make the legal and academic fields more accessible.”
Serrant remains realistic about the law’s power to solve global crises. “Law on its own probably can’t address most of these problems without broader cultural and societal changes. Society itself must also want to confront those issues.”
He will soon begin practicing in products liability and litigation. Yet his eyes remain on a broader horizon. “I’ll be starting work in the private sector, but I haven’t ruled anything out for the distant future.”
St. Maarten. Home.
The call to give back is ever-present. “I do want to return to St. Maarten one day. Whenever I imagine returning, it’s often in some capacity connected to the government. Whether that’s a more front-facing role, like throwing my hat into a political race, or a more background, supportive role, like working as a policy advisor, is still up for debate.”
When asked if there were one thing you could change about St. Maarten’s legal or educational system, he expounded: He sees language as one of the biggest systemic issues on the island.
“The overwhelming majority of public schools on the island are English-language schools. This stands in stark contrast to the legal system, which operates almost entirely in Dutch, with very few exceptions. We either need to make public schools in St. Maarten bilingual, so students graduate fluent in both Dutch and English, or we need to reform the legal system to make it more accessible to English speakers.”
“The fact that most Sint Maarteners are unable to read government documents or the laws that govern them feels borderline unconstitutional, and certainly unjust. Yes, there are some St. Maarteners who speak Dutch, but as someone whose family has been on the island for generations, I’ll admit that my knee-jerk reaction to hearing that a Sint Maartener speaks fluent Dutch is to ask why.
“And the answer is often that they grew up before the switch to English in public schools, that their family is originally from another Dutch island or the Netherlands and taught them Dutch at home, or that they had to teach themselves Dutch in order to do their job, either on St. Maarten or after spending time in the Netherlands.”
Personal & Reflection
As for the the biggest misconception that people might have about you based on his resume..”Maybe that I take myself too seriously, or that I feel far removed from the boy I once was, growing up in French Quarter, coached in high school to fix his accent. I’m a St. Maartener through and through, and no degree or resume will ever change that.”
Serrant is driven not by accolades, but by the people who raised him. “I think my friends and family help keep me grounded. It’s hard to get a big ego when your family sees you that way.”
“I’m a relatively anxious person, often driven by a fear of failure and of disappointing others. I think my friends and family help keep me grounded. No matter how old I get or what my job is, I’m still the baby of the family, and I’m treated as such in various situations. It’s hard to get a big ego when your family sees you that way.”
He finds comfort in small pleasures. “We’ll just have to try to make better mistakes tomorrow,” he quotes Alexandra Bracken, the one quote that has stuck with you over the years. “I really like anime and old Nintendo video games, so I tend to spend my downtime on those when possible. If I take my phone to the gym, I can often make the most of my time by streaming shows while working out.”
As for home? “I’d love to say family, which I do miss, but the truth is the seafood sensation sandwich from Subway. I haven’t found it at any other location abroad. It remains one of the greatest sources of sadnesses in my present life. Also, my birthday is April 26th, so seeing everyone celebrate Jouvert and Carnival without me has become a bit of a sore spot.”
He leaves a message for students at home:
Sometimes, there isn’t a clear path forward. You might even have to look around and piece together various unclear paths. We, and especially the students coming after me, grew up in an age of almost unlimited access to the internet.
There will be times when no advisor or relative can help you find a way forward, and you’ll need to be comfortable using your resources and doing your own research to make things work out for you.
One of the ways I was able to afford school was by constantly looking into scholarships and study abroad opportunities that could, even temporarily, reduce my tuition and living expenses. Often, no one was able to give me a clear answer, I had to find (and bend) the rules and figure things out on my own. But just because you can’t see a clear path forward doesn’t mean you should give up.
Sometimes, there won’t be a clear path, and you’ll have to get comfortable walking an uncertain, bumpy road until you reach the end. I also want to speak directly to the students who might feel distraught due to the recent changes in the agreement with the institutions in Florida: there are other ways forward.
Maybe without that agreement and reduced tuition rate, you can no longer afford to attend university in Florida—but you can still look elsewhere. Studying in the Netherlands as a Sint Maartener with Dutch nationality is actually a very positive experience. The language barrier is practically non-existent, I almost never met people in the Netherlands who didn’t speak English.
You might be farther from home, but if you need to pivot to succeed, then pivot.
Source: The Peoples Tribune https://www.thepeoplestribunesxm.com
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