Influencer Jesmelys Zink Angelista
Interview December 2022
Jesmelys, could you share with us some information about your family life?
I was born in Curaçao, I have one younger sister. My parents have always supported me, as they allowed me to explore and be involved in positive activities. They were never like, you are not allowed to do this. As long as it was positive and I could grow while doing it, it was ok for them. They never forced me to do anything. From my mother I learned to never give up, and she always inspired me to grow and from my father I discovered we share the same passion for writing even though we do it in two completely different ways.
Could you share any other aspect of your educational background and experiences?
During my kindergarten years, we lived in Holland for a while. During my primary school years, we lived back in Curaçao and I went to the Kolegio Mgr. Julio Henriquez at Fuik and attended the Albert SchweitzerHAVO/VWO during my secondary school years. Nowadays, I am a student at UDC, studying Economics and Marketing. I aspired to become a Papiamentu and Spanish teacher to enhance my language, culture and island but was convinced later on that by studying economics and marketing I would have more opportunities later on. But in the meantime, my need and passion to teach and share knowledge are now being expressed in the way I share my work in my writing of poems and my workshops and also my drive to enhance Papiamentu.
We know you are to be a student, author of books, model, and catwalk coach for some Youth that won some prizes for your writings. Where does your interest in Art come from?
I have always enjoyed writing. From the time early on at the primary school level, I was taught writing I would write. We would go to the library and attend the reading of books by mothers and I would come back home, with something I have written. So it started very early on. Why exactly, I have no idea.
Could it be a “calling”?
Maybe, for me it is more than simply being interested in writing, for me, it is a need to write. I love writing and I am good at communicating. It comes easy to me.
My goal is that everything that I write or do, inspires and motivates others. I use a poem as my preferred way to express this. If something happens, or I experience something that has impacted me, I would write about it in a poem.
In my book ‘Djawe pa mañan’, I have written 30 poems, all with words of advice to inspire, that will influence the reader their tomorrow. The book is available at Bruna.
I have heard that we as human beings have purposes in life. In two words: “To Grow and to Serve”. Does this resonate with you?
Yes, definitely.
What are the challenges that you are dealing with? And how are you dealing with these different challenges you confront?
My biggest challenge at times is, to be the person that I aspire to be and model in my writings. I want to be a symbol of hope.
As a youngster, I also experience challenges. And at times because of the challenge my faith can be shaken up. There were times, that I have lost it for a while.
That is perfectly normal because a person can’t grow without being challenged. Challenges are to help you grow. Many times grow through the pain. As you need to step out of your comfort zone to grow, right?
Yes, that is also how I see it. But it is still a challenge if you are going through these moments.
What is your BIG WHY or driving motivation to be who you are right now and do what you are doing now?
I want always to inspire hope. After I graduated from the Albert Schweitzer College we celebrated big time as I went to school at Fuik. And people looked down on the Julio Henriquez School at Fuik and the barrio Fuik. It served as an eye-opener for a lot of people in Fuik, that they could also be successful. I wasn’t aware of this impact until I graduated, so I said to myself if I can be a role model and influence other Youth positively, why not be a Role Model? I have the talent and now also the ambition to be a role model. This is my purpose in life: To be a role model to inspire others.
What are your plans for the coming years, let us say 5 years from now?
Wow, this is a difficult question as I have never thought about it. I am curious how that would work out.
But come to think of it, I would be involved in a mix of activities, I would have published more books. will be presenting poems, be giving more workshops on creative writing, Papiamentu, and its orthography. I would be very involved with children and organize events for children.
Do you use your inner voice to evaluate when dilemmas show up? How does that work for you?
What I write comes from within. After helping myself I can be able to help others. The words I write in my book, need me to write them down. As I write them down or present them to others, they can also be of help to others. My Inner Voice shows up in what I write or present, it comes from the inside out.
How are you trying also to keep up with your knowledge and skill levels?
The key word is humility. You can learn from anyone. If you think that you have arrived and know all that is needed to know, you are wrong, as you would not be growing anymore.
So I learn by being humble no matter what the position of a person is, as I can learn from anyone I meet. That is how I grow and evolve.
What are your strengths?
I do a lot of self-reflection, I am creative and I communicate easily with people.
I am also determined to reach whatever goal I set my mind to achieve.
Do you have other hobbies or interests that you are also passionate about?
Apart from writing my poems, I am also a model and I am a catwalk coach teaching other youngsters how to model, basically transferring my knowledge to others.
If you as Jesmelys would meet a stranger on the bus (let’s say in Berlin or Bogota Columbia) and they would ask you to introduce yourself, what would you answer?
My name is Jesmelys Zink Angelista and I come from the island of Curaçao. I hope you will one day visit our island as we have so much to offer. I am a writer, I model and I came here especially to learn and hear from your country. I am humble and open to learning.
How would you describe Jesmelys in one word or one sentence?
Fascinated by the satisfaction of growing. Worried about those who are not growing yet as they don’t see the importance of this as yet. This is what I aim to achieve with one word in a poem, just this one word that can be of help.
Who are the persons that have inspired you the most in your career?
On a personal level, it is my parents. My mother’s attitude of never giving up and giving her best to her children, so that they can be their best version.
Furthermore, what inspires me is life itself generally speaking. This could be different people consisting not only of my family of friends but any person I might meet during the day. Every experience can be different. As my mindset is based on a deep curiosity to learn from life, what happens every day is like the opening of a whole new world every day.
I try not to be judgemental. I believe that the way people act, must have a reason that I am not aware of, so I try not to judge.
I also reflect a lot, at times even reflecting too much on things.
What is a character trait that is still a work in progress?
Patience. I can easily sometimes become a little bit desperate when I am learning something new, which is what I mentioned before. I see it as growing through the pain now.
What was a defining moment in your life?
Once I was offered two options to work and both came in at the same time. One offered a remuneration of three times the other possibility. Because I followed my heart, I decided to go for the offer that offered me one-third of what I could earn, as it would give me more joy.
It was a defining moment for me, but I am happy with my choice and I know everything will turn out to be ok in the end.
What would you want your Loved Ones, family, friends, and others to say about you let’s say 20 years from now?
Jes, that is what they call me, always helped us to push and fought to become her best self, not for herself only but also by helping others to become their best self. This explains why we are, where we are today. At the end it was all about every friend, I have inspired and motivated, to become a better version of themselves.
What makes you stay optimistic about the future of Curaçao as we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and recession, and in the middle of growing environmental challenges because of the global warming consequences?
If you look back at our history you can notice that whatever challenges we have confronted, one way or the other we have managed to get out of it.
We, my generation have even more tools, and as long as we think of sharing our knowledge and skills as part of emphasizing education all the way, makes me optimistic about our future. It will be difficult, as life itself is not easy, but despite all that, we will surpass these obstacles. We have always done it, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t this time. Take for example the SDGs (Strategic development Goals) we need to bring them to the schools and the society at large, explaining the necessity of reaching these goals and explaining how all of us will benefit if we reach these goals.
More info or connect:
Facebook: Poetisá by Jesmeyza
One of the 250 Influencers
Jesmelys Zink Angelista is a young, creative, humble, energetic, curious, driven author, model, student, catwalk coach, that loves poetry and is passionate about transferring knowledge to other people. Her drive to coach and teach, her persistence to achieve whatever goal she sets her mind on, her persistence to grow and evolve, has driven her to find a balance between her studies in Economics & Marketing and still be actively involved in her passion to teach and share knowledge sharing her poems and her workshops in creative writing and enhancement of Papiamentu. Using her inner voice to write and express herself and at times following her heart when confronted with dilemma’s, has served her well and makes her unique in terms of knowing what she wants, striving to be a role model to inspire others.
As she believes that the next generations of youth have more tools to their disposition and as long as they share their knowledge and skills, makes her optimistic about our future and optimistic about the ability to overcome whatever life throws at our island, if we address it jointly. She is full aware that this will not be an easy challenge to deal with all of the time. For all these reasons, we consider Jesmelys Zink Angelista, as one of the 250 Influencers of Curaçao, representing the Cultural sector. Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.
The goal of the core group of Share2Uplift for 2022
The goal of the Share2Uplift movement is to: “Identify 250 leaders from all walks of life to connect, align and create impactful changes in all walks of life, which includes intergenerational collaboration by the end of 2022.” We will use interviewing Influencers, meet-and-greet events, “train-the-trainers”-programs on “Emotional Mastery” and “Intentionality “as national intervention strategies, to reach this goal on top of our goal to scale up the possibilities to connect, align and create impact via a virtual platform. We believe that by collaborating with Miguel Goede on the virtual Vision 2030 platform, we will accelerate the possibilities to connect the diaspora and others elsewhere in the world and on the island willing to constructively create impactful changes in Curaçao, to join.
As Share2Uplift, we are fully trying to align with this thinking of Center for Curriculum Redesign to promote this agenda in our educational systems and workplace. So, in that sense, we fully support any initiative to make our educational system 21st-century proof.
Share2Uplift aligners are those that:
– Create an inspiring vision of the future;
– Motivate and inspire people to engage with that vision;
– Manage the delivery of the vision;
– Coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. These criteria are now being polished.
We also consider these 5 values the most important ones for Share2Uplift aligners. They are:
• Peace from within;
• Compassion;
• Respectfulness;
• Integrity;
• Responsibility.
As we will progress towards this goal, we will update you on the progress.
This week we will share some short videos with “poems”. We will upload one of these videos every day on our facebook.com/share2uplift page.
Invictus by William Henley read by Morgan Freeman | Inspirational Poetry – YouTube
So Live Your Life – Chief Tecumseh (A Native American Poem) – YouTube
Desiderata – A Life Changing Poem for Hard Times – YouTube
Defeat – Kahlil Gibran (A Life Changing Poem for Dark Times) – YouTube
God (1923) by Khalil Gibran (A Powerful Poem About Man’s Quest to Know God) – YouTube
Reason and Passion – Khalil Gibran (Powerful Life Poetry) – YouTube