The bond between the CSB and SJU community and The Bahamas stretches back to the 1890s, when the first Benedictine monks from Saint John’s Abbey began serving there.
Over the last 100-plus years, well over 1,600 Bahamian students have attended the two schools, enriching both campuses through their significant contributions to academic, athletic, artistic and social life.
Many have then returned home to play a key role in their nation’s affairs – working in numerous and varied areas, including education, business and the highest levels of government.
The connection remains as strong as ever with 59 graduate and undergraduate Bahamian students enrolled at CSB and SJU during the 2024-25 school year. Among that group is SJU junior Ilan White, a political science major and communication minor who works as a student coordinator at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy & Civic Engagement on campus.
It was his idea to create a permanent display honoring the ties between his country and campus, as well as celebrating the legacy those Bahamian students who came before him established.
“(We) wanted to do something that showcased that history,” said White, who also serves on the Saint John’s Senate. “The story has been told and heard about in pockets over the course of our history here, but there hasn’t been anything cemented. I wanted to create something concrete that people can look at and hopefully learn more about the Bahamians who have been coming here for over 100 years now and have gone on to do huge things back home after they’ve graduated.”
White has done his part by helping to create a timeline showing the rich history CSB, SJU and The Bahamas share. The display was installed at SJU’s Sexton Commons earlier this month.
“It’s a story that there should be more documentaries made about, honestly,” he said. “I can’t think of a relationship between a nation and a school that has been so impactful and has lasted over so long a time.”
The timeline and text for the mural was put together by Brittany Merritt Nash, an assistant professor of history at CSB and SJU, based on her considerable research on the relationship.
“My goal when I first started learning the history of this relationship was to make the story accessible to everyone,” she said. “It’s such an important part of the story of our two institutions and I think it’s important to do anything we can to increase that awareness.”
Matt Lindstrom, a professor of political science at CSB and SJU and the director of the McCarthy Center, said now-retired CSB and SJU archivist Peggy Roske ’77, CSB alumna Anastasia Nathe ’97 and her daughter Clairissa Nathe ’22 (who handled the design work) were also among those who played key roles in making the project a reality.
“It’s so important that we celebrate this relationship, and because 25 percent of our students are new every year, we have to keep spreading the word,” Lindstrom said. “A display like this, in a busy building on campus, provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce them to this story.”
The McCarthy Center project has been in development for a year-and-a-half now. The original hope was to have it ready when Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis visited CSB and SJU in December 2023. That process was delayed, but it’s been completed now.
“I came back to campus (after the semester break) and went to see it,” White said. “I had to stand there and take some deep breaths. I was just in awe and amazement that I’d had a hand in creating something that will be on permanent display showcasing this history. I felt a sense of fulfillment that is really hard to describe.”
