Julea Thomas
Julea Thomas
The Storm Has A Name. So Do We.
The Storm Has A Name. So Do We.
Atlanta feels distant from the storm, but for many students across the Atlanta University Center (AUC), Hurricane Melissa is impossible to escape. As the hurricane tears through the Caribbean, students are trying to balance lectures with constant updates, missed calls and messages from home that may never come through.
The storm, one of the most powerful in recent years, has stretched the emotional distance between Atlanta and the islands. Yet it has also pulled students closer together.
For Isoke Taylor, a senior economics major at Spelman College from Washington, D.C., representing Jamaica and Guyana, every hour feels like waiting on a signal. Flooding has already reached her family’s community, and several relatives still have not been able to make contact.
Between lectures, she scrolls through her phone, refreshing for good news that never seems to load fast enough.
“It is worrisome,” she said. “But I have been keeping faith and staying in touch with my family as much as possible.”
As vice president of the Vybz Caribbean Student Association, Taylor said this week has been a reminder of what it means to show up for one another.
“Even if people do not fully understand what we are going through, they still show up,” she said. “That means everything.”
For many students, Vybz has been more than an organization. It is a support system, a space to vent, pray, and lean on each other when home feels far away.
“We talk about home, we talk about what keeps us grounded,” Taylor said. “Sometimes that is all you need.”
At Morehouse College, Adon Gray, a junior computer science and marketing major from New York representing Jamaica, said the storm has revealed just how connected the AUC really is.
“It is not just Caribbean students feeling it. It is everybody,” he said. “We make sure no one has to go through this alone.”
Gray said that being Caribbean at Morehouse can come with challenges. But in moments like this, he feels the pride of where he comes from even more strongly.
“Once you are confident and remember that Jamaica brought you here, no one can take that away from you,” Gray said. “That is what keeps me standing tall.”
That same mix of pride and worry has followed Kiyanna Hamilton, a sophomore criminal justice major at Clark Atlanta who was born in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Her family has already locked down their home and closed her mother's business as Melissa moves closer.
“Being away from home is hard,” Hamilton said. “But having people here who understand what I am feeling makes it a little easier.”
As social media chair for Vybz, Hamilton has been helping spread updates about the storm while also finding comfort in the very community she is supporting.
Under the leadership of Jaedyn Clarke, a senior biology major at Spelman from Queens, New York, representing Jamaica and the 2025-2026 president of Vybz, the group hosted a prayer vigil earlier this week for students directly affected by the hurricane.
The vigil brought students from Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta together for an evening of prayer, reflection and solidarity. Caribbean flags lined the walkway. Candles flickered in the wind. And for a few hours, the distance between Atlanta and home seemed to fade.
“This is about community, resiliency, and showing that we are stronger together,” Clarke said.
Vybz plans to continue raising funds and awareness for families affected across Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and other islands in the coming weeks. Clarke said watching students come together in such a difficult time reaffirmed the strength of the Caribbean spirit.
“We take care of our own, no matter where we are,” she said.
As Hurricane Melissa continues its path across the Caribbean, the worry in the AUC lingers, but so does the hope. In classrooms and dorm rooms, through siblinghood, faith and culture, Caribbean students are proving that even when the storm hits far from Atlanta, their fortitude is felt across the ocean.
Atlanta feels distant from the storm, but for many students across the Atlanta University Center (AUC), Hurricane Melissa is impossible to escape. As the hurricane tears through the Caribbean, students are trying to balance lectures with constant updates, missed calls and messages from home that may never come through.
The storm, one of the most powerful in recent years, has stretched the emotional distance between Atlanta and the islands. Yet it has also pulled students closer together.
For Isoke Taylor, a senior economics major at Spelman College from Washington, D.C., representing Jamaica and Guyana, every hour feels like waiting on a signal. Flooding has already reached her family’s community, and several relatives still have not been able to make contact.
Between lectures, she scrolls through her phone, refreshing for good news that never seems to load fast enough.
“It is worrisome,” she said. “But I have been keeping faith and staying in touch with my family as much as possible.”
As vice president of the Vybz Caribbean Student Association, Taylor said this week has been a reminder of what it means to show up for one another.
“Even if people do not fully understand what we are going through, they still show up,” she said. “That means everything.”
For many students, Vybz has been more than an organization. It is a support system, a space to vent, pray, and lean on each other when home feels far away.
“We talk about home, we talk about what keeps us grounded,” Taylor said. “Sometimes that is all you need.”
At Morehouse College, Adon Gray, a junior computer science and marketing major from New York representing Jamaica, said the storm has revealed just how connected the AUC really is.
“It is not just Caribbean students feeling it. It is everybody,” he said. “We make sure no one has to go through this alone.”
Gray said that being Caribbean at Morehouse can come with challenges. But in moments like this, he feels the pride of where he comes from even more strongly.
“Once you are confident and remember that Jamaica brought you here, no one can take that away from you,” Gray said. “That is what keeps me standing tall.”
That same mix of pride and worry has followed Kiyanna Hamilton, a sophomore criminal justice major at Clark Atlanta who was born in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Her family has already locked down their home and closed her mother's business as Melissa moves closer.
“Being away from home is hard,” Hamilton said. “But having people here who understand what I am feeling makes it a little easier.”
As social media chair for Vybz, Hamilton has been helping spread updates about the storm while also finding comfort in the very community she is supporting.
Under the leadership of Jaedyn Clarke, a senior biology major at Spelman from Queens, New York, representing Jamaica and the 2025-2026 president of Vybz, the group hosted a prayer vigil earlier this week for students directly affected by the hurricane.
The vigil brought students from Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta together for an evening of prayer, reflection and solidarity. Caribbean flags lined the walkway. Candles flickered in the wind. And for a few hours, the distance between Atlanta and home seemed to fade.
“This is about community, resiliency, and showing that we are stronger together,” Clarke said.
Vybz plans to continue raising funds and awareness for families affected across Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and other islands in the coming weeks. Clarke said watching students come together in such a difficult time reaffirmed the strength of the Caribbean spirit.
“We take care of our own, no matter where we are,” she said.
As Hurricane Melissa continues its path across the Caribbean, the worry in the AUC lingers, but so does the hope. In classrooms and dorm rooms, through siblinghood, faith and culture, Caribbean students are proving that even when the storm hits far from Atlanta, their fortitude is felt across the ocean.