Kenrick — A Conversation with Kenrick Mark Coleman Features Phylicia Pelayo
The Kenrick Mark Coleman Foundation
Kenrick — A Conversation with Kenrick Mark Coleman Features Phylicia Pelayo
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am the eldest child of Geraldine Baizar and Arturo Pelayo Sr. I grew up in a small humble family in Roaring Creek Village. I am a reserved person who enjoys being outdoors. My guilty pleasure is binge watching shows on Netflix or watching documentaries on Youtube with my boyfriend. I have an appreciation for the visual arts and my passion is travelling to new places. …and oh yeah, I am a cat person and my zodiac sign is Cancer!
2. You recently graduated from the University of Reading, majoring in Archaeology. What do you believe is important in this your role?
While I am still far off from working as an official “archaeologist”, I believe my role is important because:
1) Archaeology is traditionally a male-dominated field. There is need for more female archaeologists whether it is in the field digging, heritage management or in academia. I am happy to help tip the gender scale in Belize.
2) Beyond tourism, there is a need to make archaeology more relevant for the general public so that our heritage resources and their potential are better understood and protected. I would push for more community-based heritage management models and the subject’s application in modern contexts.
3) There is a need for more research to be done by Belizeans! It has always concerned me that for various reasons research is still mainly being done by foreign universities. I would like to help put in place the infrastructure for more research to be done by us. My areas of interest are historic archaeology and bioarchaeology. In Belize, archaeology has mostly been focused on the ancient Maya but there are a lot unanswered questions in our more recent history that archaeology may be applied to.
3. Tell us more about your academic life at this University? How did you receive the scholarship? Why did you choose this particular University? When did you commence studies? What subject areas are focused on? What’s your relationship like with fellow students?
I began the MA program in September 2015 at the University of Reading. I chose UoR because it has a beautiful campus, small classroom size, good facilities and my lecturers were well-published or editors for some of the top academic journals. The archaeology program was also very flexible and broad. That was important for me because I gained experience in different areas of archaeology before I chose my area of research. My research examined ancient diet and nutrition, lifestyle diseases and human remains. Also, Reading was charming and cozy, affordable to live in and was very close to London. I enjoyed university life and Reading was a college town so being a student there had lots of benefits.
In the year before I started school, I applied for a Chevening Award and was fortunate to be selected. My closest peers were actually other Chevening scholars. We hung out together and visited a few places. My Belizean Chevening friends were also a significant part of my support network during my studies. My archaeology program had a good mix of international and British students so classes were always a learning and cultural experience.
4. Describe your transformation process from little Belize to Reading, England?.
I thoroughly enjoyed living in Reading and the UK. To date, it has been the most exciting and challenging year of my life. The UK had a lot of elements any student of archaeology would love — history, lovely museums, quaint buildings and a diverse cultural make-up. So it was an easy transition for me. To make it even better, Reading reminded me a lot of San Ignacio which is my second home. One thing I never got accustomed to was the weather. Now, I get all the jokes I had heard before about the UK weather! Still, it was the first time I got to see and touch a bit of snow. Overall, it was an experience that taught me a lot about my limits and potential.
5. What are the challenges you faced as a student at the University of Reading? Opportunities? How is life as a student in England?
As an international student I did lots of independent learning to be at the same level with my colleagues. This was in addition to the heavy demands that are apart of doing a graduate program. I had been out of school for several years so it took some time to get back into student life. My lecturers were tough on me but they were also confident in my abilities at times when I wasn’t. It all paid off though because I graduated with distinction. I was lucky to have been allowed learning opportunities without having as much technical knowledge as other students. In the end, I proved to myself and lecturers that I was capable.
Culture shock also came from being an international student where I quickly learned that I would be given the same treatment as my fellow British students. There were no extra allowances or preferential treatment because I did not have background knowledge of certain things. This meant that I had a lot to learn fast about how things worked in the UK. A lot of things operated with little or no flexibility, quite different from little Belize.
6. Why is Archaeology important to Belize’s National Development?
Archaeology benefits Belize in tangible and intangible ways. Firstly, there are the obvious economic benefits that come from heritage tourism. The Institute of Archaeology has been doing a great job to increase the tourism potential of sites across the country which means a better tourist experience and hopefully more returning and new visitors. These economic benefits directly and indirectly reach a wide sector of stakeholders. Studying the past also helps inform our understanding of where we came from and who we are as a people and country. Archaeology is one medium of gaining more information and filling in the gaps in our historical narrative.
7. Let’s talk about extra-curricular activities at the University. Kindly tell us more. Did you participate in activities in general (not at school) with other Belizeans there? How did you “uphold” Belize’s name sake?
I initially signed up for a number of clubs at the university but soon found out that graduate studies left little time for extracurricular activities. In my first term I did some volunteering with a project to renovate one of the school’s museum spaces. Most of my free time was spent shopping in town or going for a walk in London. I took a few breaks away from my graduate stress by travelling to places within the UK and Europe. I think there was only one other Belizean at my school but we didn’t get a chance to hang out. I did however get to travel with another Belizean I met who was studying in London.
Whenever I could, I would incorporate information about Belize in my course presentations or in my seminars. I was always happy to share with British colleagues about the historical and cultural connections between the UK and Belize.
8. What are three things you learnt as an International Student studying in England? What can our country expect from Phylicia Pelayo in the next five years? If you were the Minister of Culture/Tourism, what changes would you implement as it relates to Culture, History and Tourism Contributions to National Sustainable Development?
Three major lessons learnt are: 1) foreign universities have a rigid educational system and preparation begins before you start school; 2) you have to be your biggest motivator especially being thousands of miles away from family and friends; and 3) at the graduate level, good time management is the most important skill you may need to do well.
I wish I could say I have a concrete plan for the next five years already. I know that I would like to do a second masters and/or a PhD. I don’t think there will ever be an end to my professional growth even after those. There are a number of career paths I would like to pursue so I hope to be one step closer towards those by that time.
I don’t see myself holding any political office. If I were in a position of that sort I would try to create more linkages in the heritage and academic sectors with our Caribbean and Central American neighbours. There is also a need to diversify the labour pool with new directions heritage tourism is taking us such as by training more museum curators, conservators, anthropologists, historic architecture specialists, etc. I would also like to see Belize develop a research lab for archaeology so we can do more research here.
9. Why should Belizeans apply for the Chevening Scholarship? Tell us more about this programme? Contact? Would you be able to provide support?
The Chevening Scholarship offers more than a lot of other scholarships. It is a full scholarship which covered all my university and living costs with a little extra. This certainly relieves one of the stresses of doing graduates studies and living in a foreign country. It is distinguished from other scholarship programs by a strong support network, professional development and recreational opportunities it offers. Before and after your arrival you have an officer there to assist you if you have any problems and you have a close family of scholars at your university. The scholars are really a group of inspirational people to be surrounded by.
The Belize Chevening Alumni Association was recently formed. I am on the board for the executive and we are happy to assist with information and application guidance. Persons can contact cheveningbelize@gmail.com. Applications are typically open from August to early November each year so look out for that!
10. What three words do you have to say to young Belizeans?
Don’t be lazy!
