AVINFLUENCER: Turquoise Baker

”My name is Turquoise and I am currently a student at Johns Hopkins. My name doesn’t have a particular meaning. My parents just liked the name. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but spent most of my life in Milwaukee, WI. My mother comes from the West Indies, and my dad is from North Carolina. My mom came to the US for a better education, attended college, and has been here ever since. I’ve never met someone as strong and as driven as her.

My parents raised my brother and I to love and explore our roots, which in my opinion, is invaluable. I’m most familiar with West Indian food thanks to my grandmother who always baked for us whenever she visited from the West Indies. My mama makes good food too. I am proud of my heritage, however I know there’s still a lot more I can learn.
In the future, I hope to learn more about my heritage and teach others about it. Generally, I think most people believe anyone from the “Caribbean” is automatically Jamaican, which isn’t true.

I hope everyone can learn to love their own heritage and backgrounds, while appreciating others as well.
Ultimately, I strive to become the best version of myself that I possibly can and to help others around me.”

-Turquoise (@turquoiseb17)