We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ericka Narcisse. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ericka below.

Ericka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Growing up in a traditional, West Indian household, my parents instilled so many positive qualities into myself and my older brother. Both my parents are Haitian immigrants, and created a life for themselves here in Queens, NY. Truly challenging for Haitian immigrants in US, they managed to build an entire life, and maintain a family off of strength, hardwork and perseverance. My mother came to NY in the 1970’s, and was able to attend College (city colleges were nearly tuition free), graduated, then worked in the medical field for over 30 years as a Phlebotomist. My father came to NY, and worked at a factory in Riverhead, driving (2) hours each way each day to provide for myself and my brother. My parents instilled the importance and value of education, but also re-enforcing the importance of tradition, and taking pride in our culture. My brother and I were taught Kreyol and French since we were young, and speak fluently. We attended Catholic Private schools from kindergarten- 12th grade, and even though our parents worked tirelessly to afford the tuition, they never let us see them sweat. I was raised in a household where I was taught to be generous and loving, and helpful, and to remember that we were fortunate, as not everyone had what we were being given by our parents.

My brother’s mental illness was also a challenge for my family, as for so many years it went undiagnosed, all the way into adulthood. We struggled with understanding what was causing his behaviors, and how to get him help. Like many traditional West Indian families, mental illness was not something that was fully understood in our communities, or even discussed, and it still had stigma related to it.. I can recall one night, at the height of his illness, in which my brother left our home quietly in the middle of the night. He didn’t share where he was going, or how long he would be gone, My parents and I woke up the next morning, and realized he was gone, and called family, precincts, hospitals, and eventually even morgues. We did not hear from him, or know his whereabouts, One week turned into two weeks, then three, then eventually a full month went by. We were so worried, and kept following up with state and government agencies, my parents never gave up, and finally my brother was found at a bus station, and was home. It was at that point in which my parents realized that we had to get my brother help, at which point he was diagnosed formally with a mental illness.

I know that while my brother was missing, my parents must have been scared, and worried, but they never gave up, they kept with determination, and we were so thankful and appreciative when he came home.

This impacted me in soo many ways, as it relates to my career as a Training Manager for a Healthcare Agency. For the past 14 years, I teach people about mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities, and train staff to work with our population.

Great, we appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I am a proud Haitian-American woman, raised in Queens, and went to school in Brooklyn, and im in the over 35 years old+ club. I am a professional and have contributed to training and education in Healthcare for over 15 years. I am a loving daughter, sister, friend with passions for music, networking, travelling and performing arts.

I would like people to know that working in Healthcare, and assisting those with Mental Illness is not only a reward but our responsibility. I am an advocate for my brother, ,and at my agency, I work closely and train hundreds of people each year that work with mentally ill population, and I am passionate about what I do. I want everyone to know that people struggling with mental illness are no different from anyone else, and need care, love and support, and they are our friends, our family members and people in our communities. As a primary caretaker for my brother, as well as a full-time Training Manager, I have days in which it is challenging, and I am exhausted, or stressed out, but I will never stop ensuring my brother receives appropriate services, care, love and support.

My job as a caretaker for my brother, also extended to my father, as he started experiencing serious medical issues. My dad struggled with diabetes, being overweight, and heart related issues that led to him having surgery a few years later. I know that he had a lot of added stress, but he always treated my brother with love as parents should. He would joke with him, laugh with him, have him participate in creative activities, purchase equipment for him, my brother has a talent for art/drawing. My dad had a big and warm presence about him, he was very charismatic, and I know that had a positive impact and support on my brother. Unfortunately my dad passed away from COVID related illness in April of 2020.

My love for helping others, and creating safe spaces also extends into one of my other passions, of providing a platform for people to display their creativity, talents, music, as I also manage event showcases. I think it is so important for everyone to have an opportunity to share their voices, talent and skills. There have been so many instances in my life in which I didn’t understand my purpose, and would wonder why I’m even here, and many of those times I myself struggled with some self-destructive thoughts. And had it not been for a musical/creative outlet, I don’t know where those dark times would have taken me. So I certainly want to provide safe spaces, and outlets for others,

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I remember in 2016-2017 taking my father on his medical appointment and receiving news that he would need heart surgery as a result of his very serious health conditions. My dad had diabetes, and high blood pressure, and was overweight, and so this added new development was very difficult for myself and my family. The news actually brought me to a place of depression, as I was also clinically morbidly obese at the time (I weighed over 280lbs at 5’6″), and would always say I am a mini version of my dad. I remember being stressed about that, and it unfortunately added to my extremely unhealthy eating habits. I was scared, and upset, and worried about my dad no longer being here. I was also dealing with external stresses, and still having to ensure I took care of my brother., making sure I was going to work, being a support system for so many people in my life. I remember one night after binging on fatty meals and fast food, I cried myself to sleep, in hopes that I didn’t wake up. I never shared this with anyone, none of my friends, certainly not my family, having thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore, that wasn’t me. I was the “strong” one in my family, and also to my friends. But what people don’t understand is that even your strong friends/family need to be checked up on, and need love and support. I was in a dark place emotionally, mentally, and it manifested physically, and I really did not know if I wanted to be here anymore. But watching my dad recover from his heart surgery and seem re-born gave me such hope, and by end of 2017-2018, I made a decision to re-dedicate myself to my health, and moved forward with gaining positive control of my life physically and mentally.

My resilience allowed me to remember that even in your lowest moments, when you have nothing else to give, there is always something worth living for. For me that was my family, and the love I have for them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn, is that being generous and caring means that you should not be concerned with your own self care. I had to re-program my brain and understand that in being loving, empathetic as a care taker for others, I can still allow time to tend to my own needs and my own care. This is only a realization I have made in last (5) years or so, and only as a result of reaching some very dark moments in my life. How can I truly be a beacon of love and care to others, if I dont take time and effort to ensure my own care? Part of it is cultural, and I think many of us (in particular women), we put ourselves last on our list of priorities, and this is can be a crucial mistake. I learned that I need to be in a healthy place to properly provide love and supports to my loved ones is so necessary. And self-care is so important, now more than ever.

We live in a post-COVID world with so many changes to our everyday lives, but people need to talk about it, people need to share their concerns, and too often, we don’t share how we truly feel. Its important to know our voices are important, our feelings have value, and that it is important to take steps to self-care.

Contact Info:

• Other: Im not on social media, but feel free to share my events management email address/ and instagram with anyone interested in showcasing their creativity/music/poetry/ art: email: [email protected] instagram: @longislandmusicreview