From the islands to Bulldog Country: Bahamian students begin new journey at SC State

Author: Sam Watson, Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing|Published: August 14, 2026|All News, Faculty & Staff News, Student News

Carmen Forbes and Osean Montesino are among 21 students in the first Bahamian cohort to enroll through SC State's new educational partnership.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Carmen Forbes grew up surrounded by the waters she hopes one day to protect.

Her mother is a dive instructor. Her father owns a dive boat. Forbes grew up sailing on Exuma, an island in the Bahamas, where the ocean was not simply part of the scenery. It was part of everyday life.

Now, Forbes has traveled from that island to South Carolina State University to begin studying biology with a goal already firmly in mind.

"I want to become a marine biologist and study my island and figure out ways that we can help prevent pollution, fix coral reefs, all of that," Forbes said.

Now, Forbes has traveled from that island to South Carolina State University to begin studying biology with a goal already firmly in mind.

"I want to become a marine biologist and study my island and figure out ways that we can help prevent pollution, fix coral reefs, all of that," Forbes said.

Forbes is one of 21 Bahamian students who arrived at SC State for the fall semester as the first class resulting from the university's educational partnership with the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

The partnership, formalized in December 2025, established a Ministry-sponsored Scholars Program through which competitively selected Bahamian students can pursue undergraduate degrees at SC State.

The five-year agreement is designed to provide access to academic programs that align with workforce needs in the Bahamas while expanding international engagement at SC State.

For Forbes, however, the path from Exuma to Orangeburg began with music.

"Honestly, it was through the band," she said of choosing SC State.

Forbes, who plays tenor saxophone, auditioned when SC State Director of Bands Dr. J. William Nicholas traveled to Nassau. She received a scholarship and quickly made up her mind.

"He gave me a scholarship and I was like, that's my school," Forbes said. "It was all because of Dr. Nicholas."

Encouragement to explore beyond home

The opportunity also fulfilled something Forbes' mother had been encouraging her to do: experience life beyond the island where she grew up.

"My mom," Forbes said when asked what motivated her to pursue her education in the U.S.

Her mother's message was straightforward: "Carmen, you need to get off this island."

"My island - you could drive my island ten times in two hours," Forbes said. "'So, Carmen, you need to get off this island. You need to better yourself. You just need to do great things.' She just gave me the motivation, and I wouldn't be here without her."

At SC State, Forbes plans to combine the two interests that helped bring her to Orangeburg. She will study biology while performing with the Marching 101 Band.

Her academic ambitions extend beyond earning an undergraduate degree. Forbes said she plans to pursue graduate education as she works toward a career in marine biology.

"I want that doctor in front of my name," she said. "That is my goal."

A historic class for SC State

For Dr. Manicia Finch, SC State's vice president for Enrollment Management, the arrival of the 21 students represents a milestone in the university's international recruitment

"We have international students on campus, but we've never had a class, an entire international class," Finch said.

The students are the first class to arrive through the Bahamas partnership, and their numbers exceeded initial expectations. Nine additional Bahamian students are expected to arrive for the Spring 2027 Semester.

"Never in a million years would we think it would be this large," Finch said.

The agreement between SC State and the Bahamas established a framework through which the Bahamas' Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training recruits, screens and selects scholars. Students must meet academic benchmarks, demonstrate financial need and pursue programs identified as areas of national need.

SC State admits qualified scholars and assists with scholarships, arrival, acclimation and matriculation.

Finch said the students will be treated as a cohort, with the university providing guidance as they adjust to college and life in a new country.

"I'm keeping my hand on this whole group," Finch said. "I just absolutely love them."

The objective extends beyond bringing students to Orangeburg. Finch said SC State wants the scholars to have a strong college experience and prepare for their professional lives, including those who choose to return home after graduation.

"We just want to make sure they have a good experience and that they become very well-rounded," Finch said. "So, if they do decide to go back to the Bahamas, they'll be ready for whatever they need to do professionally."

'We're here to deliver on that promise'

The Bahamian students gathered Thursday, Aug. 13, for a meet-and-greet at SC State with university leaders.

Along with President Alexander Conyers, the students heard from First Lady Agatha Conyers; Dr. Alison Mc Letchie, an SC State sociology professor who once

Conyers began his remarks by speaking directly to parents who joined the meet-and-greet via videoconference from the Bahamas.

"Parents, thank you so much," Conyers said. "I want to thank you so much for trusting your most precious resource in the world, your son or your daughter, who's here at South Carolina State University."

Conyers told the parents that SC State intended to fulfill the commitments made as the university recruited the students.

"What Dr. Finch promised you over at the Bahamas, we're here to deliver on that promise," he said. "I'm grateful that your students are here and we look forward to ensuring that they have the best experience possible."

For Conyers, the students' arrival is not a one-way educational exchange. He told the Bahamian students that their presence gives the broader SC State student body an opportunity to experience another culture.

"This is why I'm happy that you're here because this is a win-win," Conyers said. "For you, you get to experience a new place, new people, and our students get to do the same. Our students will learn just as much from you as you will learn from them and our university."

Conyers also encouraged the students to make their SC State experience about more than academics. While several are participating in the Marching 101, he urged the entire cohort to become involved in student organizations, activities and academic programs.

"I encourage you, I implore you, to really immerse yourself into the culture of the university so that you have a full, grounded experience prior to graduating," Conyers said.

Finding SC State - and each other

For 16-year-old Osean Montesino of Nassau, Bahamas, the journey to SC State began with an interest in an experience he could not find at home.

"I actually was interested in HBCU culture for a while," Montesino said. "I did my research on the different SWAC schools and the different MEAC schools.

His interest in SC State grew after he learned about the Marching 101 and the work of Nicholas. When SC State traveled to the Bahamas to audition students, Montesino saw an opportunity.

He auditioned alongside other Bahamian students, and the group came away from the experience with a shared conclusion about where they wanted to attend college.

Montesino is a music industry major whose principal instrument is euphonium. He also plays trombone, guitar, bass and piano. He estimated that eight or nine members of the Bahamian cohort are participating in the band.

His long-term interests include music production, performance and possibly orchestral music. His fascination with classical music began not with an instrument but with classical ballet.

"I was always immersing this into the classical music," Montesino said. "And I just loved it. One day I just thought, what if I played it?"

Like Forbes, Montesino is experiencing a world significantly different from the one he left behind.

"Everything's a lot different here, down to the weather, down to the food, down to the way people speak," he said. "It's really a lovely, different experience for me.

The move also came with understandable apprehension.

"Yes, plenty jitters. Plenty jitters," Montesino said. "It's insane. Every day I think about it, I wake up, and I look outside. I'm not by my house. I'm just walking the campus. It just feels so surreal to me."

Being part of a 21-student cohort has provided a connection to home, but it also has introduced Montesino to fellow Bahamians he otherwise might never have met.

"There are students who don't even live on the island that I live on, and we've never met - even some where I'm from. So, to see them make it over here and share our culture is great," Montesino said.

Discovering a bigger world

For Montesino and Forbes, the process of discovery already has begun.

Forbes said she is looking forward to meeting people, building relationships and experiencing more of the U.S. through her participation in the Marching 101.

"Honestly, networking and meeting new people," Forbes said. "I've met so many different personalities, so many different types of people that I never knew even existed."

Traveling with the band carries particular excitement for someone who has spent most of her life on a small island.

"This is the second state I've ever been," Forbes said. "So, to be able to travel with the band, that's why I'm really excited."

For Forbes, SC State represents a chance to see more of the world, meet people unlike those she has known and pursue an education far from home.

But the destination she ultimately envisions leads back to the waters where her story began.

Forbes wants to return to the ocean not simply as the daughter of a dive instructor and dive boat owner, but as a scientist equipped to study the waters around her island, confront pollution and help restore its coral reefs.