Ep. 142: A Jamaican International Student Experience In S. Korea(Part 1)

The Immigrant Experience in America

Jervian Johnson is a very energetic, passionate and dedicated young lady who strives for the highest standards in all her endeavours. Jervian believes that while it is important to achieve personal success academically and professionally, a component of true success is giving back to others and contributing to national development. As such, she has actively participated in various clubs and societies while pursuing her secondary and tertiary education. She is currently a volunteer in the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) Jamaica, which was awarded the 2017 Prime Ministers Youth Award for Excellence in the category of youth development. She has volunteered with the organization since 2010, and served as president for the IYF Club – UTech Chapter. Jervian was also the Youth Member of Parliament for South-Central St. Catherine, where she coordinated projects and programs that helped to foster youth development.

Jervian, who was always keen on pursuing her academic and career goals, was awarded the Jamaica Female Scholarship and The Korean Government Scholarship in 2008 and 2014 respectively. These assisted greatly in propelling her while she pursued her career goals. She was also awarded the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Academics in 2018.

Jervian has contributed to national development by serving in various positions in the private and public sector. In her early career she worked as a Process Engineer at Petrojam Limited. After completing her Masters in Environmental Engineering at Ajou University, South Korea, she was offered a position as an Environmental Engineering Specialist in the Environmental Management Subdivision at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). Here she functioned as Team Leader for the Environmental Monitoring team for the JISCO/Alpart Alumina Manufacturing Plant. Jervian also had stints at Continental Baking Company as Sanitation, Quality & Production Supervisor; and the Scientific Research Council as Process Development Officer. She also received a very prestigious opportunity to serve as a Jamaica House Fellow at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Jervian is currently the Managing Director of a Jamaican health food brand, Tropicks365. Tropicks365 was founded in 2021. Its focus is to preserve tropical fruits (and vegetables) cultivated here in Jamaica, using simple preservation techniques. A variety of flavours are incorporated into dried fruits that will allow customers to have a unique eating experience. Fruits/foods that have been processed into snacks or products to make drinks/teas are mangoes, pineapples, jackfruits, plantains, sorrel and ginger.

Tropicks365 dried fruits are healthy snack choices that can be had as is, or combined with other treats, such as ice cream, yogurt, and fruit/vegetable salads. These snacks can be enjoyed and appreciated by Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora, and by foreigners visiting Jamaica and living overseas. The vision for Tropicks365 is to be the brand of the choice for products of high quality, delicious taste, high nutritional value, and convenience. This snack will inspire enjoyable eating experiences and allow families, friends, and colleagues to connect as they munch away in a new way using familiar ingredients, while reminiscing on their past experiences.

TROPICKS365 ACHIEVEMENTS:  Successful launch of six (6) product lines:

 Dried mango – original, sweet & sour, salt & pepper, spicy flavour variations; two sizes – 45g and 90g  Dried pineapple – original  Dried plantain – original  Dried jackfruit – original  Dehydrated Pine Skin and Ginger  Dried Sorrel

 Distribution in six (6) locations that provides local and overseas access to the products:

 General Foods Supermarket  New Kingston Pharmacy  Jamaican Care Packages Limited (online store that supplies Jamaicans abroad with local items)  Things Jamaican – Devon House, Norman Manley International Airport, Jamaica Business Development Commission (JBDC) Headquarters

 Distribution of products through online stores that allows products to be accessible to customers in the United States and Canada:

 Carib Shopper (https://caribshopper.com/en-ca/collections/tropicks365)  Things Jamaican (https://thingsjamaicanshopping.com/dried-jamaican-fruits-3pk- tropicks-365/)  Taste Jamaica (https://tastejamaica.com/try-our-products)  Grocery List Jamaica (https://grocerylistjamaica.com/product/tropicks-365-dried- sorrel-100g/ )

 3 rd Place winner for the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) Youth in Agri-Business Awards  Jamaica Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) 2023 Award for Jamaica Emerging Manufacturer and Services (JEMS) Company of the Year

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