Name: Erold St.Louis
Hometown: Leogane, Haiti
Major: Social Sciences
Weekday Student
Graduation Date: 2007

Why did you choose Shimer?
Steven Werlin (former Dean of the College and a member of the Shimer faculty) was working in Haiti.  I met him and he told me about Shimer. I looked at the reading list and the Great Books really appealed to me.  In Haiti it’s more of a French based education system. The people like philosophy, but can’t find the books easily.  You have to go somewhere else to study it.  So I came to Shimer.

What are your favorite texts in the Shimer curriculum?
I have many favorite texts but the one I like the most is Descartes’ Meditations. Descartes tried to prove the existence of God, many others have tried it before but they weren’t as convincing.  He, of course, didn’t entirely succeed.  But he tried very hard. I am translating it into Haitian Creole.  I also like Einstein a lot.  I like everything.

Have you engaged in any independent research / projects during or after your time at Shimer?
Yes.  All the time.  I have aspirations of helping Haiti, particularly with Haitian literature.  We don’t really have Haitian philosophy.  We do have some philosophers, but we don’t really have a book that talks about it and I don’t know what is published about it.  I don’t want to be the first Haitian philosopher, but I would like to be the first person to translate philosophy books into Haitian Creole.  I’ve already started with Descartes, John Locke, Anselm, and Augustine.  I’m also a poet and I write about Haitian writers.

What is something about your experience at Shimer that you will remember for a very long time? 
It was a challenge for me when I first moved here.  I was very isolated.  I wanted to go out and go to parties so I could meet other students but I didn’t know how to do that, how to start.  It was kind of hard and I didn’t really know if people understood what I was saying because I had a different accent. Getting to know people was good. I’ve never lived with such nice people.  That was so great. Everyone is so strange and crazy, and I am too.  I also really liked the theatre we have at Shimer.  It shocked me to see how talented we are.

What are your plans for after graduation?
After Shimer I want to go to grad school.  I want a PhD in philosophy, but first I think I should go to law school to study international relations or diplomacy.  I would like to work for Haiti, to help.  I’d also like to go back home and teach. Before I came to the United States, I was a teacher in Haiti.  I’d like to do that again.

What has been the most beneficial aspect of your Shimer education? 
I have access to books that I will never have access to in Haiti.  At Shimer, I had the opportunity to read those books and discuss them with people, get to know people and learn more about other cultures.  The experience has given me a better understanding of everything, including western philosophy and the intellectual tradition.  Now I can bring all of those things back to Haiti. 

What advice would you give to prospective students? 
I would tell them that Shimer is the best, and to do your reading.  After Shimer you will be a great intellectual. That’s what I want, after college I don’t want to just go work and make money I want to have a great knowledge and be a person.