- Desserted Island and Desserted Island 2 Ice Cream shops in Port Aransas and on Padre Island
- Hosting 6 foreign exchange students to work at the ice cream shops for the summer
- Have been participating in the university cultural exchange program 15 years in a row
- Samantha Shreves is a 19-year-old from Jamaica and is one of the six students here for Summer 2024
Desserted Island and Desserted Island 2 ice cream shops in Port Aransas and on Padre Island are hosting several foreign exchange students who are part of a university cultural exchange program. These students live with their employer hosts, the owners of both Desserted Island ice cream shops, Erin Anglin and Dennis Jarzombek in Port Aransas.
Samantha Shreves is one of the six cultural exchange students working at Desserted Island in Summer of 2024. She arrived on North Padre Island from Jamaica on May 19. That was her first time ever riding an airplane.
“I am here on a cultural exchange program from my country in Jamaica, to work, and to exchange cultures with my counterparts," Shreves said.
19-years-old Shreves is going into her third year of college in Jamaica and is currently studying nursing.
“My coworkers are great. The customers are great. And because it’s an island as well, it’s like a home away from home, so it’s great," Shreves said.
While Shreves is enjoying her time on the island, she does miss home a little bit.
“I would say the music. Because like, in Jamaica, there will never be like a quiet time. There will just always be music playing somewhere. It’s quiet here. It’s calming, but I do miss a little music here and there," Shreves said.
Padre Island may be calmer than what Shreves is used to in Jaimacia, but she is experiencing things that she never has before.
“Coming here was, I’ve never drank a milkshake before in Jamaica. So, coming here, I have milkshakes a lot," Shreves said.
The cultural exchange students work 40 hours a week all summer at one of the two Desserted Island locations.
“In their countries, they only used to make about maybe one to two dollars an hour, which is a good salary. And over here, they make up to twenty dollars an hour working for us, with tips," Deserted Island co-owner Dennis Jarzombek said.
Some of the cultural exchange students also like to get a second job while they are here as well. In addition to working hard, they also like to have fun.
"We take them to Corpus to the mall sometimes, and we even take them to San Antonio to the River Walk. We love to go down to Mexico, to Progresso and we take them down there with us to shop and eat," Jarzombek said.
Shreves believes that the lessons she learns during her time in the United States will easily translate over to her education and her future career as a nurse back home in Jamaica.
“America’s a very diverse country with different races. So, getting to know these people, and knowing who exactly they are, and what they are looking for, will help me to give my customer service to my patients in the future," Shreves said.
You can catch Shreves and her other fellow cultural exchange students serving up sweet treats at Desserted Island in Port Aransas and Desserted Island 2 on Padre Island all Summer until the beginning of September.
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