Sattie Persaud came to the United States from Suriname with the hopes of gaining a college education. As it turned out, she had much to teach us herself.

Sattie broke the cycle of seven generations of women married at or before the age of thirteen. She went on to become the first in her family to make it past the third grade and attend college, completing a B.A. in accounting from Pace University and screenwriting from the New York Film Academy. She has written two screenplays and is presently working on her first novel, while managing a day job as Senior Foreign Exchange Manager for Otis Elevator Worldwide Corporation and running WHCC. She has an impressive resume that spans multinational corporations such as IBM, UBS, Lehman Brothers and United Technologies. Embracing her roots, though, led her to found the World Heritage Cultural Center.

“The Universe gave me a chance to find my voice, to fulfill my dream of getting an education, something no one can ever take away from me,” she began. “Witnessing your most intimate dream come true is the most beautiful thing. 

“I wanted to, I needed to give back to the Universe, so I thought about what I value at my core. It’s family. Naturally the organization that I put my heart into is a common ground where every culture is welcome to share what matters most, our Diversity, through the Arts. Politics and Religion are left out. The hope with presenting international culture on our global platform is that respect will follow when people learn about different cultural customs and values. In the last century, we have truly become a global world. Humans migrate and immigrate to lands far from where they were raised. Frequently, those born outside their native land feel lost in a sea of different cultures and backgrounds. Having a personal cultural identity, as well as understanding of other cultures is important.

“It may be difficult to understand how someone growing up in a small, low-technology nation could feel so connected to all of humanity, but Sattie explained that Suriname is culturally diverse itself. “Suriname is a very small country, where you will find people from every single continent, and it’s a harmonious environment that celebrates and respects each other’s cultures and at the same time embracing their own heritage and cultural identity. Customs and values that are held onto from generations to generations away from their mother land.”