I often reflect on my educational history and growing up in Saint Lucia and the wonderful memories that have shaped me to be the person that I am today. There are differences between the schools here in the US and the schools in my country. First off, we did not have school buses in Saint Lucia, which meant that we had to walk to and from school every single day which was about a total of six miles. We enjoyed the walks and often time walked in groups where we chatted and joked around until we got to school. Our classrooms in elementary was quite different; all the classes were in a huge room with blackboards and desks separating each classroom. Despite all of this we always had very dedicated teachers and students who were ready to learn. I remember being picked along with another student, to represent my school at a math competition against a few other elementary schools in my district and guess what? We did win! This was a big deal for my school because, until this competition, they rarely ever won anything. This made the entire school happy and especially proud.
Another proud moment came about towards the end of my tenure in elementary school. In St Lucia and many other Caribbean Islands, sixth graders are required to write an exam called “The Common Entrance” exam. This exam determines which high school you will attend based on your exam score. I was the only 6th grader at my school to obtain a score high enough to attend the most prestigious high school in the country. It was an all girls high school called the St. Joseph’s convent. My parents along with our entire community celebrated this achievement. And it would be at this very same high school that I would form lifelong friendships and where my educational journey really took off.
