Zingha Lucien

Attending Entrepot Secondary School was not my first choice; nor was it the second. It was my third choice, and in retrospect the most fitting… Although destiny can be claimed of any path that has come to fruition, my unadulterated opinion is that my current station would have been much less rewarding had I not been directed to and matured within the walls of the Entrepot Secondary School.

The school brought mixed lessons of humility and confidence- not that the two are mutually exclusive but rather unlikely paired. We entered with the words that we were just as good as anyone else, from any other school, and I strived to prove it; we all felt that we had something to prove. From lead in the choir, to junior ambassador to CARICOM, to school prefect, I was given a playground to practice perfection. I never did get to that point, but through my five year tenure, I was rubbed off many of my rough edges to be modeled on a stage out of school uniforms and test scores.

I think we were rather lucky to be given a highly involved principal, who never accepted mediocrity. Mr. Nathaniel or “Nato”, as he was affectionately known, knew our names, strengths and weaknesses intimately. Our successes are owed to him just as much as to our will and innate abilities. He walked around with an air of authority and respect, and the mere mention of his name demanded proper behaviour.

Mr Nathaniel also led a highly efficient, yet fun team of teachers who taught us life by the book and through their real life experiences. They educated us as though they knew that we were not ones to feed only on the theory of life but also through practicality.

This foundation set at Entrepot helped me stand confidently on any platform, throughout my education and career- from Morgan State University’s 2007 MBA student of the year to currently managing a team of consultants in North America (Element Fleet Management). I am as proud today as when I left in 1995, that I succeded in entering and graduating from the Entrepot Secondary School.