A Sparkle of Royal Blue: Memoirs of the First Female Student of Qrc: My Qrc Memoirs (1986-1988)

By Hazel-Ann McLean

Hazel-Ann McLeans pioneering and monumental experience started on her very first day at Queens Royal College, when she learned that one of the most senior teachers at the school had challenged her enrollment and insisted that QRC was only for boys. A short trip to the Ministry of Education confirmed that the schools charter didnt mention boys, only students. She was escorted back to class by the dean of the school, having overcome her first of many challenges attending QRC. Her first step opened the door for dozens more girls to attend QRC and other all-male colleges in Trinidad.

As her schooling continues, Hazel-Ann is initially amazed at the camaraderie and mutual expectations of respect that both the students and teachers share. Her scholastic/holistic education at St. Francois Girls College, her all-female high school, along with her home life shaped her ability to navigate the rich history, culture, and legacy of QRC.

She walks readers through a series of whimsical experiences that offer both obstacles and triumphs to this teenage girl faced with functioning on her own in a school of 600-plus boys. Ultimately, her book documents the lessons she learned at QRC that have carried her through her own professional and personal life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532009228

Hazel-Ann McLean

Hazel-Ann McLean made history in Trinidad and Tobago as the lone female attending an all-male college on a full-time basis. She did this when she enrolled at QRC, a premiere institution that boasts alumni such as the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. The author currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her two children.

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Copyright © 2017 Hazel-Ann McLean.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-0923-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1696-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-0922-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016918738

iUniverse rev. date: 02/06/2017

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

The Beginning

My Thoughts

Chapter 1: Embarrassing Moments

Moment No. 1

Moment No. 2

Moment No. 3

Moment No. 4

Moment No. 5

Chapter 2: Some Glorious Moments

Academics

Athletics

Chapter 3: Some Not-So-Glorious Moments That I Wish I Could Forget

Chapter 4: Some Female Company at Last!

Chapter 5: Teacher Interactions

PHOTOS AND NEWS STORIES

Chapter 6: Through the Eyes of the Boys

Chapter 7: Crushes, Feelings, and Romances

Chapter 8: QRC – A Legacy and: So Much More

Chapter 9: My Family’s Perspective

Chapter 10: The Lesson of My Life

Dedication%20page.jpg

Dedicated to Siroun and Aryll. May you always know that you can achieve your dreams. And more importantly, never stop dreaming, smiling, and shining.

Love,

Mom

Acknowledgements

There are several people I wish to thank, not only for their contribution to the book publishing process, but their involvement in this life-changing experience.

First, I wish to thank my mother, Cynthia McLean, whose bold question of Why can’t she attend full-time? started it all. She stood there with me in solidarity until we received an answer. She also listened but didn’t intervene and trusted me to work through this experience on my own.

To my deceased father – Rudvin McLean, who transported me to every event I wanted to attend and believed in me from as long as I can remember.

I wish to thank principal Mr. Winston Douglas for giving me that chance even though he knew little about me. I thank him for his support throughout my tenure and planting the seed to publish my experience.

I wish to acknowledge Mr. Lilla, my dean at the time who was always very supportive and proud.

Mr. Jordan for his support throughout my tenure and his encouraging words about the memoir.

My thanks and gratitude must also be extended to Mr. William Carter who provided support on many levels – during my tenure, during the publishing of this book, and in-between.

Thank you to the current principal – David Simon Sio, my ex-school-mate, for his generosity to allow me access to the school for pictures and functions.

I must acknowledge all the staff and personnel at QRC, including the custodians who sometimes quietly slipped me into a male restroom and blocked the door for me!

To my make-up artist and friend Ms. Natalie Simone Miles of Miles of Beauty – you make me look good! All photos, except for the newspaper article are a result of your mastery.

To the Trinidad Guardian newspaper for allowing me to re-print the article written about me in 1987.

Makisar Thompson, Jamila Cross and my many friends who have cheered me on to the finish!

And, yes to the class of 1986-1988 thank you for being you. Some of you made me smile, frustrated me, protected me or embarrassed me – you know who is who! It was all an honour to be your classmate.

And lastly, to my two beautiful and patient children who allowed me to work on this memoir and told me how proud they are of me. I hope I did make you proud.

Preface

I recently felt compelled to write my memoirs of my time at Queen’s Royal College (QRC) for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was chatting with my 14-year-old daughter about her future, and she was telling me she had doubts about being able to accomplish her dream of going to college. I looked at her and asked her if she understood that I had accomplished what a lot of people said was impossible. I sought out to do certain things despite people’s belief that I couldn’t. My experience as the first female student at QRC is by far the biggest example of this. After mentioning this to my daughter, I then recounted for her a part of the story of my experience at QRC, after which I saw hope light up in her eyes. It was then that I realized that my story was not my own to keep but something to be shared with people who have ever doubted that they can achieve what they want to despite the odds or obstacles.

I needed my daughter to remain hopeful, if nothing else, which is why I shared this memory with her. And I want other young people, or older people, to understand that as much as something might seem impossible, the human spirit can accomplish a lot more than we think it can.

Secondly, I once promised QRC’s principal at the time, Mr. Winston Douglas, that I would write about my experiences at the school. He jokingly dared me that he hoped to be able to read such a memoir before he died. So maybe that was part of my motivation – he dared me! I don’t like being dared.

Also, I had inspirational teachers, like my physics teacher Mr Lambert, who has now passed on, who believed in me and asked me to share my story. When I was a student at QRC, Mr Lambert in particular would often smile at me and nod as though he approved of my being there. Approval to a 17-year-old girl in a school of six-hundred-plus boys was important to me at the time, so it is partly in Mr Lambert’s memory that I write.

Lastly, I feel as though I owe it to the school, as well as to all the boys-cum-men who have asked me to share my thoughts on my experiences at QRC, to write A Sparkle of Royal Blue. A few of them have often asked me what it was like. They wanted to know what I was thinking when I enrolled in what was then an all-boys’ school. In some way, they believe that I am in a sort of special league for which I must take responsibility, and so I am willing to give back. You have to be a QRC graduate to understand that statement. QRC has a special legacy and history, of which I am now a part. Because of this, I would like to recount, to the best of my knowledge, and share with all us (I dare not say old boys!) former QRC students my story of being a student there. It is on account of the same spirit and take charge attitude exhibited by QRC graduates like Dr Eric Williams,