I started at King William’s College (KWC) on October 2^nd, 2023.

From the very moment I stepped into the boarding house I felt very welcome and experienced nothing but patience and kindness.  Arriving after the start of term meant I was a couple of weeks behind everyone else in school, but the teachers did their very best in their united power to ensure I was on par with everyone else as soon as possible and that I was able to adapt to the teaching style and class dynamic relatively easily.

I arrived at the boarding house one day before I was set to start classes and between unpacking and meeting everyone, it was somewhat overwhelming. My welcoming committee consisted of the teacher whom I would come to know as our house mother, my roommate and two of the closest friends I made. My roommate especially was of utmost importance in my acclimatising to my school and boarding life. I couldn’t have made it this far successfully without her, whether it was just reminding me to dress for the weather (slowly but surely, I’m getting used to it!) or making sure I found all my classrooms.

Coming from St. Vincent, boarding life was an unfamiliar experience to me, and it took some getting used to. However, it turned out to be one of my favourite experiences at KWC.  Split into two sections: Colbourne (boys) and School House (girls), despite the obvious distinction, boarding is such a tight-knit family, between the students and even the tutors.  We enjoy evenings such as hot chocolate on Thursdays and Wednesdays and groups simply show up to hang out with each other in our respective houses.  There’s a vibe and camaraderie between the two houses. It feels very much like sisterhood with my fellow School House girls all the time.  There is always someone striking up a random conversation in the kitchen while cooking or just having a 10-minute conversation with one of the tutors on duty. Within my first week of being there, some of the girls took me to Douglas (the capital) with them and introduced me to most of the boys and the day students.

Boarding is such a melting pot with so many different nationalities (German, Russian, Chinese, Slovak, Serbian, Romanian etc.) and varied personalities. Even though no one looked like me, there was no segregation given that everyone was relatively new, and we all came from different places. There was also the upside of being the only black and only Caribbean person, so it was a fun experience telling my fellow students about the Caribbean and explaining the differences of life there to where they were all from in terms of language and accents and the culture shock that was the Isle of Man. They were especially interested in my braids and how they work!

In the roughly six months since I’ve been attending KWC, I’ve had the chance to both participate in and represent KWC in several lectures, competitions and events. The opportunities here are endless, in academics and extracurriculars. Highlights include Halloween celebrations, Christmas dinner, Christmas ball, advocacy competition, Epiphany dinner, M&P Legal Essay competition, Michael Sandler’s Lecture, Agents’ dinner, and the Rhetoric Competition. Teachers and other staff are all amicable, patient, helpful and so very easy to talk to even about personal matters outside of school. Above all, I’m chiefly touched by the way they cared when I got sick and was hospitalised. I was visited by teachers including the Principal, and students, and I received the most touching video from boarding. They all took great interest in my health even when I was better and looked out for me when I was able to attend school again with simple things like watching my diet and daily water intake.

With such a valuable education ahead of me and the quality people I’ve met, I am forever grateful for the opportunity to attend KWC; there are absolutely no regrets there. I firmly believe that my final year will be even more eventful and enjoyable than the first.