On any given day Kheisha Nicholls rises even before the sun, armed with a detailed plan of how she wants her day to go.

An educator by nature, she has nurtured self-discipline and continually upgrades her skills to keep pushing herself to the top of her field.

At 37, Nicholls is the principal of Bishop Anstey High School East (BAHSE), Trincity – an accomplishment that had always been part of the plan. The youthful, professional look and feel of her new office speak to her personality, but Nicholls says although she foresaw her occupation of that space, the speed at which it happened is sometimes still surreal.

"I am someone who plans, tries to manage my time well and sticks to deadlines, even if it drains me...People always told me, 'You are going to be the principal of BAHSE one day,' but I think even for me, it took me a little by surprise. For though I always had the aspiration and I saw it in years to come, I didn’t see it coming as quickly," Nicholls told WMN.

But, being Kheisha Nicholls, she was prepared for it, as she had used all her experiences leading to this point as building blocks.

Having started off as an English teacher at 18, Nicholls made her way up to head of her department and then acting vice principal.

"Each experience set the foundation for the other. The things I didn’t learn as teacher, I certainly learned as head of department. One lesson in particular being, having difficult conversations and dealing with conflict management – something you have to learn as you take on leadership roles.

"As principal, I’ve also had to learn how to find balance and exercise the right amount of empathy in my interactions with people, because understanding different personalities helps in the building-up of people...

"Parents and students reach out to me at any time and I try to make myself available as much as I can, and as visible as I can."

In June, the vacancy for principal came up, and Nicholls didn't hesitate to apply.

"I love a challenge, and education is what I do, what I breathe, so I went for it. Coming out of the interview, some of my colleagues asked how I felt the interview went, and I said, ‘I have the position.’ I knew and felt it in my spirit...I think it is not only because of my qualifications, but also because of who I have managed to become over the years at the school."

She says the experience so far has been phenomenal, with support from all sides.

"Teachers, students, parents, every major stakeholder I can think of reached out to offer congratulations. But my biggest support system was my family and my church, St Mary's Parish in Tacarigua. Oh, they made a fanfare of it."

Having always known she wanted to teach, Nicholls temporarily veered from her path and started a law degree, like her father wanted.

"When I was a child I would try to get the empty chairs at home to learn," she said with a laugh.

"And when my aunt called me about the vacancy at Bishop's, I had one day to prepare for the interview...It wasn't a half-hour after the interview that I receiv