Elisha Norbert (MEd’20) hopes to change education in St. Lucia at a systemic level. From the moment he first experienced the reward that comes from helping a student move from confusion to understanding, he knew he was born to teach. It's a discovery that came to him not in the classroom, but as a science laboratory technician helping students with incomplete homework.

“I saw the joy that filled them when they learned something they were struggling with. I fell in love with teaching and how I could change the lives of people through spending time instructing them.”

So, he changed his career trajectory. He went to a teacher's college. Upon return to the secondary school, he was selected to serve as assistant head of mathematics and head of one of the four sports teams at the school. He spent another three years at the Micoud Secondary School and was awarded another scholarship to pursue a bachelor's degree in testing, measurement and evaluation, cementing his position as a veteran teacher at his local high school in Micoud on the east coast of St. Lucia. This vocation also brought him to UNB, when in 2019, he took up yet another scholarship from the St. Lucia government to earn his master of science in curriculum and instruction (specializing in special education curriculum and instructional design). He also completed a diploma in university teaching in 2021.

While Elisha’s time at UNB was cut short as the pandemic moved his program online, he does remember fondly that first semester he spent in New Brunswick in the fall of 2019. Staying in McLeod House with two fellow students from Saint Lucia, encountering what he calls “super cold” temperatures, and meeting fellow students from places like Japan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Honduras and of course New Brunswick and the Indigenous Peoples of Canada were all new adventures.

Yet one of the most enlightening discoveries was the Canadian approach to education. “What I like about the education system up there is how they focus on you as an individual. It’s more of a strength-based approach to education in Canada, and I like that.” So much so that by the time he finished his program, he incorporated the approach into his own school as department head.

“I tried to reshape the thinking of my team members in terms of seeing curriculum as more than just curriculum guides, because that is a tendency here in Saint Lucia, to ‘teach to the test’. So I had to teach them what I learned, that Education is so much bigger. It’s ensuring that we engineer the experiences our students have so they become better human beings, they love learning and they become autonomous functional citizens playing a part in nation building.”

Upon completing his degree, Elisha was also asked to speak at several national professional development events, and even began teaching at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, lecturing for three semesters at the department of teacher education and educational administration (University of the West Indies), where he had done his own teacher training.

In fall 2025, he took on another mission to change St. Lucia’s education system at the highest level by seeking public office. This also led to a change in jobs to work at The Special Education Centre in Vieux Fort, where he was involved in implementing even more of what he had learned in the program, introducing more experiential learning, sports therapy, water therapy, and equine therapy into the curriculum.

But Elisha was not done thinking big. Inspired by his new education but frustrated by his lack of power to initiate change in the classroom, he decided to see if he could find a way to make change at a higher level. He wanted to run for office, although he was dissuaded because his views would be seen as too radical. Undeterred, he applied, and after a snap election, he was appointed as one of three senators by his party, an appointment approved by the governor general.

Today, he uses that role to advocate for reforms, a better education system, and accessibility for persons with disabilities. As a senator, Elisha says there are many issues to tackle, particularly the test-based approach to teaching that he sees as driven by policy decisions. He also wants to reduce the heavy workload on teachers, see better investment in school sports so students can develop their talents earlier, and equalize opportunities for special education (e.g., his previous school had eight laptops for 70 students rather than the standard one laptop per child).

“I think the support is there, but someone has to take the step forward and make the proclamations. I think people want the right thing, but nobody is brave enough to step forward.” In St. Lucia, senators can make motions, present bills as private bills, and make amendments, but the role has become somewhat passive as these actions have not been taken recently.

That’s something Elisha intends to change. Senators require parliamentary training, but the pay is only a stipend, so Elisha is also advocating to keep his education position, which he was required to resign from, as it is government-funded (an outdated regulation). He continues to do training through his private company and to create educational resource materials. When asked what inspired him to become a senator, Elisha says it was the opportunity to effect systemic change.

“Unless you’re in the House of Parliament, you cannot quickly enact the changes that you need to see in the classroom to solve the problems of the system.” Carrying the motto of UNB with him he says “I am a senator today because I dare to be wise.”