QUESTION TIME WITH CAMPION’S FIRST FEMALE RHODES SCHOLAR –

DR. YOLANDE BROWN CHAN

On November 19, 2015, the Campion College Alumni Association inducted Dr Yolande Brown Chan into the Campion College Hall of Fame.

The first female Rhodes Scholar to graduate from Campion College, Dr Chan was also the Head Girl from 1977 – 1978 during Campion’s transition from an all-boys school to a co-educational institution.

Dr. Chan holds a PhD from Ivey Business School, an M.Phil in Management Studies from Oxford, and S.M. and S.B. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from M.I.T. She is an E. Marie Shantz Professor of MIS at Queen’s University in Canada.

On Dr Chan’s visit to Jamaica, she stopped by her old school and shared some thoughts at assembly. We took the opportunity to ask her a few questions via email afterwards!

Q. Who or what in your time at Campion had the most signficant impact on your personal and/or professional development?

A. The Principal, Mr. Mackay, had a significant, positive impact in my life. He believed in me and provided me with opportunities to first serve as a prefect and then as head girl. I am very thankful for him!

Q. Please share a significant (and, if you have one, a funny) memory of your time at Campion.

When I attended Campion, the sixth formers had their classes in a building that was separated from the rest of the school. While this reduced our interaction with other Campionites and was perhaps not ideal, it did result in particularly strong relationships being formed within the sixth form community. I recall many long conversations that had nothing to do with our classes! To this day (almost four decades later), I stay in touch with several Campionites. Two particularly close friends are Jennifer Cargill Forman and Judith Leiba Thomas.

Q. What is a value that Campion instilled in you?

I learned at Campion to care about others and to lead by serving. I loved being head girl. It involved meeting so many wonderful students and being able to assist others in practical ways. Leading provided opportunities to give to fellow students and to be very people/other-focused. I devoted a lot of time to others, and not just to studying and advancing my own career. The value of servant leadership is one that I still hold today. Thanks Campion for instilling this value in me!

Q. You recently returned to the school – what struck you the most on your visit?

When I visited Campion in November 2015, I was amazed by the school assemblies. The large numbers of students, and their discipline and order, were impressive but even more incredible to me were the student-led devotional readings, songs of praise, and prayers. I currently live and work in Canada where prayer in schools is a rarity. To see youth worshipping God freely and praying openly at school was wonderfully striking.

Q. Where do you hope to see Campion in the next 5 years?

I already am, and will continue to be, proud of Campion as it lives up to its motto, “Fortes in Fide et Opere”. Faith-based excellence in academics, sports, the arts, and every sphere of life is what I hope for Campion and all Campionites.

Q. Any additional comments you might like to make.

I am grateful to Campion – administrators, teachers and students – for so greatly enriching my life. I am deeply honoured to have been inducted into Campion’s Hall of Fame.