I want to press pause on this moment, insert a black DVD and then resume play while recording. I have been a part of, and witness to, perhaps the single, most important moment in the history of Trinidad and Tobago.

Queen Nzinga of Southwestern Africa led her people and fought against the Portuguese, Nanny of the Maroons lead the Jamaican Maroons in the eighteenth century.

Rosa Parks refused to move from her spot in the bus, Khertek Anchimaa-Toka was the first-ever, elected, female President in the world.

And now add to that list Kamla Persad-Bissessar the prime minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

On Monday May 24, 2010 Trinidad and Tobago's general elections was held and in our lovely twin-island for the next twenty-four hours we were oblivious to anything other than deciding who was going to win this much anticipated fight for the privilege of running our beloved nation.

For weeks everyone had been hit by the election buzz for weeks.

I woke up at six-thirty to find twenty-something people online on Facebook, a shocking oddity since usually there are maybe five or six people on at that time on any other day.

My Facebook homepage is already flooded with mobile uploads of red-inked, index fingers of all shapes and sizes, manicured, long and short. These pictures are accompanied with captions ranging from "We will rise" to "I voted for change" and everyone is anxious and excited and hopeful.

I am from South, but I work in Port-of-Spain, so I decided to head to the polls early and then travel up the highway to work. Big mistake. The polling station I was assigned to is located literally five minutes away from my house.

My dad and I pulled up to the primary school where we were going to cast our ballots. The scene is mind-boggling to say the least.

Cars line the streets as far as the eye can see. People are lined up with every intention of staying until they reach the little box where they would place their 'X.'

Things were so crazy, my dad and I decided to leave and return after he left work. I took a day off; I couldn't fathom the thought of not voting in such a monumental election.

I must admit, I jumped on the Facebook-picture-upload bandwagon after I dipped my finger in the ink. I even wanted to take it a step further and take a picture of the 'X' I placed beside the Fyzabad MP of my choice.

Nobody told me I couldn't take my phone into the booth, much less take a picture!

That night, I sat in the comfort of my own home, switching from one television station to the other, consuming the updates as fast as they came in.

I was very nervous for the People's Partnership. From my observations it was going to be either a landslide win for Persad-Bissessar and her party or a very close victory that could swing either way.

The first numbers began trickling in, and things were looking positive for the People's Partnership. I don't think at any point in the night, after the first numbers were announced, that there was any doubt that Kamla Persad-Bissessar would become Prime Minister the Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar by the end of the night.

When it was finally decided and the former prime minister conceded defeat, I felt utter elation, I was overwhelmed with pride and admiration for this woman who grew up in a small village outside Siparia, and had to help her grandparents 'bundle bodi' to sell in the market. She rose to greatness in spite of the personal challenges she faced.

From the jaws of poverty, she rose to the epitome of personal achievement. Now the prime minister of the country everyone, including me, will be keeping a close eye on her and her administration. As the first, elected, female PM the pressure will be on her simply because she is a woman.

Many people are not aware of one minor detail in the life of our new prime minister. But I know that she went to Iere High, the same secondary school that I attended.

At Iere High, the teachers and principal all encourage students for as long as I remember to reach for the stars.

They constantly told us once we set our minds to it, we can achieve anything. And with the success of our new prime minister I truly believe that.

I feel a sense of familiarity with her, knowing we share the same alma mater.

I feel like I'm celebrating the victory of one of my friends. Her victory is a message to all young girls everywhere.

Nothing is out of our reach, nothing to too impossible for us to achieve, as women we will rise.

We already have.

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