CHAPTER 20

Growing up, going to school, I was always the youngest in my class, the only time I wasn't the youngest in my class was when I entered university, I was still one of the youngest, just not the youngest of the bunch. For some reason, I was never intimidated by the older kids, safe to say I intimidated quite a few of them myself 😉. Being a bully, manipulator and other seemingly nasty things Kachi would like to call me 😂.

I remember when I got into the school that I would go on to complete my primary school education. I was to enter KG 3 at the time but for whatever reason, they couldn't admit me to that class so I had to repeat KG 2 and then move to KG 3. I was still the youngest in my class.

Ended up finishing primary school as the best in my class. 1st position back to back from primary 3 3rd term to primary 4 3rd term. Yes! You read that right, I did not do primary 5 or 6. In primary 4, I took common entrance and got Distinctions in everything but English (no be today I know say I no sabi English 😁).

BARELY got into the secondary school my dad chose for me, DSC THS (Delta Steel Company Technical High School) they liked to think of themselves as the "best school" in the state and one of the best in the country so they were very picky. I say barely because I was on the supplementary list and even on the list I was like 100 and something by the scores so I was at best average. I didn't really like the school though neither did I want to go there, the place was underfunded and not anywhere near ideal.

6 years later, graduated with the best WAEC result with the most A1s (1 A1 for each year I spent there, do the maths 😏) and the 2nd highest JAMB score of 271 after barely even getting admitted into the school initially.

Then came Covenant, my mum chose this time 😅. I didn't put them as my 1st choice on my JAMB form because again I didn't really like the school or want to go there so my name wasn't on the first batch list and the Registrar told my mum the course I wanted was already full so if they eventually admit me, they would have to put me somewhere else. Finally got in through 2nd batch of admissions into my desired course (Accounting) and resumed 2nd week after resumption because the list was released a week after 1st batch students were already having lectures.

4 years later, graduated as the best student in the Department of Accounting and the best student in the College of Business and Social Sciences with a 4.93 CGPA. Only got 2 Bs and 1 C all through my stay, got a 5.0 GPA (all As) 75% of the time (i.e. 6 semesters out of the 8)

I've never ever gotten chosen first, never been the first choice for admission at any point in my life, almost always the youngest in the class, never got in on top but somehow by God's grace I always come out on top. Your dreams are valid friends, it doesn't matter how you started or where you are now, the top is achievable and it awaits you!

My story wasn't always rosy and glamorous though, remember the blog post where I wrote of my primary 1 self changing my 11th position to 5th position? this 😅, well I wasn't always the best in my class in primary school. In fact, I never start on top. I usually start out average. In primary school, from 11th to 8th to 3rd (twice) and then consistent 1st. 

I wasn't so great in JSS 1 either, 90 something position in 1st and 2nd term, 70 something position in 3rd term out of about 300 students. Entered JSS2 and JSS3, got in the top 50. By SS1 first term I was in top 15, 2nd term moved on to top 10 and upwards from then till I peaked as 1st position in SS2 1st term & top 3 after. Then flunked SS3, fell back to top 10 ish because by SS3, who cares about school results anyways 😅; most people were more focused on WAEC, JAMB and such.

Undergraduate, I started out with my worst result (when compared to other years) of 4.53, just an average first-class, nothing like what it is now. Steadily rose from there, into what most people have come today.

So let's revisit the advice earlier on, while your dreams are still valid, make sure the dream you want to achieve is something you've conceptualized for yourself by yourself (and of yourself if you want to define it like Democracy 😅). Make sure whatever dreams you have and are pursuing are things you genuinely believe in and are things you genuinely enjoy. Not what your friends, parents, family, society or anybody tells you is a valid dream to pursue.

In all my previous chapters, the most important lesson I've learned and I practice every single day is: nobody is going to know how best to live YOUR life for YOU. Sure there would be career advisors and mentors et al. who think that to get to X destination, the best route is through Y path but the truth remains, we all have vastly different journies, and while we might aspire for seemingly similar destinations, our routes are unique to each of us.

Listen to all the advice, or just as much as you can without driving yourself crazy and losing your voice, be a sponge, but remember to wring yourself, keep only the things that truly resonate with you. Find your own path and walk in it.

To be continued...

In Chapter 21.

PS: Ever wondered where the name "Edna" came from? and what it means, to me at least? Look at the first 4 photos, take the first letters and...