after a few months of our second year in high school, the school functionaries were chosen. I was chosen to be the Deputy Senior Prefect
Hello friends,
in a blog post I made here on this community about seven days ago, I shared some high school memories. Part of it was where I talked about being chosen as the deputy senior of my school. And this week's prompt has given me the opportunity to elaborate more on how I lost a position I contested and the lessons learned.
Leadership is something that many people aspire to and strive for. Everyone, including myself, wants to lead and be seen as a leader.
During my second year in high school, some of my classmates were chosen to be school functionaries. Part of the choosing process involves the interested ones writing an application to the head teacher about the position you are contesting for.
In addition, after submitting your application, you will be interviewed by a panel of judges who will ask you questions such as when you enrolled in the school, your academic rating, and why you are competing for that position. These questions are asked to determine your eligibility.
So, at the time, I went for the position of sanitary prefect, as I had always wanted to be one. And at the time, it appeared that I would win because I had a large number of students rooting for me. But do you know what happened?
I kind of freaked out during the first screening/interview, I was shaking, and all that anxiety suddenly kicked in. I knew I messed up in the first interview, so I skipped the second and final ones. Teachers inquired as to why I did not attend; I simply stated that I had dropped because I felt I was already failing. I simply dropped everything and returned to my studies because what good is a leader who is afraid of interviews?
Two weeks after the screening process, the results were out. I went to school on that fateful day without having anything in mind because I had already forgotten about the selection. As I got to school, I saw some of my classmates with their badges indicating the different positions they were given, and of course, I lost the position to another classmate of mine and a close friend of mine as well, and I wasn't chosen to be the assistant either. but I congratulated them all and went to class.
As soon as I got to class, everywhere suddenly became calm. They all stopped talking. I asked my classmates why they all kept silent, but they said it was nothing, which I find very weird. Finally, one of my classmates asked that I should go check the notice board in the hallway that the result and list of school functionaries are out. I told her not to bother because I have met some of them already and I knew I lost already. But she insisted I go check it.
After much pressuring and bugging from her, I gave in and went to check the notice board. As I was staring at the list of school functionaries in front of me, my heart was racing. I saw the position of the sanitary prefect and to whom it was given. I lost; my heart sank in, but I decided to check further.
As I looked down the list, I saw my name boldly written, OKEKE NGOZI, under the position I was chosen for—the Deputy Senior Prefect, in other words, The Head Girl. I couldn't believe it; I had to check and recheck and then called my classmates to come check it out. They confirmed it was true, but I didn't believe it.
I had to go to the head teacher's office to confirm it was true. On getting to the office, I greeted, and before I could say anything, he congratulated me. I was confused; I told him I never contested for the position of the senior head girl but the sanitary prefect. He said he knew, that I was the most qualified student in my class for that position, and even without going through the screening, I was going to be the head girl.
I thanked him and left with mixed feelings—happy that I got something even better, confused because that position comes with a lot of responsibilities, and I am one that hates to be bothered.
Looking back, the surprising twists in my high school story taught me some important lessons. Even when things don't go as planned, it's crucial to stay strong and be open to new possibilities. Losing out on the sanitary prefect role turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I ended up becoming the Deputy Senior Prefect. This experience showed me that setbacks can lead to unexpected opportunities, and it's essential to face challenges with a positive attitude.
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