By Justice Kambewa
On 13th December, the old met the new. We walked once again through corridors we had last passed through in 2012.The corridors we first entered on 13th January, 2009. Memories came rushing back.As young boys then, barely 12 years old, we were welcomed by senior students who looked more like grown men judging by their appearance, some looked well over 25 years old. The excitement from the senior class felt less like a school welcome and more like an initiation into Mayani Prison than Mayani Secondary School.
That four-year journey shaped us in many ways. A lot happened,some good, some painful. Looking back, we believe that the fruits could have been far better had we received proper guidance at the right time , guidance that was largely unavailable to us then.This realization inspired my friends William Nthala, Rodwell Lumbe, Shadreck Zingalume, and Bauleni Caiphus, and I to return to our former school. We visited Mayani Secondary School to offer career guidance and speak to students about academic excellence, life after secondary school, handling failure, and navigating moments when life does not go as planned.Often, speeches paint life as rosy. But the truth is, life gets messy, and when it does, you must pick yourself up. Resilience is not optional—it is an essential life skill.
My Focus: Academic ExcellenceMy presentation centered on academic excellence, and I emphasized the following key pillars:
1. Knowing Yourself. Many students struggle because they do not understand themselves. They copy and paste strategies that do not align with their passions, abilities, or how their minds work.You must know:Are you a morning person or a night learner?When do you concentrate best?Self-awareness guides your choice of subjects, study timetable, and even your career path.
2. Time Management.If you ask me to show you a successful person, I will show you someone who has mastered time management.Everyone is given 24 hours, but how those hours are spent determines what one achieves or fails to. Time is a limited resource, and how you manage it determines your success.
3. Making a Study Timetable. A study timetable is an extension of time management. Students were guided on how to create a realistic and personal timetable that works with their strengths rather than against them.
4. Resisting Peer Pressure
Know your goals. Anyone who comes into your life must align with those goals. If they distract you, delay you, or derail you, then they are not meant to walk that journey with you.
5. Teamwork
You cannot do everything alone. Success requires teamwork. A study group allows your weaknesses to be complemented by others’ strengths. Whether at school or in the workplace, life is lived in teams.This return to Mayani was a full-circle moment, a chance to give what we once lacked and to remind students that excellence is intentional, guided, and achievable.
Rodwell Lumbe emphasizing a point during the career talk
