Becoming Faith

nnoun

up, lockers banging open, teachers hurrying through hallw

glasses that always slid to the edge of his nose

dent who comes first in their class will enjoy a

en silence as the weig

study harder, but to make this school a symbol of acade

heart

was more than motiva

ow, with her little brother soon to enroll in nursery school, she saw a chance to ea

ed her fis

this," she whis

sure and

something in

udious but now, sh

aces after long days at work. She thought of her little brother, ba

ought but she also c

asn't just for he

routine

lunch, after-school study group, the

but he noticed something had changed in Faith. She wasn

. They had grown from rivals to something stronger: academic al

second term, the

ition: La

ai

o receive a scholarship certificate

the paper carefully, like a fragile crown. She looke

ummy... daddy... a

e pattern

S1 Seco

S3 La

first place

C and the

up, Faith had built a r

led her "The

, but her name echoe

ce. She revised smart, not just hard. She solved past questions, joined l

ms came, she

ne who had been prep

he exam hall. It was done. Three full years of c

ait long before fulf

h her Auntie Miriam, who had been calling for

epped off the bus, Fai

with cool tiles, air conditioners, and steady electricity. Her cousins too

be Einst

each us book, s

ghed, shy

he reset she didn

g her explore the city, buying her new clothes and books. Faith

idn't forget

the house, she'd r

her to just because Faith

ust the new girl fr

w the girl

n her hear

e was just a

urn & A

was over, Faith didn

of the calm, the

into her hand. "For snacks when you get back," she whispered with a w

ight. Her tablet was cha

anything, her

e with a quiet f

secondary school. She had already heard stories: how the pressure would double, h

h wasn't

in that with the right mindset, focus, and grace, s

arents welcome

r clung to her side the entire weekend, asking questions about Abuja, about malls,

Faith was placed in S

e terminologies, longer periods but she embraced

uilt her

d

eady to e

just about bein

h had a n

for life a

. She didn't just r

down, not just for exams, but for her future self the one she knew wo

what the next fe

thing wa

starte

asn't abo