In this story, I went against all odds and followed a different path from the crowd which stirred up hatred and envy amongst my colleagues but I persevered until the end.

It was in 2018 when all finalists were to take the national secondary school exam known as WASSCE(West African Secondary School Certificate Examination). My school had a rule that all finalists must live in the dormitory in order to build them for the exam. I was the youngest in my class at the age of 16 then. I went from being a day-student to moving into the dorm with my colleagues or 'brothers' as we called ourselves because it was an all-boys school. Half of the students were like me, day-students who were trying to get acquainted with the new environment and the rules guiding it. Everything was going fine until the date for the WASSCE set.

I was the 2nd best student in my school then, so everyone thought highly of me. I had many 'friends' with whom I spent most of my time with and we usually shared things together. It happened that my colleagues had plans to cheat in the examination and they wanted me to be their accomplice. It didn't go down well with me because I made a resolution to keep a clean record throughout my stay in school. The ringleaders had series of meetings where they planned on how to bring me in. I was oblivious of what was going on, being a naive young lad who just wanted to pass the exam and go home in peace; the environment was getting so tense.
They called us all to a meeting where they explained their plans, stating that everyone must comply or be ostracized. I stated clearly that I wasn't going to indulge in such act because it doesn't correlate with the integrity and future I wanted to build for myself. I went ahead to explain to them using an illustration as follows:

If I cheat in this examination, I would neither be proud of myself nor with the result I get. Again, if I become a medical doctor tomorrow, would you confidently leave your health or that of your loved ones in my hands knowing I am a cheat?

I wanted them to see things from a different perspective; WASSCE wasn't the end of the world, but in the confines of the four walls of our school, it seemed so. They managed to persuade our very best student to queue into their plans. At this point, I didn't know that the remaining 4months in dorm was going to be hell. First, most of my friends left me for fear of being ostracized too. My brothers with whom I played soccer with turned into angry lions ready to devour me at any instant. They tried to make my stay in school a living hell in the following ways:

● They sometimes pull down my washed clothes making me to wash them again
● They gave off this negative vibe in my presence signifying that I no longer belong
● They use my water without my consent just to prove I'm helpless
● They stopped putting enough rations for me during meal times
● They used abusive words when trying to express their disappointment in my decision
● They kept threatening me with 'no one knows tomorrow'
● They made jest of me saying "you're not the only intelligent one in this school"

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It goes on and on. It was a battle I started, could I finish it? The psychological trauma was overwhelming that it nearly affected my health and studies but I had to stay strong. I wanted to report to the school authority but I decided not to. I had to summon my inner strength and bear the burden to the end, that was the best victory. During the examination, they sometimes threw stones at me when I refused to speak or share my answers. They saw it like I wanted them to fail and didn't want to help but I made it clear that cheating helps no one. If you need help, come to me and I'll devote my time to teaching you until you learn,but no one accepted my offer; thus the clash of interests. I was nearly beaten up by a bully in my class when I refused to show him my work, but everyone held him back saying "let him be, we will see his result when the time comes. He thinks it is like other exams he's been acing". These things really got to me and sometimes I felt like I was getting it wrong, but I had come that far, there was no going back.

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The exams lasted for 2 months, after which we all went home for a short break. The results came out and I aced them all. It was my greatest Joy that everyone including the school authorities applauded it. All those who wanted to see me fail ended up congratulating me. Some of my friends later regretted why they didn't have my back during my moment of tribulation. To crown it all, I made it into the university as a medical student as top 1 on the list. It was a thing of Joy seeing fate smile at me after months of recurrent self-doubt and psychological trauma. My integrity was secured and as fate would have it, those who spoke ill of me take my advice as the best they can get.

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This is the story of my life where I learnt what it meant to persevere. Perseverance neither an easy task nor a cup of tea. It comes with series of trials and stumbling blocks but with time, you'll get to see the light at the end of that tunnel.
Thus, Perseverance for me is the act of consistently doing a particular thing no matter the odds.