Hive Naija Weekly Prompts | Edition 32 ~ My Experience as the Head Girl

And the Head Girl is.................... Okeke Ngozi!...........

My name is Okeke Ngozi Shulammite, I had my high school education at Gilford Memorial College. During my high school days, before I was appointed as the head girl , I was anti-social. I had few close friends and hardly hung out with my classmates.

I always Keep at bay f things that would prompt me to appear or speak in public. I was just in a world of my own then; leading people was certainly not what I aspired for, I just loved to mind my business and do things my own way.

However, I was forced out of my shell when I was chosen as the head girl during my second year in high school. Being the head girl came with responsibilities I was not ready to take on. For example, as the head girl, you always had to be regular and punctual in school, which was no big deal for me. Controlling junior students, running various errands for different teachers, and having to provide answers and explanations for things I was supposed to handle or control were actually the big deal. I despised being sent around or having to shout at people to get things done.

I can tell how my predecessors struggled to keep things in check and how they had to take blame and endure insults from people. Trust me; I wasn't ready for such a life. Based on what I knew about myself, I am short-tempered, so I often avoided situations that could provoke me.

But no matter how far and fast I tried to run away from those responsibilities, they were right there in front of me, just like my shadow always accompanied me. I gave the teachers and head teachers a hundred and one reasons why I didn't want the position of the head girl, but, as it seemed, I was the most eligible candidate in my class. I had no choice but to take up the responsibility.

At first, it was more challenging than I had expected. I had to adjust to changes, including getting used to being called at any moment of the day to handle a situation, dealing with critics, managing ruthless junior students who would not comply unless forced, being accountable to every authority in school, and, of course, handling my problems myself without seeking the teachers unless necessary.

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One major challenge I faced as the head girl was handling the non-appointed prefects in my class. Some of them were jealous of my position, and, of course, the side remarks and rumors were there. One of my classmates by the name Favour, who lost the position of the head girl to me, tried to pick a fight. Since she lost to me, she was always bitter and constantly looked for opportunities to make trouble for me. I, on my part, always tried as much as possible to avoid her bag full of troubles. But on this particular day, the problem was unavoidable.

So it happened that every Wednesday, the school authorities always held a two-hour general teaching and praying session, which mandated every student to be present. It was the responsibility of the appointed prefects to ensure every classroom was empty and locked during those hours. It was also their responsibility to regulate how students moved about to ease themselves during those hours.

On this particular Wednesday, I was in charge of regulating other students' movements. As the head girl, I had the right to grant or deny permission to junior students who wanted to ease themselves. Favour's sister came to be permitted to get water from her classroom; I denied her permission because every classroom was locked, and I had no right to open them until the assembly was over or the principal asked me to do so, to avoid being the bad senior. I handed her my water.

A few minutes later, she came back, asking for permission to go see a younger sibling in kindergarten, which I granted. That was how she kept coming back with flimsy excuses to move about. One time, I had to deny her permission again and warned her not to come to me again for permission because she had been moving frequently, and I was not ready to get in trouble with the teachers.

But her sister, who is my classmate, tried to make trouble for me. Apparently, the young lad had reported to her that I denied her permission, so she came to fight me. According to her, I was mistreating her siblings because I was not on good terms with her. She kept calling me names, and at one point, I wanted to retaliate but controlled myself. The other option, reporting to the school's principal, was not an option at all. He would simply ask me to handle the matter myself, and if I made a bad choice, I would face the consequences, then give me a 30-minute lecture on enduring insults as a leader, citing our Lord Jesus as an example.

Who wanted such lectures when provoked? Certainly not me. So I had to endure and watch her roll off dirt from her mouth patiently, waiting for her

The three years of me being the head girl came with plenty of challenges and troubles, but I did manage to adapt. I learned how to ignore and turn a deaf ear to side talks, learned how to tolerate people and be patient with them, and, of course, learned how to step out of my comfort zone. Those three years shaped me and prepared me for life outside school, and I'm glad I accepted the responsibility of being the head girl. Now I can take on any responsibility without fear of people or anything.

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