My Gender, our Pride!!!!!

 I receive my first informal education at home I did not have the opportunity to attend kindergarten, I was schooled and scolded by my uncle for being a slow learner  by then, he would rant and I would cry  so profusely (this your cry baby nature didn't start today ...laughs) by then I  left the village to town, I was barely six(6) years old and had never entered formal School.

 My uncle set the pace for my learning ladder in Primary School. As the months passed by I started improving in school, he instilled in me  the consciousness and I  became  aware that I didn't need  to be told to study before I acted. 

I successfully completed primary school with List A in Common Entrance and First School Leaving Certificate in Cameroon. My batch was the first batch to enter Class Six in  2005-2006 Academic year, the previous batches completed primary school in Class Seven. I gained one year which made me to enter Secondary School early enough in 2006-2007 Academic Year.

 I attended Government Bilingual High School Mamfe ,Life in Secondary school was challenging given the fact that I was a girl, what kept me going was my focus I knew that my success depended on God and my smart Work .

Being a fatherless child I grew up with granny and  so was I determined to make her smile AND MAKE HER REALISE SHE LOST A SON BUT HIS DAUGHTER WILL HOIST HIS FLAG ,I needed to make my dad proud in his grave, I was too focused  to be distracted by relationship till 2014 when I entered the University of Buea Cameroon. 

My smart work paid a lot and in 2012 I received the Manyu Solidarity Fund 15th Excellence Awards for my brilliant performance in My General Certificate of Education (G.C.E)  Ordinary Level Certificate 2012 session (Centre NUMBER 1247,Government Bilingual High  School Mamfe) I enrolled with  9 papers and had 8papers ,18points.

My male competitor(Achalle Joseph Ma-Tambe had 9papers 18points). I always had a stiff competition from my male mates,in the end, I was the best female in my school. Between 2012 and 2014 I entered High  and offered social Sciences(Economics, Geography ,Mathematics)  and by the grace of God I validated all my courses with a wonderful result. 

As you aspire for greatness know where you seek guidance from. I had a bad counsel from a philosophy student who told me Mathematics was difficult I did not start with it from the beginning. 

My Maths professor who knew how excellent I  was encouraged me  and I took up mathematics, did extra work with him and passed it also. Bad counsel can make a brilliant student fail beware!!!.

In 2014 I gained admission into the University of Buea(U.B) to study Accounting. Life In  U.B was full of many challenges ranging from Sexual  advances from my Sports Facilitator which God helped me  to escape successful,to lack of funds which made me to resort to trekking long distances to and from Sandpit where I lived  in order not to be carried away by the "wind of Buea",I use to also use short cuts into to reach School on time.Those dark days made me found a Companion Shani Cideon ,she and I went to these rough paths.

I learnt how savings, entrepreneurship and financial management for these experiences.When I received 5000FCFA from my Uncles and my mum  who had no means of Livelihood on different occasions, I would save 2000FCFA , buy my essentials (rubbing oil, bathing soap ,pads) and live on the balance of 3000FCFA  upto  when they will resend me money excluding money for handouts.

I remember an instance where I paid my tuition fees from my 50,000FCFA Presidential grant ,resit was never an option for me and thank God it never happened.

I have been so creative from day one  I would produce all types of things for sale Chin-chin;Milk sweet ,Coconut sweets, patched groundnuts and groundnut sweets.I am also gifted in hair dressing  due to this I had friends with benefits.

Also I decided to design my neighbors hair free of charge due to my benevolent spirit but at my final year I started demanding a token of 1000frs in order to pay for project expenses and these neighbors gossipped that I was expensive,I was infuriated.I learnt that you can never satisfy a human being.

 I achieved my first year's goal of second class upper. My second year result was a night mare i was going through a lot of emotional trauma which stems from the effect of an unconducive accommodation, i do not want to think about the effect it had on my overall G.P.A.

I regained my stamina and had a excellent result in my final year but my second year's  results marred my dream G.P.A at the end .

In my final year the Crisis started and it disrupted our studies. For the first time in my life i repeated a class i was to graduate in 2017 but graduated on my birthday 15th December 2018.I am so happy because though i didnot achieve my dream G.P.A I am contented that my G.P.A reflected my hardwork.

I have come to realise that it is not all about graduating with a First Class Degree you need to harness some soft skills like communications skill,team work, interpersonal skill ,time management Skill, Networking skill and continuous personal growth.

I have added value to myself through by volunteering for many organisations such as Go-Africa Initiative Cameroon (GAICAM),CASSVITA Company Limited Isokolo Limbe(Cassvita powder fufu),Nkwen Cooperative Credit Union(NKWENCCUL) Mobile Nkwen  Market Branch Bamenda and Bamenda Police Cooperative Credit Union(BAPCCUL) St Paul Junction Branch Mile 3 Nkwen Bamenda just to mention  a few.

These  challenges have made me  become a Better Sandra(Bessandra) and has helped me in the advancement of my career as a Digital Marketer and a Copy at Alziron Systems .

I am able to write original and Inspirational  contents at my blog because of the experiences I had in overcoming my Challenges.

I challenge you today as a young girl you can do if you are determined, goal-oriented, prayerful and if overcome your fears .

It doesn't matter your background, inabilities and challenges what matters is your drive towards Success .

If you work hard,believe in yourself and strive for excellence.It doesn't matter whether you study in hunger. What matters most is your results in the end  and your vision for your Life. I hope this post inspires someone out there !!!.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you-Phillipians 4:13.

Bessem Ako Sandra A.

bessandraofficial@gmail.com