Nicholas joined Moja Tu in 2018 and is currently a first-year university student pursuing a degree in Applied Communication. He credits his success to his favorite high school teacher, Mr. Mutai. Nicholas was performing poorly on his exams toward the end of his high school career, and he knew time was not on his side if he wanted to get into university. With Mr. Mutai’s guidance, Nicholas was able to turn around his academic performance. As we mark World Teachers Day, Nicholas shared with us how Mr. Mutai impacted his life so he could reach his goals:
“While I was in form three, one year before sitting for my final year exams, my grades dropped drastically. I struggled with every subject, including my favorite subjects. I reached a point where I lost all confidence in myself and did not believe it was possible for me to regain the time I had lost. When I took an exam and scored a D, I lost more hope. I was worried Moja Tu would not let me continue in the program with the grades I was receiving. I had not informed my dad about my grades dropping, so when the school invited our parents for meeting with the teachers, I did not know how my dad would react.
Seeing my dad excited about attending the academic clinic broke my heart because I knew the news that awaited him. When he saw my grades, he just looked at me and shed tears. I couldn’t believe it; I had never seen my dad cry and I saw so much disappointment and hurt on his face. He did not say a word to me and left the school. That evening I had a restless night. Although I had lost hope, I knew I had to try to get help somehow; if not for myself, I had to try for my dad. The next morning, I stood outside the office and waited for Mr. Mutai to arrive. I decided if anyone could help me, it would be him. After I spoke with him, he promised to hold my hand, guide me, and encouraged me that I could do it.
The next day we started our first of many counseling sessions. He encouraged me and built my confidence in academics, and slowly but surely, I once again, started believing in myself. Each day he gave me an assignment and made sure that I submitted it. If I failed to submit the assignment, he gave me more work.
At the beginning of the first term in form four, I scored a C+, which motivated me to work even harder. Mr. Mutai always encouraged me to be disciplined with my studies because, he said, character defines one’s academic status. Whenever I felt stressed or unsure, he was there to comfort me and always was there to listen.”