Writers 
My name is John, and this is my story.
I am the first of four children. I was the tallest, the most outspoken, and according to my siblings, the cutest among us all. My mother always told me that I was her favourite because I was the child who “opened her womb with good things.” Growing up, I felt deeply loved and appreciated. My father was also proud of me, and I could always see the joy on his face whenever I achieved something.
As a child, I was very brilliant. I was the kind of student teachers noticed, and even in junior secondary school, I consistently found myself among the top students in my class.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly until I was about to enter senior secondary school.
I had always dreamed of studying Banking. It was a field that genuinely interested me, and naturally, I was supposed to be placed in the Commercial class. I was excited about the future I imagined for myself.
But then my father had a different plan.
He said no.
According to him, it had to be Science class or nothing else.
I was heartbroken.
I cried for days because I couldn't understand why my own choice was not being considered. I begged my mother to speak to him on my behalf, and she tried, but my father remained firm. He was a very strong-willed man, a product of the old school of thought where success was mostly associated with careers like Medicine and Engineering. As a civil engineer himself, he strongly believed that science was the path to a secure future.
As the new academic session approached, I became increasingly worried.
Deep down, I knew science was not where my strength was. Yes, I was intelligent, but my intelligence showed more in subjects related to Arts and Commerce. English Language, Business Studies, and similar subjects were where I naturally stood out. Those were the areas where I had confidence and where I often had an advantage over my classmates.
When it came to Basic Science and Basic Technology, I was only an average student.
I tried explaining this to my father, but he would not change his mind.
The reality of my situation hit me during my first Chemistry class.
I sat there listening to the teacher, but everything sounded confusing. It felt like the teacher was speaking a completely different language. I tried to convince myself that maybe the next class would make more sense, but things only became harder.
Chemistry was not the only challenge.
Physics, Further Mathematics, and Biology became battles I struggled to fight every day. The more we advanced, the more lost I became.
By the end of my first term in SS1, I had dropped to the 15th position out of 25 students.
For someone who had always been among the best, that result broke me.
I was disappointed in myself, but my father was even more disappointed. He complained bitterly and warned me that if I did not improve, he would consider removing me from school.
What hurt me the most was that I wished he could see beyond the result. I wished he could understand that I was not lazy or unintelligent.
I was simply struggling in a place where I did not belong.
But my father did not change his mind.
I continued as a science student, hoping that somehow things would get better.
They did not.
I struggled throughout my secondary school years. Eventually, I managed to pass my WAEC examinations with C6 in most of my subjects, except English Language where I had a B3 and Civic Education where I had an A1.
Although the result was not terrible, I knew deep down that it was far from what I was capable of achieving.
When it was time to write JAMB, I tried once again to express what I truly wanted.
I told my father I wanted to study Agricultural Economics.
To me, it was a perfect balance. It was a respectable course, and it still connected with some of my commercial interests while allowing me to continue from my science background.
But once again, my father disagreed.
He wanted Civil Engineering.
Nothing else.
I felt helpless.
At that point, I knew I was heading into another chapter of my life where I would have to fight a battle I never chose.