Struggle, Success, and the Lessons In-Between Part 1 - Allan

Hi,

My name is Allan and I come from Western Province, Papua New Guinea. I am the eldest of three children. My mother is a teacher. My father left when I was born because he had another family in another country. This is my story, I hope you learn something from it.

I was raised in the village by my mother. She taught at the local primary school so that was where my education began. During a period of 15 years, I flunked a grade, skipped two grades, got kicked out of school for fighting, and failed a national exam. I know, you must be thinking that I probably have no future but I am currently taking Computer Science at a university I cannot mention. Life sure did teach me a lot of stuff - the hard way.

I was a nobody after I failed my grade 10 National Exam. Everyone looked down on me. My mother was the only person who never did. She pushed me to go back to school, to do it all over again. I disagreed and wanted to throw my life away but for two consecutive months, she wouldn't stop nagging me to give it a shot. It was because of her that I tried, one more time, and to this day, I will forever be grateful to her for not giving up on me. The first lesson I want you to learn from my story is: Never Give Up When You Are Hardest Hit.

I passed the exam that year and was selected to go to a National High School that was in another province, far from home. I knew money would be a problem so I hid the letter but mum eventually found out from her friends in the Education department and promised that she would do whatever it took to send me to school. Two weeks into February the following year, I was on a plane leaving Western Province, and I have not gone home since. It has been 4 years. My second lesson for you is: If, and when, you choose education, do not be afraid to follow where it leads you.

I graduated at the top of my class in 12th grade two years after leaving home. I topped the province too in that year. After being selected to go to University, I found a sponsor. The deal was that I had to attain and maintain a GPA of 3.6 and work part-time during the holidays. I have not only done that but maintained the first position in my class for the past two years. It is not my intention here to brag about my success but rather to bring across a very important point. My final lesson for you is: Never Forget Your Roots. For as long as you remember who you are and how far you have come, you will not go astray from the part that you know you must take to become successful. That is, and should be, the motivation you need to press on.

I miss my mother, and my baby sister and brother, but that is the sacrifice I must make, It will all be over soon, I know.