Dear Angel,

As you begin your secondary school education, I want you to always keep this in mind: Education can make a difference in your life.

I come from a poor background. Growing up in a large but poor family, life was very difficult. I worked hard to pass my middle school (JHS) exams and was duly qualified to go to secondary school (SHS). During our days, there were three school terms per academic year. I could not begin First Term with the other students, because my parents could not afford the basics I needed plus school fees, even as a day student. So, I missed First Term.

When I finally entered Form One during the Second Term, I had a lot of work to do to catch up. Copying all the notes for all the subjects from my new classmates, trying to learn everything they had studied for a whole term while at the same time managing to cope with Second Term lessons that were in many instances supposed to build upon First Term lessons, was very difficult.

In one Twi class, the Teacher once gave me a hard knock on the head because I had made a mistake. He said he had corrected the class on that very subject matter several times during the First Term. He did not even care to know that I was not present in his class during the First Term. I wept, but I had no choice than to endure the pain and continue to learn.

I passed my O-Level exams and came to Accra to pursue my A-Levels and then entered the University of Ghana Business School (then called School of Administration).

Throughout my O-Level studies, life was extremely difficult. At one point, I actually wanted to drop out of school. One thing that kept me going was that the efforts I put into learning always paid off during exams, and that was my encouragement.

I had support from some generous classmates who came from relatively wealthy homes, to whom I remain eternally grateful. But there were others who always made me feel the poverty I had to deal with. I remember one person in particular who once asked me, “why are you so poor”?

In all of this, my only solace was to study hard. At the University of Ghana, my only source of income was the student loan, which was never enough to cover academic materials and personal needs. There were nights I went hungry, but still had to study.

After first degree, I got a job right after school. Several years later, I decided to go and do my second degree (MBA) at the University of Leicester, in England. I went there without a scholarship and was required to pay the full fees for the course.

To support myself, I had to work at night, doing whatever jobs I could find, while I went for lectures during the day. I sometimes worked in factories processing food; and I sometimes worked as a security officer at supermarkets. In all this, my only goal was to get education, which I believed would make a difference in my life.

Today, while I’m not a rich person, I’m also not a poor person. I am able to support myself, my immediate family, my aged mother, and other persons as and when I need to.

When I look back at my life’s journey, from a poor secondary school student to who I am today, the only difference is EDUCATION. My only advice to you as you begin SHS is, focus on your studies. Don’t get distracted by social media and friends.

The only thing that can change your life, the life of your mom who is working hard to support you and the life of your little sister, is education. Keep this in mind and give yourself the chance to succeed by making good use of this opportunity of secondary education. This is my personal experience and I hope my story will help you.

Kwaku Antwi-Boasiako

September 19, 2026.