This meant that if one wanted to study engineering at university, they had to go to St. Augustine’s to study maths. With Akua leading, we approached the headmistress, Mrs. Agyeman, to request maths classes. “Hmm,” Mrs. Agyeman considered, “we don’t have a maths teacher here, but I can ask the computer science teacher on National Service to teach you.” It was a small victory; half a loaf was better than none. Having a computer science graduate who had never taught maths before was a Herculean task. We worked hard to grasp the concepts, to the extent that my dad, who initially wanted me to study biology, paid for private classes during the holidays to support my learning. Only three of us were in the maths class. When we sat for our A-Levels, Mrs. Agyeman encouraged us individually, saying, “Monica, good luck. Akua, good luck. Felicia, good luck.” It was a do-or-die situation as we wanted to pave the way for others. Remarkably, we all achieved Bs. When we collected our results, people could not believe we had succeeded. It was exciting and paved the way for future students. I recall the year below us (Purple Print) saying, “Monica, you opened this door for us. Without you, maths would have been gone from Holy Child.” Holy Child School was completely different from S.O.S. It was a new chapter for me. I attended this school because my mum, who is Catholic, wanted me to go to a Catholic school. Additionally, my aunt had also attended Holy Child and spoke highly of it. It turned out really well, to the extent that I encouraged my sister, my nieces, and other female relatives to attend Holy Child as well. Another aspect of secondary school that interested me was literature as a core subject. It greatly improved my vocabulary and love for literature. I also love the arts, and I still do. There’s a lot of art in my mother’s family. Two of my nieces are currently artists and hold events from time to time. It was also at Holy Child that I was diagnosed with migraines. I think I suffered a lot because the light was always on inmy dormitory, andmigraines do not fare well with light. Eventually, I switched places with Afia Nyarkoa Akwaboah, who was in St. Theresa’s House, a dormitory with scheduled lights-out, which helped a lot. Not only did I make beautiful friendships at school, but I also had a lot of fun. I am still in touch with most of my Holy Child sisters—over thirty-five years of sisterhood. The friendships we built during those years have endured. We shared so much together— both tough times and celebrations—and those connections have only grown stronger over the years. Even now, we stay connected through catch-ups, reunions, and social media. It’s amazing how those bonds from school continue to play such a significant role in my life. They have also become a crucial support system as we openly discuss the big “perimenopause and menopause” transition. I completed my post-sixth form national service at Methodist Day Secondary School, where I taught maths and science. This teaching experience helped me develop leadership skills and a sense of responsibility at an early age. The Birthday Journal 15
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