By Gab Oguda
This is what I will say of that young girl, Goldalyn.
When I sat for my KCPE in 1997, I was the Index One of that school and everyone in Miwani was eyes-up on me. I never thought I would be top of my stream, let alone of my class. To me, it was just another exams in front of me and the only thing I needed to do was to turn up and sit for the exams. If I passed, I would take it. If I did not pass, I would take it, too.
In my entire life, I have never been under any pressure to sit any exam. Even at the university whenever students asked lecturers to postpone cats because they were not ready, I was in the group that kept saying bring it on. If I fail, it is my marks. If I pass, it is my marks too. Life is too short to worry about what people think about your scores in tests you did not set for yourself.
I have no problem with Goldalyn lecturing anyone on anything. We all have something to learn from one another. She can tell us who plaits her hair so nicely like that for us to change our stylists, or where we can get those cool sunglasses she’s currently on. Even William Ruto is giving lectures on how to be a successful businessman, and people are out here with their notepads and autographs. You can choose to ignore Goldalyn if you think the message does not fit you, I am sure there is someone in that Masinde Muliro University crowd that picked something from the young girl, and that person need not to be on Facebook for you to read their talking points.
I’d be happy if Goldalyn succeeded in whatever she sets out to do. She’s just a child, and I always resist the urge to judge children. We cannot tell, right now, whether those public appearances will do her more harm than good. Children these days are exposed to media publicity at such an early age, and it will not shock me if she rides the media storm and still emerge tops in her class four years later.
Mine is to wish her well. And you should, too.
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