No shortcut to success

By Dennis D. Muhumuza
Posted 


Sunday, May 29  

2016 at 

01:00

Stephen is a lawyer, a teacher, and a motivational writer. In summary, the kind of inspirational figure many youths and adults alike like to look up to.
But Stephen fought a good fight to get there. He was born out of wedlock, and separated from his mother very early. As a baby he was also burnt and still has gaping scars that make you shudder at the pain he must have suffered.
Like many children from poor families, Stephen experienced lack in his entire school life.

After Senior Six, he did not make the pass mark to earn him government sponsorship at university. He pursued a diploma in business and got employed as a records assistant at a sub-dispensary upcountry. After five years, Stephen saw no future in that, and decided to repeat A-Level. This time he made the pass mark to get admitted at Makerere University on government sponsorship.

Instead of Law, his dream course he was given Education. He completed it and taught Literature in secondary school for three years before he decided to apply for Law on private sponsorship.

He was admitted, and quit his school job to pursue his dream course. It was a leap of faith, a great risk seeing that he had not saved enough for tuition.

He was often chased out of examination rooms for partial payment of tuition. Being a go-getter with great people skills, Stephen was not afraid to approach his friends for help. Those who were able to did so but Law being such an expensive course, it was not easy. Whenever he was on the cusp of surrender, somehow a good Samaritan would rescue him with a word of encouragement or a cash bailout.

Four years later, Stephen completed his second undergraduate degree, and proceeded to Law Development Centre where he completed his bar course. Today, he is a practicing lawyer with a respected firm in Kampala. Stephen’s life is a perfect testimony that meaningful success has no shortcuts but comes after years of struggle, resilience, patience, courage, faith, passion and hard work.