Headboy
Fidel Castro
As Simon Sinek puts it, “True leaders are those who shape and define their own path.”
Similarly, leadership itself cannot have a fixed definition—it is best defined by those who embody it. To me, leadership is all about unlocking. A leader holds the key to unlocking potential, removing barriers, and opening doors of success for the people they lead. Leadership is not just about position, influence, reputation, or admiration; rather, it is about the impact—how many doors you have opened for others, how many lives you have touched, and how well you have guided those who trust you to lead them.Just like a watchman holds his master’s gate keys, a leader holds the success keys for their people. In my case, my masters are the members of the Mpesa Foundation Academy fraternity. I consider myself a background leader—one who doesn’t seek the spotlight but works tirelessly behind the scenes to serve with passion and integrity.
Throughout my journey, I have taken on multiple leadership roles without being in the student council, yet my commitment to service has remained steadfast. The Mpesa Foundation Academy has transformed me, sharpening my confidence, communication, and critical thinking skills—qualities that have positioned me to lead effectively.
It is this transformation that fuels my desire to serve, to support my fellow students, and to create an environment where transformational leadership thrives. Courtesy of the Academy, I have undergone tremendous transformation and has gotten to be well equipped with leadership skills that push me forward to step up and lead. Throughout my stay in the academy, my confidence, communication and skeptical thinking ability have been able to be aggrandize putting me at a good position to practise my leadership capability.My urge to serve my masters-the school community and the desire to serve the school community, support my fellow students in meeting their needs, and help create a safe space to foster transformational leadership is what has always inspired me to step up and become a leader.As the school progresses toward greatness, I am honored to be part of this journey as the headboy. Furthermore, greatness can never be achieved in isolation, it requires togetherness, commitment, and a common vision. Myself together with the student council,student body and the entire school community envision to foster an impregnable, united, and inclusive school community where every opinion is heard, respected, valued, and put into consideration.
To achieve this, we must work beyond material success and make priority of interpersonal excellence. We aim to cultivate a culture of engagement, empowerment, and inspiration and create a space where students feel motivated to take ownership of their growth, make meaningful contributions, and push beyond their stretch limits. A cohesive school community is not just about structure and facilities but also relationships, unity, and a shared commitment to achieve a higher purpose.As an actional leader, my pilgrimage of spearheading the school towards greatness will be guided by two values that are integrity and humility. I have always believed that humility is the foundation of all the other virtues in leadership. Humility fosters empathy, making leaders accessible and understanding to those they serve.As a servant leader I also believe that with integrity -trust is built and with trust purposeful discussions are created, and with purposeful discussions , rational and reasonable decisions are made to move closer and closer to greatness.
Oftenly the overwhelming pressures and power of leadership makes leaders lose control and act authoritarian due to lack of humility. As Fidel Castro puts it, “ thou shall not falleth before thy pride cometh” . Castro tells us that pride kills a leader but humility makes long lasting leaders who pursue greatness. I don’t aim to get personal recognition, rather, I want my people to remember whatever it is that the student council I headed helped them achieve . How I pray to the Almighty, asking Him to grant me wisdom to “end diabetes” in the school .To me diabetes in the school refers to the small ailments- like fear, dishonesty and lack of cohesion amongst the school community members- that prevents us from taking up the opportunities that the school provides for us.Part of my plan is to assist in moulding a cohesive CLAIRE family through motivation and inspiration to everyone in the school community.I cant promise any materialistic thing because we have enough materials in the school all we need is to fight down the setbacks that prevent us from using the materials to our fullest. And with this “I opt to lead with purpose, passion, and a drive for excellence. I believe that with a cohesive community, we can move our school from good to great.”
Headgirl
Sylvia Kirigo
Defining leadership is one thing that many people take time to do, while in the real sense, leadership is about influence. Influence is the best and easiest way to define leadership, and it is a definition that I have believed to be true over time. As a student leader for three years, I have come to learn that people around me are always keen on what I do, and to some extent, my actions influence them. This is because, as a leader, they look up to me and are willing to follow my steps in various ways. While some believe that leaders are born and others believe that leaders are made, I believe in both, because I believe that I am a testament of both. Knowing this has always kept me inspired to know more about leadership and reach greater heights.
As the school head girl, I have the mandate to drive the school from good to great. It is not a goal that I can achieve on my own, but as a team, together with the student council, we shall strive to be good influencers of excellence and the school values. This is by making sure we are intentional with all that we do in order to set standards for our fellow students and encourage success. We shall also strive to encourage students to take up the awesome opportunities that the school offers so as to develop transformational leaders who strive for excellence not only for themselves but their communities and the world at large. My leadership is largely defined by excellence and vision. My vision for the school is to develop transformational leaders who can be easily scored as an eight, on a leadership scale of one to ten. Through enriched programs such as pastoral, leadership programs, CAS/SA, sports, and even life skills, we are assured that the school will be able to develop transformational leaders. This is directly related to excellence because as they excel in such activities, then we shall all be at the top of the scale.
By empowering my fellow students to be leaders in various ways, students will feel encouraged to be significant leaders and make a change. I believe that leadership should not be boring. Leadership is an exciting journey for not only finding yourself but also helping others to find themselves. As a leader, I want to be remembered for how I made people feel. I hope I can inspire students that leadership is not a burden but a responsibility and an opportunity to achieve great things. My journey has seen me represent my school at the national sporting championships, run a crocheting enterprise since MYP 4, ( winning student enterprise of the year twice)and come up with a smart farming innovative solution (Okoa Maji+). I also led my residence to win the model residence award, despite being the youngest coordinator at that time, and leading my house to a sports day victory, (despite being on the job for a week) This should be a testament that leadership is an awesome opportunity to excel and not a burden. My main goal is to lead with passion, integrity, positive influence, and excellence, encouraging my peers to be the best version of themselves. I believe I will drive the school from good to great.
