In as much as we look straight ahead at our preferred destinies, we can never truly account for the journey. We know our intended output, but we are constantly thrown off guard by the variables in the process.

2009, I’m standing by the gate, a signpost promises me that beyond this gate, I would be trained for excellence. That’s quite a huge claim, I thought to myself. Every twist and turn, every sway and nudge had led me to this moment, and in all truth, I wasn’t too happy about it. That was the first day of the next 3 years of my life. One thing I must emphasize is that any institution can only give you as much as you want to receive. This is not a story of how much was taught, it’s a story of how much was learnt because the testimony of a story lies in experience, not quotes. Resistance to change was the simple reason for my not so enthused nature on this day but in the time I spent at the Academy, I learnt to love change, to welcome it, to embrace it, to own it, and to direct it. My name is Liberty Makuyana and I am a former student of Trust Academy High School.

Can I say I had a great day every day, no I can’t, but I can say it was a pivotal season in my life. Show me a place where every day is great, and I am sure it will not be a school because schools are meant to teach you even when you don’t feel like learning. That was it, this is exactly where Trust Academy made the difference, CONSISTENCY. That’s where it hit me, excellence does not come to the most talented, it comes to the person who consistently pursues it. So, was it such a huge claim for Trust Academy to say it would train me for excellence? Yes, it was, but was it a lie? Not at all. I was a young man with the heart of a writer, Trust Academy believed in me by giving me an ear and genuine encouragement and now I am an Author, coined the youngest author in Zimbabwe by some newspapers at some point in time. I was a man with the heart of an accountant and Trust Academy gave me a teacher and a textbook and now I am a Chartered Accountant, which I believe is the pinnacle of the profession.

I was a young man who carried a message and Trust Academy gave me a stage and a microphone and now I am a verified motivational speaker with a peculiar message. Almost every school teaches the syllabus, but this is not the strength of a school. I can promise you the syllabus is for good grades, but inspiration, encouragement, motivation, guidance, passion are topics you will never find in the syllabus. These are the pillars that go beyond good grades and produce good life. A day will come when life demands a person to prove him or herself and an academic transcript won’t be good enough. This is where Trust Academy made the difference to me. These are not songs of praise; it is my own reality. I went on to become the Vice Head boy in 2011, deputy to one good man Metric Chimombe, I remember many times, Metric would say he would one day become the President of Zimbabwe, I can confirm that he is not the President. Whether he one day becomes the President is not the point, the point rather is something many may have missed.

Every time he would say it in my presence, fellow students would laugh, but one thing I noticed is that the teachers never laughed, or grinned or shrugged. It seemed to me that they never saw his dream as farfetched but rather they saw it as a dream that was far and needed to be fetched. Well at least, that was my own conclusion. We create our own realities. The way the rich and the poor perceive the world is different. The way the ill and the healthy perceive a hospital is different. Naturally the way an institution is perceived is different due to the mentality and focus you place on what it has to offer. I saw what Trust Academy had to offer but it’s a transaction, come with a dream and it will provide resources. But if one is void of a dream, the resources, however big or small will not be perceived. This is the story of one young man who once wore a red blazer, I look back and I can honestly say that the friends I met, the teachers, the administrative staff, has a bearing on who I am today. Although the pursuit of success has not ended, the seed was planted, and we all know what happens to seeds when exposed to the right conditions.

Congratulations to Trust Academy!