AUTHOBIOGRAPHY OF YIRENKYI

THE BOY IN HIS YESTERDAYS

Yirenkyi Opare – Akuffo was born on the 11th day of March, 1984 to Akuapem parents, Nana Kwaku Opare - Akuffo and Juliet Akua Obiribea Asante as father and mother respectively, from Akropong – Akuapem and Mamfe-Akuapem respectively in the eastern region of Ghana.

I had a very humble beginning starting from the Local Authority (L.A) nursery school at Suhum also in the eastern region where I stayed in that department for only six months and was transferred to Wamfie in the Brong Ahafo Region to join my father and my step-mother. As a child I was particularly interested in sports especially football but due to ill-health I had to forego my ambition of becoming a great football star.
When I got to class one, my father traveled to Nigeria and my step-mother sought transfer to her home town, a village called Anamase in the eastern region. My step-mother was taken ill short after our arrival in the village and my father also met a lot of misfortunes in Nigeria. Life became so difficult for me and my siblings and the future was so bleak for us. All this while I was just seven years old. But I never lost hope as I had faith in God. And it was the timely intervention of my grand mother that saw my self and my siblings back in school again.

My father returned from Nigeria three years later and we moved from Anamase to Akim Oda. In a new community, and a town for that matter I could not find my bearings until some months. At the Birim LA primary school I became the main topic for discussion as a boy from the village, I settled so fast and begun to dictate the academic terms of my class thus class four. Unfortunately, the school was just to see only one year of me as I was transferred to another school, Oda Wesley Primary school.

In my new school my academic prowess began to show as I was nominated class prefect of my class thus class five three weeks after reporting. My interest in extra curricular activities saw me joining the drama troop. That same year my school joined other Methodist schools in the district and in fact Ghana to celebrate John Wesley Day. My school was asked to perform a play depicting the calling of John Wesley-the founder of Methodism. I was given the responsibility of acting the role of John Wesley. With my quest to make an impact everywhere I find my self, I acted it so well that I was quickly called John Wesley even by The Reverend Ministers right after the programme.

In primary six, I was nominated by my teachers for the post of compound over-seer a position I handled to the admiration of all my teachers. I also became the overall second best student that same academic year thus the 1995-1996 academic year. I graduated to Oda Wesley Junior Secondary School (JSS) now Junior High School (JHS). There we were asked to write an entrance examination, and yet again I came out as the third best student out of 150 applicants. After two weeks in JSS/JHS 1 I was elected the assistant class prefect. In JSS/JHS 2, I was unanimously elected the class prefect due to my hard work and the desire of always making an impact and serving as role model to my colleagues. It was therefore no surprise when I was elected house prefect/sectional leader in my final year while I was still the class prefect. Yet again my academic prowess showed when I was the joint best student of my school after the release of the results of the 1999 Basic Education Certificate Examinations.

I gained admission to Koforidua Secondary/Technical School in 2000 to purse General Arts. As fate will have it, the long and icy hands of misfortune caught up with me once again as my father lost his job. This made it impossible for me to pay my school fees and as a result spent only two academic terms in the school. I then went to stay at home with the idea that I have become a school drop out and my dreams and aspirations shattered. It air worth noting that even with my short stay at Koforidua Secondary/Technical School, I was the assistant class prefect and a member of the school’s drama troop. I was also part of the contingent that represented my school and won the 43rd Independence Day March Past Award in the Eastern Region.

Lady luck however smiled on me the following academic year as my grand father secured a scholarship for me. This enabled me to get back to school again, however to repeat the class and in a different school-Akim Swedru Secondary School (AKISSS) in 2001. I immediately announced my presence in the school as soon as I was admitted by contesting in the then weekly debate organized by the Junior Graphic and won the first prize. That made me the toast of both teachers and students and was immediately elected the class prefect. Few weeks later, I led a team of first years as a Principal Speaker in a debate contest against the second years and won handsomely. I was then given the huge responsibility of leading my school’s debate team into challenging the best debating school in the Birim South Distict now Birim Central Municipality, Oda Secondary School. My resolve to always be among the best if not the best, and the desire to always make an impact motivated me into the battle. This time around, the status-quo changed and we emerged the victors. It is also worth mentioning the record I set in the in the school and still hold. I came out tops for two unprecedented academic years only dropping to the third position in my final year.

In my third year, I had to resign as the class prefect because I was elected the head prefect or school prefect and by default became an executive member of the students’ representative council. I was also elected the President of the National Union of Presbyterian Students’ of Ghana (NUPS-G) branch in my school. The student activism in me wouldn’t let me rest until I contested and won emphatically as the first Zone Five Trustee of the Eastern Regional Students’ representative Council (ERSRC) with eleven secondary schools under my jurisdiction all in the 2002-2003 academic year. I also led my school’s team into a constitutional week celebration quiz organized by the District Directorate of the National Commission on Civic Education of the Birim South Disrict Assembly now the Birim Central Municipality for all the seven secondary schools now senior high schools which my school came out tops.

I taught as a pupil teacher after secondary school at Mawuli International School at Akim Oda from September 2003 to May 2004. There again my leadership instincts showed as I was nominated to act as the secretary of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). I was nominated as the staff secretary and as the head of the examinations committee.

My bid to excel in communication motivated me to enroll at NIIT in 2004 to study computer networking since I believe communication and Information Technology go hand-in-hand. I graduated in 2006 with an Honors Diploma in Network Engineering.
For me, I have always maintained that position is not an end but indeed a means to an end.


THE BOY IN HIS TODAYS

My desire to cause a positive change in the lives of students in Ghana and the eastern Region in particular sent me back to the region in August 2007 to contest the post of Regional Coordinator in charge of Programmes & Administration which I won convincingly. Barely two and a half months later I was unanimously elected the General Secretary of the Conference of Heads of all Regional SRCs. By dint of the fact that I am the Regional Coordinator of ERSRC, I represent the ERSRC on the Federation of Youth Associations of Ghana (FEDYAG). I was a member of the team that represented all Regional SRCs at the 41st National Congress of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) in August last year at the University of Education, Winneba. This I did in my position as Regional Coordinator-Programmes & Administration.

As a student of the African University College of Communications (AUCC) where I have enrolled to pursue a two-year diploma in communications, I have equally paid my dues as a student in activism. In just two weeks of admission, I was unanimously nominated as the class representative a position I am still holding. Just a little over one month after my admission, I was identified by the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) a club in the school and subsequently nominated to the position of Domestic Projects Coordinator. A position I have held till now and have discharged my duties effectively and efficiently. I was also identified to be a member of the committee that drafted the constitution of JHR. This I did with the support of people like Henry Marbell as the chairman, Dela Odoo a member, Susuana Ago as the secretary and Fiifi Botchway also a member. The work was done within three weeks. People both internally and externally including Mr. Kofi Attoh, an Accra based Lawyer and a Lecturer of AUCC has described the constitution as one of the best he has seen.

I have fairly represented AUCC on several students’ platforms including the Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS) re-union night at NAFTI in Accra, the GUPS central committee meeting at the Trans Africa College also in Accra and the Emergency NUGS congress at the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. Also worthy of note is that I was part of the first year debate team that beat the second years’ in a debate competition during the “Akwaaba Week” celebration to formally welcome the freshers into the university fraternity. I was also a member of AUCC’S debate team that trashed JAYEE Institute during the SRC’S Women’s Week celebration of the former.

I have participated in some club activities. These clubs include the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) AUCC Chapter though I am yet to join the later.

I was a member of the students’ delegation which attended the funeral of the late Phidelia Alornyeku a student of AUCC who died after a short illness.








MY TOMORROW

I stand at the bank of the river and shout “floret” “floret” for the today I see shall be seen no more. What I welcome is my tomorrow and with a beam of smile, I embrace it with all the goodness it brings. I also say when you dream, dream big. For the dream may come true.
Yirenkyi Opare - Akuffo

Yirenkyi believes the future is today’s contribution and that what one does in future is only the completion of what one has started yesterday. This conviction has necessitated why I believe I am going to continue with my student’s service. I wish to cease the opportunity to state here that I am neither an opportunist nor seeking my selfish desire, but partisan I only desire to cause a positive change wherever I find my self and to make a strong impact as well as be a source of inspiration and motivation to others...

My greatest desire is to become a communication expert in human rights reporting, an international lawyer, and work with any international organization that is into human rights issues. I wish also to be a great and vibrant politician to continue causing positive change in people’s lives.

Personal Ideologies: Personally I believe that the African is his own enemy as a result of the number of coup de tars which only retard development and progress. But I also do believe Africa’s problems have been blown out of proportion and that we, are just like other people, on the earth surface. Every country and continent has challenges. Those challenges of the African continent could be solved by the very Africans and that the Brotonwood societies are only helping us to compound our challenges whiles they whitewash their own. I am a socialist and do believe there should be an equal access to national assets and worth.