Nicole Mensa: KJSEA candidate seeking to pursue basketball

 Nicole Mensa Atieno.[Okumu Modachi, Standard]

The Friday afternoon sun beat down in waves heavy enough to buckle the air, but Nicole Mensa Atieno was so absorbed in the game that she barely noticed the unforgiving heat.

Her eyes were fixed on the ball at Strathmore University basketball court when The Saturday Standard caught up with her, so intent that the scorching sun felt like nothing more than a distant glow.

Dribbling past her teammate with an effortless cross-over, she looked completely at ease. Yet on this same day, thousands of junior secondary Grade 9 candidates were anxiously checking their national assessment results.

“I haven’t even thought about my grades,” she said, appearing innocently unbothered. “I am yet to check them, but I’m confident I have passed.”

 Nicole Mensa Atieno.[Okumu Modachi, Standard]

Mensa sat her test at Jawabu Comprehensive School in Kayole, Nairobi. Their basketball team had just won a semi-finals match, and she spared a few minutes to speak with this writer before they proceeded to the finals.

“Basketball is where my heart is. That’s what I want to pursue,” she admitted with a smile during a break in the tournament.

Her relaxed attitude towards exam results might have raised eyebrows a year ago, but now it appeared aligned with the Ministry of Education’s vision under the Competency-Based Education system.

“I am passionate about basketball,” she said, adding, “despite having selected STEM as my preferred pathway, I’m hopeful that I will join a good school that will provide opportunities to further my talent.”

CBE seeks to nurture learners’ unique strengths — whether academic, artistic, or athletic — rather than defining success solely through examination scores.

Under CBE, Mensa’s talent is not just acknowledged; it is validated as a viable pathway to a fulfilling future.

“CBE has made me feel I matter,” she said.