ABB VOC Where Our Story Began, and Where Brotherhood Never Ends.

Some schools give you an education. Others give you an identity, friendships, memories and a foundation upon which the rest of your life is built. ArchBishop Bakyenga Vocational Secondary School is one of those rare places.

There is something extraordinarily beautiful about going back to the people with whom you once shared a chapter of your life. It is even more special when that chapter was written in the classrooms, dormitories, playgrounds and corridors of a small school that quietly shaped the people we have become.

ArchBishop Bakyenga Vocational Secondary School (ABB VOC SS), situated in Katerera, Rubirizi District, is more than just a school to us. It is a home of memories, a birthplace of friendships and, in many ways, the foundation of our destiny.

We may describe it as a small school, but its impact on our lives has never been small. It is one of those institutions whose greatness cannot be measured by the size of its buildings, the number of its classrooms or the sophistication of its facilities. Its true greatness lies in the people it has produced and the dreams it helped nurture. It took young boys and girls, many of whom had little idea of what the future held, and gave them an opportunity to discover themselves.

Since 2017, when we went our separate ways to pursue different dreams and navigate the uncertainties of life, time has taken us through different journeys. Some have become professionals, others entrepreneurs, parents, leaders and people pursuing different callings. We have travelled different roads, encountered different challenges and celebrated different victories. Yet, beneath all these changes, there is one thing that has remained constant: we are still connected by the ABB VOC SS story.

For years, we carried those memories individually. Then came the beautiful idea of reconnecting with our fellow Old Boys (OBs). A WhatsApp group was created, and suddenly, what had been distant memories began coming alive again.

The group became more than a digital platform. It became a bridge between yesterday and today. Familiar names started appearing on our screens. Old friends began recognising one another. Conversations that had been silent for years found their way back into our lives. The jokes, the greetings, the excitement and the occasional reminders of our school days brought back a feeling that is difficult to put into words.

And then came one of those moments that make you appreciate the value of genuine friendship.

Having reached out to my fellow OBs and invited some of them to my office, I was privileged to receive a few representatives who took the time to visit me. Among them were Muhindo Geofred and Kobusheshe Beseri.

What an incredible moment it was!

Meeting again after all those years was not simply an ordinary visit. It was a reunion with a part of our history. The smiles, the laughter, the conversations and the warmth that accompanied our meeting reminded me that some friendships do not need constant communication to survive. Sometimes, all they need is an opportunity to reconnect.

For a moment, professional titles, personal achievements and the different paths we have taken seemed to disappear. What remained were the familiar faces of people who once shared the same school environment, the same ambitions and perhaps the same uncertainties about what life would eventually become.

It was beautiful to sit together, exchange stories and appreciate how far life has brought us. There was something special about seeing the same people with whom we once shared a common beginning, now growing into different versions of the people we once hoped to become.

I could not help but reflect on the institution that brought us together.

ABB VOC SS, you may be small in size, but you are enormous in impact.

You gave us more than academic lessons. You gave us relationships, discipline, memories, resilience and a sense of belonging. You introduced us to people who would become lifelong connections. You gave us a foundation from which we could dream beyond the boundaries of Katerera.

Today, we may be scattered across different professions, districts, cities and countries, but a part of each of us remains in those school days. There is a certain nostalgia that comes with remembering where you started, especially when you look at where life has taken you.

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this reunion is that it reminds us that our story did not end when we left school in 2017. In many ways, it was only the beginning.

The WhatsApp group has opened another chapter, one that should not merely be about exchanging greetings or reminiscing about the past. It should be about rebuilding relationships, celebrating one another, supporting each other's dreams, creating opportunities and ensuring that the brotherhood we formed at ABB VOC SS continues to flourish.

To Muhindo Geofred, Kobusheshe Beseri and everyone who has embraced this reconnection, thank you for reminding us that some bonds are worth preserving.

And to every OB out there, wherever life has taken you, remember that we share a history that no distance, time or circumstance can erase.

We came to ABB VOC SS as students, but we left with something much greater than certificates. We left with a shared identity, a common story and friendships that deserve another lifetime.

Here is to the memories of yesterday, the friendships of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Here is to ABB VOC SS, Katerera, Rubirizi District!

Small in size. Great in impact. Unmatched in memories. Forever part of our story.

Once ABB VOC SS, always ABB VOC SS. The brotherhood lives on! ❤️