By the time Jason Antwi-Agyei walked back into KNUST Junior High School, he was no longer the pupil who once sat among the students dreaming of becoming a quiz contestant.
He returned as a champion.
In 2023, Jason stood before the same school community as a member of the KNUST JHS team that won the Junior Science and Maths Quiz (JSMQ), an initiative pioneered by the College of Science, KNUST.
Three years later, he was back, this time with experience from the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) and a national title.
As a member of the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC) team, Jason helped the school win the 2026 NSMQ, completing a journey that began in the classrooms of KNUST JHS.
His return was more than a visit. It was a homecoming.
The Loss That Changed Everything
Jason’s JSMQ journey did not begin with victory.
In 2022, during his first appearance in the competition, his team was eliminated at the quarter-final stage. For a young student developing a passion for competitive quizzing, the loss was painful.
But rather than allow the disappointment to end his journey, he used it as motivation.
“It was a bit disappointing, but it served as motivation for me. I could translate the pain of that loss into fuel,” he recalled.
The following year, he returned for his final opportunity to compete in the JSMQ. This time, he was determined to leave nothing behind.
“I really gave it my all. It was my last chance with JSMQ. I had to leave as a winner.”
He did.
That victory would become one of his first steps towards a much bigger stage.
The Beginning of a Dream
For Jason, the JSMQ was never simply another school competition.
His interest in competitive quizzing had grown after watching the 2022 NSMQ final at the Great Hall of KNUST. Seeing students compete on that stage made him imagine himself doing the same.
“I saw the JSMQ as a way that I could also enter the quiz realm,” he said. “It felt like a foundation for me, an entry point into the realm of quizzes and competitions.”
Even then, he had begun visualising the future he wanted.
He imagined himself passing the NSMQ selection process, making the team and eventually winning.
That ambition followed him to PRESEC.
More Than Questions and Answers
Looking back, Jason said some of the most important lessons he gained from the JSMQ went beyond academics.
The competition taught him to handle pressure, speak confidently before an audience and remain composed when the stakes were high.
He recalled competing before a packed Great Hall during the JSMQ final.
“The training taught me how to manage myself in those situations. It taught me how to build confidence in myself, how to be articulate and how to work as a team,” he said.
Those lessons later proved valuable when he entered the NSMQ arena.
For Jason, the experience also changed how he viewed science and mathematics. The JSMQ’s practical elements, particularly its hands-on challenges, showed him that science was not simply about memorising facts for examinations.
“Science is all around us, mathematics is all around us,” he said.
He believes competitions of this kind can help young people see STEM education as a means of understanding and solving real-world problems.
The People Behind the Champion
Behind the trophies and public recognition, however, is a story of people who supported his journey.
Jason points first to his parents and family, including Prof. Philip Antwi-Agyei and Dr. (Mrs.) Jemima Antwi-Agyei.
“They've never given up on me. They've provided for me, they've cared for me and they've really supported me even when I was down,” he said.
His mother, Dr. Jemima Antwi-Agyei, offered another glimpse into the discipline behind her son’s success.
She recalled a child who rarely travelled without his books and who could have a book open even while eating.
For her, the achievement also reflects the contribution of the teachers and school community who helped shape him.
She expressed gratitude to the leadership, teachers and non-teaching staff of KNUST JHS for their investment in her son.
A Headmistress Watching a Dream Come Full Circle
For Rev. (Mrs.) Irene Owusua Nkansah, Headmistress of KNUST JHS, seeing Jason return as an NSMQ champion was an emotional moment.
She recalled the excitement surrounding his earlier success and described his journey as an example of what can happen when determination is matched with preparation.
She urged current pupils not to allow their present circumstances to define their future. Her message was direct: sit down, learn, remain focused and determine what you want to achieve.
“It is never late,” she told the pupils. “Sit down and tell yourself, ‘I want to do it,’ and you'll be able to do this.”
Becoming the Person He Once Looked Up To
Perhaps the most powerful part of Jason’s return was the realisation that he had become the person he once admired.
He recalled being a pupil at KNUST JHS when older quiz contestants came to speak to students. He watched them with admiration.
“I was in awe, seeing them. That really inspired me that I also want to come back here one day and inspire someone,” he said.
Now, years later, younger students were looking at him.
The roles had changed.
He was standing before a new generation of pupils, telling them that a journey that begins with something as simple as answering questions in a school competition can lead much further than they might imagine.
The Journey Continues
Winning the NSMQ has not ended Jason’s journey. It has opened another chapter.
He is set to study Mechanical Engineering at KNUST, where his academic and professional journey will continue.
But before moving forward, he returned to where it all began, to the classrooms, teachers and pupils who form part of his story.
His message to the students drew on the lessons he has learnt along the way: dream beyond your present circumstances, prepare for what you want, learn to work with others and do not be discouraged by failure.
After all, he knows what it means to lose before winning.
And perhaps that is what makes his return to KNUST JHS particularly meaningful: he did not return simply to tell the pupils that he had won.
He returned to show them where persistence can take them.
Story and Photos: Edith Asravor
