Double victory: 17-year-old scores A in KCSE, lands top premier league club deal

When the 2025 KCSE results were announced on January 9, Trevor Meso was in the middle of practice - perhaps dribbling the ball, passing it, or resting on the bench.

How he'd performed seemed to matter less now that he had been drafted to one of Kenya's KPL teams, Kariobangi Sharks FC, and was trying to make up for lost time after dedicating the last two terms of his candidacy year to books.

He tells Mtaa Wangu how elated he is to have performed extremely well while living a dream he'd hoped to accomplish one day, though it came sooner than expected.

Meso says he started playing football when he was about eight or nine years old, playing with small neighborhood clubs before being introduced to Kariobangi Sharks by a coach who had spotted his talent.

Although his family lives in Nakuru, he often travels to Nairobi for training sessions.

"They saw potential in me from early on," he says, adding that the Sharks kept in touch with him throughout primary and high school before eventually signing him to their youth team in Form Three.

Meso says balancing early-morning prep sessions, evening and weekend training drills, and the pressures of national examinations is not a journey many teenagers would choose.

But for the 17-year-old Kariobangi Sharks youth player who recently scored an A in KCSE, the choice was never between books and football; it was about discipline.

Balancing school and football were demanding, he says, as his school prioritized academics and was not traditionally strong in sports. Yet he still joined the school team in Form One and later captained it to the county level for the first time in the school's history.

"We would wake up at 4 am and study until late at night to make up for the time lost during the games period when my classmates would be in class. On weekends, while other students were in class or resting, we would be on the field for games. It was exhausting, but I knew what I wanted to achieve," he says, adding that many of his teammates extended their night study sessions to midnight to compensate for training hours lost during the day and weekends.

Meso says discipline is what sustained him when motivation faded. He believes that talent alone is never enough and that extra effort makes the difference. During school holidays, he planned his days around reading and training, with his parents allowing him the space he needed to concentrate.

His family, says Meso, who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder, has been central to his journey. He adds that his mother is a perfectionist who insists on doing things well—a lesson he has carried into both football and academics.

Despite the endless possibilities a football career could provide, Meso also recognizes the uncertainties of a sports career. He notes that football in Kenya is not always a sure path and that injuries can end a career abruptly. That awareness, he says, pushed him to pursue education with equal seriousness.

This, coupled with looking up to football star Michael Olunga - not just because he is a great striker, but also because he has achieved both academic and football success - inspired him. That balance, he says, is what he aims for.

Looking ahead, Meso has his sights set beyond the football pitch. He's interested in pursuing aeronautical or aerospace engineering and is actively seeking athletic scholarships abroad that would allow him to continue playing football while studying.

He also hopes to play football outside Kenya for as long as he can, though he's clear that he would eventually return home.

“Kenya is home. We love our country. You have to embrace where you come from and build it,” he says.