A part of me is super excited to finish my undergraduate education but the thought of transitioning to the next phase of my life is scary. Ashesi’s whole experience has been amazing despite the pandemic robbing me of almost two years on campus. As an international student, getting to experience a new culture that was a little bit different from the Kenyan culture made me learn how to live and interact with diverse people. I made lifelong friendships, people I can call for career advice, and people I can connect with should I visit their country.  

At Ashesi, I was pushed out of my comfort zone. Attending Ashesi made me realize the Ghanaian education system is way better than the Kenyan education system - especially with regards to the sciences and mathematics. Moreover, the Ashesi liberal arts curriculum changes your way of thinking and how you perceive the world and things around you. Taking classes in Text and Meaning and having conversations around feminism and Marxism theory gave me an added advantage as I am able to hold meaningful conversations with people on women empowerment. Leadership in Economics class showed me how I can lead and improve the country’s economic growth. Studying Engineering at Ashesi is a different experience - the education is hands-on. You learn how to identify a problem in the society, design a solution that best solves the problem, and prototype the solution. 

Moving forward, the company I interned with last summer reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to return back to work for them after school. Since I still have no other job offer, I accepted their request. I will be working as a Graduate Engineer at China Aerospace Construction Group in Nairobi, Kenya. I plan to apply for my engineering license as well (in Kenya). It will be a huge step in my career. Moreover, my greatest goal is to work for an international company outside Africa for some time before coming back home. For the purpose of attaining that goal, I got into a mentorship program with the Global Mentorship Initiative, where I have a mentor from 3M helping me develop my career path and offer career advice. It’s a 14-week program and I look forward to a fruitful experience. I am also looking for graduate school opportunities at universities outside Africa. 

I am really grateful for the opportunity to study at Ashesi University, getting a first-class education and having an international experience. I will forever be grateful to you for believing in my potential and putting resources in place to see me achieve my potential. It’s through the scholarship I got funds to help me undertake my internship last summer, which has now turned into a full time job. I hope to pay it forward through volunteering, mentoring and running a community enablement project.