Strength in resilience: I was originally born in Accra, Ghana West Africa. My family lived in England before we moved to the United States when I was three years old. I grew up with an alcoholic father who was very emotionally and verbally abusive. At a young age, I had to learn how to be responsible for many things such as helping my mother take care of my siblings. When I was a junior in high school my parents divorced and my biological father passed away. Although our household was extremely chaotic, it taught me to be strong and showed me how important it was to have a relationship with God. My mother is featured in the photo above and my grandmother taught me how to be resilient in all trials. They always told me that with hard work and determination I would prosper. I owe all that I am today to these women. Comfortable in contradicting: I am actually both the oldest and the youngest of my family which makes me pretty unique! I have 3 younger siblings on my mother's side, two brothers and a little sister who is my world and I have two older sisters on my father's side. It is interesting because they are two completely different experiences, so, on one hand, I have to be a leader and on the other hand I also have to be submissive. Being both the oldest and the youngest allows me to have a well-rounded perspective of life and has groomed me to be a great mediator because I naturally am able to think about more than one perspective.
The challenge of connection: I have a passion for dance which I have felt as long as I can remember. During the times where my family was falling apart or I was being bullied, dance was my refuge and my safe place. I began dancing with a team when I was eleven years old and have danced ever since. Being a dancer has taught me so much about working and cooperating with different kinds of people. Dance has not only been my refuge, but it has helped me learn how to work with people who have differing backgrounds and viewpoints than my own. I also enjoy watching old movies and doing all sorts of crafts, my friends call me the old soul of our group which I will proudly accept!
Impactfully International: I always knew I wanted to help people on an international level because of my international background. Being bi-cultural allows me to have more than one perspective on things. Also the fact that I have had a life experience that not many people can say they have had also has given me such a passion for helping people on an international level. I feel I would be the best person to build relations internationally because I am bicultural and have suffered and overcome many traumas in my life.
The amazing political science professors at RU have done such a wonderful job at getting to know me and ensuring me that they want me to succeed. I owe all of these professors a great debt of gratitude for the impact they have made on my life. They have been so impactful in reminding me that nothing is impossible. They have taught me not only how to work hard but they have also broken down my view of success, I always thought to be successful I would have to run over people to get to the top but they have proven to me that being kind and getting to know who people really are is the best reward anyone could ever ask for.