Abigail Y. Asafo  |   Hephzibah U. Emereole   |  Ndze’dzenyuy L. Karl

Abigail Yayra Asafo ’22
We encourage our community to unceasingly pursue perfecting their intellect, their capacity to lead, and their commitment to citizenship. And this awardee epitomizes this perfectly – she is constantly finding out what she can learn next, trying out a business, volunteering for one program or taking up a leadership role or another.

By the end of her first year, she got selected into the prestigious Melton Fellowship and assisted with running the Education Collaborative (our work to scale Ashesi’s model while learning from others) conference. She continued to serve by interning with Kaya Childcare pre-school which serves children of kayayei in Madina, Accra. While maintaining her name on the Dean’s List of strong academic performers, she started Pop Corn Hero, a small business which was a constant presence on the shelves of the Essentials Shop and campus events until campus closed when the pandemic struck.

As a Resident Assistant and a member of the student parliament, this candidate served students tirelessly and was recognized as one of the best in both roles by Student Affairs staff and her peers.  She has served as an excellent Career Peer Advisor, Campus Director of the Millennium Campus Network to advance the United Nations SDGs, and the first campus president of the Kufuor Foundation Scholars at Ashesi. When she became Chair of the Judicial and Electoral Council, she distinguished herself as an extraordinary advocate and ambassador of ethical conduct. In the uncertain period when Ashesi transitioned back to campus, she was a pillar of strength, implementing important JEC activities such as: enrolling the class of 2024 on to the Honour Code; overseeing the election of a new batch of ASC executives; and introducing measures like the office of an internal auditor to strengthen accountability within our student government.

For seeking to always better herself, for the dignified and effective service to others, and for being a champion of thoughtful community, we present this award to Abigail Yayra Asafo.

Hephzibah Ugochinyere Emereole ’22
This awardee entered Ashesi as a star applicant and has surpassed her potential: from week one throughout her four years, she consistently demonstrated friendliness, grace in the face of uncertainty, intellectual zest, and a go-getter attitude.

By the end of her first year, she was already designing an academic support project for girls in one of our host communities and was trusted to represent Ashesi at an international forum in Senegal. She would wrap up that first academic year with an internship with Societe Generale.

When the pandemic struck, she was one of those who was undaunted, fully harnessing tools popularized by lockdowns and the peculiar opportunities presented: she would intern with Radian Consulting in South Africa and lead in introducing their dive – global learning through internships to enhance students employability program at Ashesi; enroll and excel in an online program with the prestigious French university, Sciences Po; and work with the Applied Methods and Research Experience program where her team developed a plan for boosting tourism in Holmes County, Ohio, USA. She maintained a strong academic record throughout this period, appearing on the Dean’s List of excellent academic performers repeatedly.

Over the last year, as we worked our way back to campus amidst the uncertainties of this period, most final years were understandably preoccupied with their Ashesi exit. Not our awardee! She took up the huge job as the Founding Managing Editor of the Global Commons, a student run publication launched by the Open Societies University Network, an alliance of over 40 universities across the world. She led her team with incredible foresight, diligence, and dexterity. In the last month, the first issue of this publication was published with academic and creative pieces from contributors from Vietnam, Chile, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, United States, and many others. And she does all of this with an infectious smile.

For her unquenching love for learning, for her graceful leadership, and for her stellar representation of Ashesi on the world stage, we present this award to Hephzibah Ugochinyere Emereole.

Ndze’dzenyuy Lemfon Karl
This Awardee has worked all over campus from the library, to the International Programs Office, the Provost’s Office, the Admissions Office, and on and on; and each person that he’s worked with expresses the tremendous joy of that experience. An able technologist, he was an ambassador for the Meltwater Entrepreneurship School of Technology for a year. As part of the Applied Methods Research Experience – AMRE in 2021, he worked with students from the College of Wooster in the United States as a consultant for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The team built an interactive 3D visualization for the company’s design engineers to improve their work for multiple products. He also worked to build or improve several technology products as an intern with Tefa afrik and Innovatech, both based in Yaounde, Cameroon.

On campus, he has been a model scholar, a citizen, and a leader. He is graduating with an almost perfect Grade Point Average; served for two years as head of the dynamic Ashesi chapter of the Google Developers Group; been a member of the student parliament; and secretary of the International Students’ Association. As an Academic Committee Chair of the Student Council during the important period of our transition back to campus, he supported the Provost’s Office with ideas from a learner’s perspective, and proved exceptionally dependable, resourceful, and effective. He was a skillful interlocutor, helping communicate the University leadership’s policies to students while enriching those policies with great student insights.

It is no wonder that when the class of 2022 sought someone to tell their story, they fell on this young man – a brilliant, thoughtful communicator who inspires others with both deeds and words.

For his excellent academic record, thoughtful and rich engagement with all facets of the Ashesi community, and for inspiring the best in us all, we present this award to Ndze’dzenyuy Lemfon Karl.