Computer Science
Class of 2022
Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders Scholarship
I am Audrey Obuobisa-Darko, a first-year Computer Science student at Ashesi University. I come from a family of five and am the first to attend Ashesi. I had my second-cycle education at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast, Ghana, where I imbibed leadership skills and a passion for excellence.
Alongside my schooling, I am an author, with two published books to my credit; The Magic Basket, which was published when I was 12, and Wahala Dey, which was published at 14. Realizing that this skillset was not for myself alone, I led and guided members of the Writers’ and Debaters’ Club at my high school and established a foundation in January 2018 to promote reading and writing skills in children.
Gaining admission to Ashesi University is definitely a dream come true. After participating in the Ashesi Innovation Experience (AIX) in 2017, I was greatly convinced that I wanted to be a part of a community that had a mind and heart made for the betterment of Africa. I knew that I wanted to come to a school where individuals are trained to be ethical and entrepreneurial leaders, something that is highly requisite in today’s world.
“Gaining admission to Ashesi University is definitely a dream come true.”
However, this dream would have remained unfulfilled if it wasn’t for the intervention of the Jim Ovia Foundation Leaders Scholarship. My family fell on hard times when I was in my final year of senior high school, and so Ashesi was a complete no-go area for tertiary education. But to me, it was Ashesi or nothing at all.
Initially, after gaining admission to Ashesi, I was given a scholarship that covered my tuition and textbook fees, which meant we still had to find a means to cater for other expenses such as feeding and accommodation. We were more than grateful for this offer though, and my father put in the best he could to pay for the rest. The deadline for footing my remaining bills was nearing fast, and we still hadn’t been able to cover them. When my dad finally got some money and was about to pay at the bank on the deadline, he received a call informing him that I had been put on a full scholarship from the Jim Ovia Foundation.
I have not met Mr. Jim Ovia yet, but I am earnestly looking forward to this privilege to properly express my gratitude for the role he is playing in my success story. This scholarship means the world to me, because it is a big breakthrough for my family, and it has given me the opportunity to come to a place which will equip me with the skills I need to be a useful asset in whatever space I find myself in.
“This scholarship means the world to me, because it is a big breakthrough
for my family, and it has given me the opportunity to come to a place
which will equip me with the skills I need.”
I love to be a part of a solution. That is why I established a foundation in January this year to promote reading and writing in children through reading programs, quizzes, writing competitions and the like, with the aim of helping to improve literacy in Ghana. I chose to study Computer Science to make this a technological solution that makes a meaningful impact on not just Ghana, but on Africa as well in the future.
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