July 16, 2017
For graduating classes at Ashesi, the final couple of weeks tend to be the most memorable in their undergraduate studies. Aside the stress from final projects, theses and papers to get done, most students are struck with the reality of finally completing college. In a matter of weeks, they would be Ashesi students no more, and their four or so years would immediately become a distant memory.
For Micaiah Wiafe ‘17 and Mawuli Adjei ‘17, they first came to terms with this sentiment in their third year, observing the final years go through the motions of completing school and watching their efforts in trying to cherish their final moments.
“Leading up to graduation for the 2016s, we realized they were looking for ways to preserve their final days at Ashesi,” said Mawuli. “So we came up with the idea of the yearbook, as a way of giving people the chance to capture their last days here, and share their experiences with the rest of the community.”
[Click image to view yearbook]
Their paths (and talents) initially crossed when they worked for the student-run magazine, The Ink. While Micaiah took charge of photography and graphic design, Mawuli worked as the editor of the publication.
“We were working together on The Ink when the idea came up,” Micaiah explained. “We asked each other what was stopping us, and really nothing was; we were more than capable, so we just got to work!”
Over the year, the two collected stories and photographs of the graduating class, working alongside their school work to produce the first edition of the year book.
“We collated photographs, first-hand experiences and nuggets of advice from the senior class in putting together the year book, in a bid to create memorable sights and sounds of the class,” Micaiah said.
Following the successful reception of the first edition, the duo were eager to put together the second edition. As seniors this time around, this year’s edition had a stronger emotional connection for them. “This year’s edition was particularly special because this is our class,” explained Micaiah. “We’ve shared so many experiences and and memories together as a class, and seen each other grow over the past years. Working on the class of 2017 senior Yearbook made me proud in how far we had come as a class.”
Not only did they create a special repository for members of the community to relive their Ashesi days, for Micaiah and Mawuli, they’ve managed to channel their talents and passion into creating value for others.
“The yearbook series showed us that there is no real compromise between school work and pursuing passions outside the school curriculum,” said Mawuli. “We found ourselves almost automatically making time for the yearbook to happen regardless of our individual schedules. Passions will consume the same amount of energy whether they are pursued or not; so it’s all about getting the courage to start. Once the project has some flesh, other important things like school work will structure themselves around it. From that point on, it’s about grinding it out and putting in the work to make sure that that passion translates into something excellent.”
View the 2016 Yearbook and 2017 Yearbook.
Share this story