The People in the Logo  

Student Experiences Opportunities for a Lifetime

Afrakomah Agyeman

Afrakomah Agyeman believes so strongly in WSC’s ability to transform lives that she has given her time, image, and story to the Opportunity for a Lifetime campaign. She is featured in one of the campaign logos and the new campaign video. A small portion of what Afrakomah talked about is shown in the video. But for over 10 minutes, she spoke in-depth about the ways WSC has helped her get closer to fulfilling her dream to be a president of a hospital or university.

As a high school student in Worcester, Afrakomah was first introduced to WSC through her involvement in the YMCA's Minority Achievers program. She applied to the College and was notified, right before her graduation, that she not only had been accepted to WSC, but also would be awarded a full Presidential Scholarship.

Afrakomah enrolled in the biology program, a necessary step, she believed, to becoming a president of a hospital or university. She also landed a part-time job in President Ashley's office. “Right there was a dream come true, which opened a lot of doors for me,” she said.

She credits several of her professors for her success. "I have met some great faculty members who have helped me, paved the way for me, and directed me as to what I should do in order to reach my goal," she said. "Now that I look back, I thank God that they pushed me more and more everyday when I was in their class. I will always, always be grateful to those professors."

Afrakomah’s enthusiastic pride in WSC was unmistakable during her interview for the campaign video. "I personally believe in this campaign, and I believe and I think and I hope that this campaign will succeed for many reasons," she said. "Being one in a family of nine, money doesn't come by that easily, and I know there are a lot of people like me who would love to go to college, who would love to have a higher education. However, they can't afford it."

The College has "made a huge impact in my life right now," she said. It also propelled an older sister to a successful career and is beginning to shape the destiny of a younger sister. "An opportunity for a lifetime, it sure is."

The campaign seeks to raise $4 million in gifts to increase annual scholarship aid by 50 percent and to give more students the chance to experience an "opportunity for a lifetime."