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Profiling The Kufuor Scholars: Magdalene Naa Shormeh Ashong
Magdalene Naa Shormeh Ashong is a 24-year-old IT professional who hails from Osu in the Greater Accra Region. She grew up in Kokomlemle, a suburb of Accra. She started her basic education at De Youngster’s International School in Accra and continued to Krobo Girls Presbyterian Senior High School in Odumase-Krobo for her senior high school education.
Magdalene graduated from the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa in 2019 where she earned her first degree in computer science and engineering. Following graduation, she joined the IT Department of the Securities and Exchange Commission for her mandatory national service.
While in school, she was appointed to serve as a member on the Students’ Representative Council Welfare Committee for the 2017/2018 academic year. In the same academic year, she was appointed secretary of the Faculty of Engineering Students’ Association Electoral Committee. In 2018/2019 academic year, Magdalene accepted an appointment to be the Electoral Committee Chairperson for the Association of Computer Science and Engineering Students.
During her final year in school, Magdalene volunteered to teach at the Huniso Methodist Primary School in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem District for some days. She still volunteers to teach and encourage young people, especially girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Magdalene chanced on the Kufuor Scholars Program (KSP) advertisement in a WhatsApp group whilst in her second year. “After reading the content of the advertisement, I decided to apply because I felt this was an opportunity for me to be trained, mentored and also to help me come out of my shell,” she explained in an interview. To her, this opportunity was a golden one. This was because prior to applying to the Kufuor Scholars Program (KSP), she was very shy and this made her talk less. She couldn’t express her opinions openly on issues and found discussions in class a difficult task to do.
Though the selection process for the Kufuor Scholars Program was rigorous, Magdalene sailed through and was selected to be part of the KSP class of 2019, the second group of scholars to be inducted into the program.
“My experience as a scholar under the Kufuor Scholars Program is a reminder of how privileged I am to have such a great opportunity. Kufuor Scholars Program did not only help me to manage academics and leadership effectively while on campus but also helped shape my career path,” Magdalene said.
“Reading leadership books provided as part of the KSP and participating in the seminars and talks by some great men and women during the KSP leadership camps broadened my understanding about leadership. Today, I look back and I am excited about the great transformation I see about myself. I can confidently moderate programs and lead presentations without any difficulty thanks to the Kufuor Scholars Program,” she said.
“The journey to this great improvement started at the KSP leadership camp at Atebubu. It was during the leadership camping at Atebubu that I did my first volunteer work and also learnt what community service was all about,” she added.
Magdalene enjoys volunteering because she believes in giving back her time and service to the community and this is as result of the exposure as a Kufuor scholar.
“I would like to thank the former President His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor for this excellent initiative of bringing scholars from various disciplines together to be trained to be transformational leaders in Ghana and Africa. I also want to thank Prof. Baffour Agyeman Duah and the Coordinators of the Kufuor Scholars Program for helping and coaching us,” Magdalene concluded.