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Profiling The Kufuor Scholars: Marilyn Ama Adoma Christian’s Journey
Marilyn Ama Adoma Christian is a member of the Kufuor Scholars Program Class of 2018. Now aged 25, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana. Prior to this, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the same institution.
Marilyn grew up at Teshie Nungua in Accra in a large family that has majority of her siblings being boys. “I was a bit of a tomboy. I would often get into trouble for not being ladylike or ‘girl enough.’ Honestly, I believed I was a boy until later when I recognized the apparent differences between myself and my male siblings,” she said in an interview.
Marilyn says her family was neither wealthy nor poor; and so she didn’t really fit into a lot of places especially in school and her community. “I was privileged to attend really good private schools including Morning Glory Montessori Child Development Centre and Penfield High School where you would see children of affluent parents. Because of that, in my community in Teshie, people often looked at us as a very rich family. This was one thing that took me a long time to come to terms with,” she said.
Marilyn took up various leadership roles right from her childhood through to her teenage years. In senior high school, she was a chapel prefect and subsequently an assistant head girl. “I did enjoy being a chapel prefect. That was more pleasant. My role as assistant head girl was the worst. Often times, it seemed it was myself against the entire school. Including my colleague prefects. I am a strong believer in leadership by example. My other colleges turned to flow better with leadership by instruction. So, whenever I questioned a student for doing something they were not supposed to do, they will respond with ‘but your colleague prefects are doing the same thing’.”
“I told all my colleagues that in the event that they get caught doing anything unlawful, I will not cover up for them. I will tell the truth. That never sat well with them. But I always won leadership positions because I did not always choose it, my colleagues chose me. The positive side to these experiences is that it took me out of my comfort zone and made me learn a lot about myself and people,” she recounted.
Marilyn says she got involved in the Kufuor Scholars Program after hearing about it through a friend who insisted she applies. Despite doubts in herself and her capacity to successfully go through the process, she made it. “He was persistent about me applying, and so to prove the point that I will not qualify, I applied. Then I got in. You really never know what you are capable of doing until you try,” she said with a smile.
Marilyn has very profound memories of her time as Kufuor Scholar. “Our trip to Kumasi and its environs which was my first visit there, the fun activities we shared, the opportunity to volunteer and the drama we put together are some memorable activities and events in the scholar’s program that have really impacted me.
“It was a pleasant experience. I met new people and tried different things I doubt I could have done without the program. I got to know more about myself,” she said.
Marilyn says it was through the Kufuor Scholars Program that she got interested in working towards helping deal with Ghana’s challenging sanitation situation. “I started the ‘Keep It Clean Project, now Inspire Green Initiative. This also led to my choice of sanitation studies in the pursuit of my master’s degree,” she explained.
The Kufuour Scholars Program has also taught her extra-ordinary lessons in leadership. “Through this program, I have learnt leadership is not for perfect people. Leadership involves sacrifices and opening yourself up for scrutiny. It is a place of constant activity. Nevertheless, doing your best in that position is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others,” she said.
“The KSP experience has also encouraged me to plan better and seek for help when I need it and appreciate that there are many solutions to a problem. You need to find what works for you,” she added.
“To our mentor, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, thank you for not being selfish and for thinking about investing in the lives of others like myself and for giving me the experiences this program gave me. I hope that I make you proud for your investment in some few years to come,” Marilyn said in conclusion.