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  • No 9, Sixth Circular Rd, Accra
  • +233 303969615 +233 502275820

The MountCrest Experience: Roxanne Mawunyo Akorley

About a year ago in October 2020, the John A. Kufuor Foundation and the MountCrest University College signed a memorandum of understanding to offer scholarships to Kufuor Scholar alumni to pursue postgraduate studies at the renowned institution. MountCrest announced it will award Kufour Scholar alumni opportunities to pursue courses in law, management health services, public health, among others. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor who is founder of the John A. Kufuor Foundation signed the MOU on behalf of the Foundation. Founder of the MountCrest University College Mr. Kwaku Ansah-Asare signed on behalf of the academic institution. One year on, Roxanne Mawunyo Akorley, who is a member of the Kufuor Scholars Program Class of 2020 and a beneficiary, has been sharing her experience in the following interview.

 

Interviewer: Tell us more about yourself.

Roxanne: My name is Roxanne Mawunyo Akorley. I hold a Bsc in Administration (Accounting option) from the University of Ghana, after which I did my national service at GCB. I am the founder of Young Women in Programming, an IT initiative that seeks to bring more women into the IT space. I’m also the co-founder of Creative App Solutions Limited, a technology firm. I’m additionally a Tony Elumelu Foundation Fellow.

 

Interviewer: How have you benefitted from the scholarship scheme announced by the John A. Kufuor Foundation and the MountCrest University College?

Roxanne: I got the opportunity to study at MountCrest University College (MCU) through the scholarship awarded to me by the John A. Kufuor Foundation. You know the former president, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor has championed the raising of transformational leaders with integrity. I had the chance to benefit from the scholarship immediately after the completion of my first degree program. Myself, and two other scholars are the first cohort to be enrolled in the scholarship scheme. The scholarship is actually a full tuition waiver which the school has given to us as a way to support the vision of “grandpa” His Excellency President Kufuor. We only pay for some other levies at the school as a form of commitment to the learning process.

 

Interviewer: How does this scholarship help you pursue your dreams?

Roxanne: Personally, this scholarship is a dream come true. I have always wanted to be a lawyer since childhood. I’ve always wanted to acquire a degree in Law. Unexpectedly, the coordinator of the Kufuor Scholars Program Dr. Pascal Brenya broke the news of this scholarship to us last year. As expected, I did not think twice about grabbing the opportunity before it passes me by. And so clearly what the JAK Foundation and MCU has given me is an opportunity that will go a long way to helping me achieve my career goals and dreams.

 

Interviewer: How did you feel when you got news you will be one of the selected few to benefit from this scholarship?  

Roxanne: Words cannot express how I felt when I got the news that I will benefit from the scholarship scheme. I could not hold my joy. I was full of gratitude first of all to God for not making that childhood dream die out. Secondly to His Excellency J. A. Kufuor and his foundation, and of course to MCU for this great opportunity to benefit from their great institution. Even till date, that joy I experienced is still within. It is always an unexplainable feeling anytime I enter the lecture hall, as that excitement rushes back to memory. I remember the words I said when I got the admission to the school like it was just yesterday. I said: “I will never let the people who believe in me down.”

 

Interviewer: How has this scholarship improved your knowledge over the last year?

Roxanne: The experience I have received so far from studying at MCU is something worth mentioning. Just like Albert Einstein said: “the only source of knowledge is experience”. The journey to becoming a lawyer is indeed not for the faint-hearted because you need the courage and confidence to defend your client, whether guilty or not. I used to be a very shy person who found it difficult expressing myself to people but just a semester into the law program, I’m learning how to shed that off. Talking about education, the journey has been good so far, though not easy. The cases to read, the reading materials, coupled with research works that need to be undertaken is not a thing for lazy students. Always backing whatever you say with authority is a mark of a good lawyer. That’s some very unforgettable knowledge I have received from MCU. Like John C. Maxwell rightly put it, leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another. And I’m learning that practically here.

 

Interviewer: Any final words?

Roxanne: I would just like to say a very big thank you to His Excellency former president John A. Kufuor for this lifetime opportunity. He is indeed a true definition of a leader. Words are just mere alphabets put together, of which my gratitude goes beyond. Live long grandpa. God richly bless you. I will also want to thank the Kufuor Scholars Program for having me on it. I always ask myself how I even got on and the best answer that keeps ringing in my head is “grace”. At the KSP, transparency, accountability, equity, inclusion, fairness, and commitment to excellence are our core values. I assure the JAK Foundation that I will uphold these values and never let them down as a way of showing my gratitude. Also to MCU, I want to use this opportunity given me to appreciate them for letting my dreams come true. I promise to strive hard to make this great institution proud. Indeed, MCU is training and preparing a new generation of graduates in body, mind and spirit, for the transformation of society.