A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.

Colin Powell

I grew up in the village of Abomosu in the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa. Until the early 2000’s there was no electricity nor plumbing. My five sisters and I drank and swam from the river, and fed from the farms our parents established with our help. We ate together from the same bowl. Selection for football (soccer) teams was mostly based on one’s relationship with the owner of the ball. Farming was a chore for both home and school compounds, and so we did substantial work every week.

Each child was the community’s responsibility for their proper upbringing, and disciplinary actions were as frequent and rampant as the daily morning school assemblies. Exposure to modern and “civilized” culture was limited as was the prospect of getting out of abject poverty. Lofty ambitions required extra work, personal determination, and purposeful coaching by parents to be able to exceed common expectations of such village life.

Each of these experiences contributed in shaping me into the committed, motivated, considerate, conscientious, resourceful, industrious and honest person I have become.