Cynthia Akalpokbila Anaba has been a consistent, courageous, compassionate contributor to our community who has applied herself to duties, big and small, from day one.   As an intern for the European Union’s Erasmus+ program, she supported the piloting of a mental health intervention program for cancer patients in Kisumu, Kenya.

She was involved in fundraising as well as the design and execution of the program. She was an able interlocutor for the team of volunteers when they subsequently met in Dresden, Germany, to tease out lessons from the pilot.  In her native northern Ghana, she supported 200 women in their partnership with the Atlanta office of body care business Cantu Beauty.

She facilitated on-site projects through stakeholder engagement, conducted needs assessments, and, through clever use of new media, drove business growth to the benefit of Cantu Beauty and its women shea collectors. Right here on campus, she played a pivotal role in founding the Rotaract Club and served as its second president, leading it to become one of the most vibrant student organizations.

A volunteer with Ashesi’s advancement team, she assists with everything from campus tours to digital engagement and strategic fundraising efforts. Cynthia is what the scholar Joseph Nye calls a “bureaucratic entrepreneur.” She is a keen observer who spots gaps and acts, and she is as comfortable, gracious, and effective managing up as she is managing down.

Whether the work at hand is leading her peers to design an automated banking transaction platform for the Ghana Commodity Exchange for thousands of cereal farmers or persuading and facilitating Ashesi’s executive team to host a Cambridge researcher, she gets the job done with excellence.

A sophisticated combination of soft and hard skills has earned her respect across campus and with Ashesi’s numerous supporters and partners. For showing us what it means when grit meets grace, we present this award to Cynthia Akalpokbila Anaba.