The Scholarship, Leadership & Citizenship Award is given on an annual basis to three graduates who have lived out Ashesi’s core values during their time at the university. The award is presented by the President of the University, and students who receive the award are those who have contributed in outstanding ways to Ashesi’s mission, and have had a strong impact on the Ashesi Community. This is the highest award a student can receive at Ashesi. The following are citations read for the three recipients at Ashesi’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony.

Joseph-Peter Yoofi Brown-Pobee ’19
Our first awardee is a force multiplier not only in his year group but to others on campus. It is difficult to name just one thing he has done that makes him loved and respected by our community, but one word we can use to describe him is ‘selfless’.

For three consecutive years, he spent 100’s of hours to tutor over 90 students in design-thinking methodology and robot-programming using python during the Ashesi Innovation Experience. We still don’t know how this awardee managed to balance the AIX role and be on the Dean’s list from first year to final year, while doing extensive research that led to the creation of 6 user personas for analysis and ideation to help the betterment of healthcare in nearby communities. The tenacity with which he uses his passion for programming languages, project management and design thinking, in various ‘out of class’ activities is just mind-boggling. 

With ease, and once again putting others interest at heart, he as part of a close-knit team run one of the most vibrant student council ever in Ashesi’s history. He went on to help organize senior’s day by crafting new and improved activities to make the day an exceptional one. As he served his peers that one last time, he displayed his usual modesty, good cheer and grace. As the thinker Lao Tzu observed, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves”. It was unlikely Ashesi will fail to notice this giant of a leader amongst us, but when his work was done, we certainly felt we did it ourselves. 

For so strongly representing the Ashesi ideals of Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship, we present this award to Joseph-Peter Yoofi Brown-Pobee.  

Immanuella Duke ’19
This awardee is described as Balanced; brilliant; and fiercely independent. She began her life at Ashesi winning the Reading Challenge in her first semester; fast forward to her last semester, she graduates today with one of the highest Cumulative GPA’s on record.

She steps up to any role and exceeds expectations no matter how high. With zeal, she served as one of the most proactive resident assistants in Ashesi by always making sure her hostel was a home to all. She was adept at resolving conflict, prompt in reporting issues and assisting to get them fixed, and was always looking out for her hall members, especially the first years.

Constantly, this awardee staged her presence as the go-to person to solve problems and she was always generous with her time: be it tutoring students on new programming concepts, organizing tutorial sessions to help freshmen build software applications on Ashesi campus or providing optimal solutions to the 0/1 knapsack problem as an exchange student in the College of Wooster in the US.

When the now highly acclaimed Tech Era endeavor started as a small student project, she was one of its champions. She spearheaded the creation of the computing curriculum for students with disabilities. The team went on to train teachers, rolled out the initial program and enlisted more volunteers and partners to push Tech Era to become the promising start-up that it has become today. We did say she is brilliant, but she is also fun, very loyal, hospitable, down to earth, and most importantly, a true advocate for both the strong and weak.  

As we celebrate this graduation now, this awardee is one of a very selected few students currently in the US to be part of highly sought-after program: The Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE). This is an exchange program where Ashesi and College of Wooster students get the opportunity to apply classroom learning as organizational consultants and where student participants are exposed to practical applications of their liberal arts education in a “real world” setting.

For so strongly representing the Ashesi ideals of Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship, we present this award to Immanuella Duke. 

David Sasu ’19
Our final Awardee was a recipient of Ashesi Innovation Award, Student Excellence Award, African Future Leader Fellow, Millennium Fellow for the United Nations Academic Impact, Chairman’s Award recipient for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, Silver medal recipient for the IGEM competition, a delegate for the young diplomats of Ghana, a consistent dean’s list feature, JEC officer, president of Code the Change club, and Speaker of Ashesi Student Council parliament. 

This student is undoubtedly a take-charge person who leaves no tables unturned when it comes to giving off his best. Whilst a student at Ashesi he attained a professional certificate in cybersecurity engineering from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre and a Grade A in Digital Circuits and Platforms from the University of Tampere in Finland.

As part of his service during the summers, he built a desktop application to generate and organize examination schedules for students in the University of Ghana; and other applications for the ministry of communication, Akofena Hotel, and Ashesi University. His scholarly activities and persistence extended beyond the walls of Ashesi. He is a well-developed and all-round student. He is outstanding and very well-behaved in all areas of his life. Above all, this student is very respectful, respected, sincere, and a role model for his peers.

As we celebrate this graduation now, this awardee is one of a very selected few students currently in the US to be part of highly sought-after program: The Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE). 

For so strongly representing the Ashesi ideals of Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship, we present this award to David Sasu.