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How My Experience Reflects My Ability to Excel at Penn State

I believe my background shapes my experiences and this places me at an advantage in succeeding at Penn State. I am originally from Ghana, Africa, which makes my worldview different from the views of other learners who have lived in first-world countries. I believe that all the hardships that I went through as a child, teenager and now as an adult were preparing me for this moment.

I was born in a rural village in central Ghana to a family of five siblings. I am the eldest in our family, and because of this, I tend to take the initiative and control things, especially in the absence of my parents. I believe that these traits will help me when dealing with group dynamics at Penn State because I possess leadership traits that come with being the firstborn. I am a first-generation student, meaning I am the first person to pursue higher education in our family. This places me in the spotlight, as many people look up to me as an example. This will motivate me to work twice as hard to keep my grades up because I know failure is not an option for me. I know that many people are looking up to and I have set a good example for them to emulate. Being a first-generational student from a rural village back In Ghana gives me all the motivation that I need to excel at Penn State.

Another experience that places me at a better chance of succeeding at Pen State is my upbringing. Being brought up in a rural village in Ghana means that I faced lots of adversities. I believe these experiences will make me a better and more hardworking person. I hope to one day give back to society in Africa for making me a great and hardworking person. I will admit that I did not always have everything I needed. Sometimes I would be forced to stay with a pair of shoes longer than I had anticipated, and sometimes I would walk many kilometers in the rain to get to school. Additionally, there would be times I would be sent back from school for having school fees arrears, and at times I would be forced to pretend not to be hungry because I did not have lunch for the day. I believe that all these hardship experiences that I went through growing up place me in a better position to succeed at Penn University because the environment is student-friendly, and now I am in a country where there is no adversity but nearly everything is in abundance. If I excel in my studies under such tough conditions, I believe I will do just as well at Penn State, considering the facilities are so much better compared to those back home in Ghana. With school loans, I believe I will not have a reason to be sent home, meaning that I can direct all my focus towards excelling in my studies.