Fruits of success: Scholar alum reflects on her journey

Growing up in the West African country of Ghana, Freda Bakowaa Sarfo was keenly aware of the challenges her local community faced. Knowing that leaders can positively shape the outcomes of many, she sought out roles that would both develop her leadership skills and create beneficial impact in her community.  Her education journey led her to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she majored in Business Administration. While at KNUST, she was selected to participate in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) which expanded her understanding of how to create social change in her community through entrepreneurship.She quickly realized her desire for a global experience and applied for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Arizona State University (ASU). She hoped to use her leadership skills and entrepreneurial spirit to successfully complete a Masters in Global Logistics in addition to utilizing the ASU’s vast resources on innovation and entrepreneurship to  launch a venture aimed at impacting the economical development of her home country.

Freda’s commitment to these goals was immediately tested when she landed in Arizona after being selected as a Mastercard Scholar in an international accelerated degree program. She was immediately faced with the culture shock of learning and living in a new country. Reflecting on that initial adjustment period, Freda remarked that the “educational system was different, everything was different.” To accelerate her adaptation into her new environment, Freda explored cultural classes to understand subtle nuances unfamiliar to an individual who hasn’t lived in the US for extended periods of time. She tried various approaches to ease the transition into her new academic setting. One experience in particular that she recalled was being told in class that what she was saying “didn’t make sense.” From her perspective, she noted that in Ghana “not making sense” translated to being foolish or stupid. Yet, after her American cultural class, she realized that the intent behind such phrases is to seek clarity, rather than an insult as she perceived it to be. Freda reflects often on this instance and the important lessons it taught her: having a growth mindset, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn, and giving herself the grace and time to adjust are essential to thriving in new environments. 

Having overcome many hurdles she faced during her two years as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Freda’s advice now is to “take advantage of every opportunity, be open, and network!” Her journey to where she is now as a successful entrepreneur and a full time employee was not simple. Launching a venture in her home country, continuing to search for employment opportunities in the face of many job rejections and fulfilling the requirements of her degree program each presented unique challenges. However, her flexibility and philosophy of being open allowed her to be available for new opportunities and to get connected to her current job. Five years from now, Freda is looking forward to expanding her start-up business, TropicalAlmond, and increasing her ability to give back through her business, which provides snack donations to children suffering from malnutrition with every purchase made. Freda hopes to “make a difference in the lives of these children” by expanding her products and donations to more African countries in the years to come.