Scholarship beneficiary picks 2 awards at UPSA congregation

A beneficiary of a scholarship initiative by Ideal College for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates at Senya Bereku, a farming community in the Central Region, picked two awards at this year’s congregation ceremony at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), 11 years after leaving senior high school (SHS) in 2014. 

The awardee, Isaac Aidoo, was adjudged the Best Graduating Student in Actuarial Science and Best Graduating Student at the Department of Economics and Actuarial Science.

He graduated with a Final Cumulative Grade Point Average (FCGPA) of 3.81 with a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science.

Thoughts

Sharing his thoughts with the Daily Graphic after picking his awards at last Monday’s congregation, he explained that the journey had not come easy and that his achievements came through perseverance, hard work and determination.

“I feel very happy, it has been an achievement because the journey has not been easy,” he said.

Aidoo said he completed SHS at Ideal College in 2014 with an aggregate of nine and that it had taken 11 years for him to complete his first degree.

Following his basic education at Jehovah Shammah School Complex at Senya Beraku, he said he was posted to the T.I. Ahamadiyya at Gomoa Potsin in the Central Region, but because of the delay in picking up his slot, he lost it, and when Ideal College came up with the scholarship for BECE graduates at Senya Beraku, he opted for it and was subsequently enrolled on that institution.

He said he earlier gained admission into the University of Ghana, Legon in 2015 after SHS, but due to “one or two reasons, I had to drop out from school because I had a scholarship to India to do BSc Economics but upon arrival in that country, I realised the programme I applied for was not what I was given so I had to come back to Ghana.”

Defer

Unfortunately, he said, when he was leaving Ghana, he did not defer his programme, so he could not continue upon returning and so lost interest in reapplying.

“Then Ideal College came to my aid.

The director spoke to me and advised that I was young and so I should go back to school. So, back in 2021, I enrolled in UPSA,” he said.

He expressed gratitude to the management of Ideal College for the scholarship offered to him at both the University of Ghana and the UPSA.

“While I was in UPSA, Ideal College sponsored me to take the professional Actuarial Science examination.

Currently, I have passed Exam P and Exam FM from the Society of Actuaries (SOA).

This means I have qualified to become an Actuary in the industry, and so I am looking forward to gaining employment,” he emphasised.

Responding to the development, the Head of Communications and Media Relations at Ideal College, Naphtali Kyei-Baffour, told the Daily Graphic that “We are proud of such great achievements worthy of recognition and emulation by others.

It is very fulfilling, inspiring, and we are motivated to do more.”

Average

On average, he said, about 50 brilliant, needy students are given a full scholarship to pursue their SHS education in almost all the branches of Ideal College across the country.

“⁠To whom much is given, much is expected.

“This corporate social responsibility by way of scholarship has always helped us harness potentials likely to go untapped due to financial constraints and motivation like Mr Aidoo,” he said.