Focus on your goals, persevere - Prof. Mireku advises Wisconsin freshers

Fresh students at the Wisconsin University College Ghana have been advised to avoid distraction as they embark on a new academic journey with the aim of developing skills for personal growth in their chosen fields.

The President of the university, Professor Obeng Mireku, who gave the advice, said even though they might encounter challenges, they should view them as stepping stones to greatness and abide by values such as accountability, teamwork and excellence in their endeavours. 

“Remember, anything worth doing is worth doing well. Take pride in your work, focus on your goals and persevere. Every hour you invest in studies, every lesson that you learn brings you closer to your dreams. Stay committed, work hard and believe in yourself. The future is bright and it is yours to shape,” he added. 

He was speaking at the university’s 20th matriculation ceremony held in Accra last Saturday. 

The colourful ceremony, attended by high ranking officials of the university, representatives of sister institutions, parents, guardians, friends and loved, ones saw 2,939 students  officially welcomed to pursue various fields of study across two campuses; Accra and Kumasi.  

Achievements

Prof. Mireku stated that at a time when many private universities in the country were struggling to stay afloat, Wisconsin was thriving and expanding. 

To buttress his point, he named some milestones the university had achieved, including the inaugurating of a state-of-the-art Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Laboratory licensed by the Cybersecurity Authority (CSA) and the introduction of new Masters’ programmes including MSc in Nursing. 

“The university hosts state-of-the-art facilities, including a well-stocked library, radio broadcasting studio, nursing skills laboratory, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, IT laboratories and a law-abiding court,” he added. 

These facilities, he emphasised, were a testament to the quality of education the institution provided as graduates across disciplines such as law, nursing, economics, communications, business, cybersecurity and IT were excelling in local arenas and making global impact

“For example, recently in the USA, Walter Tritunia won a certificate of distinction with a GPA of 3.97 in his MSc Cybersecurity programme. And then, in 2023, 65 Wisconsin law graduates were called to the Ghana Bar by the Ghana School of Law, doubling the previous year's number.

This is the highest in the entire country in terms of percentage of students from a single university,” he said. 

Prof. Mireku, therefore, reminded the matriculants that success was not guaranteed by mere attendance but also required hard work, integrity and dedication and urged them to embrace challenges, engage actively in their studies and participate in extracurricular activities that would shape them into well-rounded individuals.