Mrs Elsie Asiedu-Appiah, 60, just earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Her failure to pursue a degree earlier is attributable to a number of factors, the most important of which is that she opted to sacrifice and elevate her family while providing them with all available assistance.
Elsie married her husband, who was a coworker at the bank where they both worked as high school graduates. She then assisted him in obtaining a first degree from the University of Ghana, and she later cared for their children when her husband travelled overseas for his Master’s program.
She left her work at the bank to establish her own business so that she could better care for their children.
She paid their tuition while their father was abroad for two years, made sure they were adequately looked for, fed them, and remitted her husband so he could successfully complete his Master’s degree.
After a two-year time, her spouse finished his Master’s degree and returned to Ghana, eventually securing fantastic employment and doing well for himself. According to their children, he has always valued and continues to love their mother, which warms their hearts.
Mrs Asiedu-Appiah grew increasingly fond of the children as they grew older. Her daughter observed that her mother has eased her disappointments while remaining a firm basis for her success as a professional woman and mother.
Mrs Elsie Asiedu-Appiah would travel with her daughter in her duties that needed her to travel while her infants were still breastfeeding; as a result, she couldn’t leave her babies behind. Her mother has joined her on business excursions to Asia, the Middle East, West and Central Africa, and rural Ghana to care for her children while she worked:
“My mother didn’t want me to give up my job for a second, and she even insisted on purchasing her own plane tickets on such visits.”
Mrs Asiedu-Appiah and her husband also supported their son’s study abroad to become a pilot, and apparently, he flew her for graduation pictures at KNUST in Kumasi together with his cabin crew as a surprise flight for his mum (she had no idea he was the pilot of the flight).
Finally, it’s her turn to shine too after years or better still, decades of putting herself aside so her family could excel, and after watching people rise up the academic and career ladder while she cheered them on. She took a decision which her husband and two children supported. She decided to pursue her Bachelor’s degree as a grandmother after halting with her high school diploma from Okuapeman and Wesley Girls’ for decades.
In as much as her family knows her to be smart, they worried she wouldn’t be able to do this; yet they stood with her as she had done with them. According to her family, she had many sleepless nights studying for exams, attended lectures religiously; and had to come up to speed with the latest technology, and so wasn’t too available as a grandma (which we missed so much).
She almost gave up at a point as she struggled to keep up, but today she graduates with a Second Class Upper in Sociology in her 60s. She doesn’t need this degree for a job, as her business is still running well but she is fulfilled and that makes her family and her many loved ones rejoice with her, too. Her family quotes:
“Indeed, by all means, no matter how long it takes to pursue your dreams and be accomplished. Here’s to hoping someone out there sees this, picks up their bridle and gallops on to achieve”.
