April 16, 2022
My Cultural Background
My transition from middle school to highschool was nothing less than a constitutional nightmare. Hailing from the upper western part of the country (Ghana), I was not expected to be in high school at my age, and it was very unusual for inhabitants of my village to allow their wards to pursue higher “secular education”. Children from my community only pursued Islamic education (makaranta) and not “secular education”. I was fortunate to be the first in my family to complete grade school level; obviously because it was free to enroll and my parents had no problem with that, provided I didn’t skip my routine cattle grazing.
Our community was well known for cattle rearing. That was the main source of revenue for our community and I had acquired excellent skills in milking cows. We would sell the locally pasteurized milk to factories in gallons during market days and also to women who sold “Burkina”: a local drink of millet and fresh milk. The income generated is used by the local chief to build hospitals, public outhouses, and boreholes for the community. I would milk the cows into a “farm clean” bucket, and heat it sparingly, and allow it to cool immediately before filling it into gallons for sale.
I was the educated “Fulani herd’s boy” who was constantly accompanied by over 50 full blown herd; at least that was what I was known for. The first son of a family automatically succeeds his father in business. Seemingly, this belief wasn’t meant to be challenged. It was an ancestry belief. My dream of becoming a scientist was not going to be shattered. I’d always wondered how archaic cultural beliefs could dictate one’s life. Well, it did to some extent. As courageous as I was, I believed I was worth more than “herdsmanship”. “Couldn’t my community have chosen any other profession than Herdsmabship? Or were they victims of circumstance?” I thought to myself sadly.
The Dawn Of A Paradigm Shift
If I wanted to see a change in my community, I had to be the change. I struggled through the provoking mockery I was subjected to by family and friends. I thought my academic capabilities were impeccable, so what could stop me. As a matter of fact, I believe having to go through this provided me with an immaculate level of forbearance and strength. I had heard and read about prominent scientist like Louis Pasteur, Isaac Newton, and Archimedes. Little did I know that we were applying the chemical principle of milk pasteurization in our famous milk production business and that its microbes and viable pathogens are rendered inactive through this process.
After completing a day’s cattle grazing exercise, I would dash out to the “Fulbe” chief’s palace and tell him about how scientific discoveries have changed the world, especially its application in our everyday life. I had a motive. I needed someone as influential as himself to see and understand my passion. To him, I was the little one who visited his palace just to tell him stories I heard from school: of white people. On one such visit, I asked him whether he understood the concept behind the “heat and cool” step we applied in the milk preparation process. He responded in the affirmative. Then I put forward my desire to further my education and become the first Fulani chemist our village had ever produced. He was quiet for almost half an hour then said to me “Young boy, knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. Go chase your dream. I will be waiting to hear more of your classroom stories”. He invited my parents over and announced the not so pleasant news to them. They had to accept the creed.
Forming The dream
My parents, although initially hesitant became very proud of my achievements as we lived in the city. There, they became exposed to how education is capable of changing lives and made it a point to make sure my siblings get through at least high school. Graduating from high school in 2017, I was honored to be the first from my tribe to sit and captain a team for the National Science and Math Quiz Competition. Although, we did not emerge winners, I was presented with an opportunity to study in the United States, which without doubt is beyond a village boy. I took a gap year to study for the SAT and apply to schools.
During this time, my love for science was flourishing; but more for medicine. My mom had to get a hysterectomy due to a complication that occurred while birthing my last brother. This was one of the scariest moments I have had in life. I sought an explanation from my aunt who happened to be one of her nurses but her explanation only got me more interested in what was really going on biologically. This was how I started cascading my way into different medical conditions and their mechanisms. Much help and encouragement came from my uncle who was then a medical student at the University of Ghana.
Today, thanks to the McNair program, I am exposed to multiple opportunities and I feel very confident about reaching the end goal of being a physician scientist.