Tilly Maame Afua Owusuwaa is a junior business administration major. Her interests include history and reading about different cultures and their similarities. She enjoys extra-curricular activities, listening to music, singing and dancing. Her philosophy is to keep a clean and pure heart and to ask God for a renewed mind every day. She plans to become part of Ablaze, the Nova International Student Association and Raw Xplosure Modeling Troupe.
When I left Ghana to travel to the United States, I had one goal and that was to go to college. I always pictured myself as the hard working woman who took care of her mother, father and younger brother. This dream was not only mine but my mother and father’s also because they did not go to college. My mom would always tell me, if she could go back to being young again she would study 24/7 without question.
Moving to America was a big step in my life. I knew I was going to travel abroad at some point. I just did not know when. The process took 10 years, and when we finally got our visas, I was a high school senior. My younger brother and I came alone and my mother followed a few months later. My parents have always been very keen on education. They tried to give us the best resources they could afford and that included the schools we attended.
I did not drift from the dream of getting an education. Right away, I started studying at a community college. It has not been easy adjusting to the culture shock and everything that came along with it. One thing I have never forgotten is what education means to my family and me. There were times I had to take a break from community college due to problems beyond my control, yet I managed to acquire three certificates. I became a certified nurse’s assistant and phlebotomy technician with CPR certification. I believe with determination and perseverance everything good is within reach.
Being a first-generation college student is challenging sometimes because I have to keep asking myself how life after college will be. I know it will be wonderful to have a degree, but, then again, the fear of stepping into corporate America frightens me. I left my family in Michigan to pursue an education in Florida. I did not know anyone here in Florida. I just prayed for a week asking God for directions and then I moved.
After staying in a hotel for a week, I discovered NSU. Immediately I knew this was the school for me. In my country, if someone is labeled as a shark in school it means the person is very intelligent. That was part of my reason for wanting to be a “Shark.” I thank God for aligning me with this great school. With the education I am getting here, I see myself being successful in the future. My professors have had first-class experience in the corporate world and, as a result, they give us a first-class education and tell us what to expect when we take that step.
I am not giving up. If people ahead of me have done it so can I. I am looking up to my heavenly Father to continue to carry me on His wings of glory. Go Sharks!
