Ghanaian Man Who Was First To Attend University In His Village Becomes Top Engineer In The US

Patrick Asare: Man Goes From A Hungry Boy In Ghana To Renowned Russian-Speaking Electrical Engineer

Patrick Asare, a respected Ghanaian engineer, raised himself up from a humble background in Boadua, Eastern Region, to heights that many born to great privilege might envy.

The chronicle of his amazing life is colorfully told in his memoir, ‘The Boy from Boadua’.

The humble beginnings of Patrick Asare

Patrick Asare grew up in the small village of Boadua, where no one in his generation considered furthering their education beyond the middle school level.

Although his illiterate parents could not afford to help finance his dreams of higher education, they were loving and supportive of their talented and accomplished son.

Alongside his parents and thirteen siblings, Patrick had no choice but to do his part to support the family, performing backbreaking labor from an early age. And yet, no amount of crushing hard work could buy enough food to fill their bellies.

He learned about the world and improved his English by reading newspaper scraps used to wrap food, despite gnawing hunger and sleep deprivation.

During school vacations, he toiled in a jungle farm teeming with poisonous snakes and insects.

How Patrick Asare rose to become successful in life

Miraculously, Patrick founds ways to rise above these daunting obstacles. By rising before dawn and postponing bedtime, he found enough stolen moments to complete his private studies. His persistence paid off, and he passed his common entrance exam with flying colors. Although poverty kept him initially from the secondary school of his dreams, he later learned about a scholarship that enabled him to attend another elite school.

When the severe drought of 1982-1983 made taking advantage of free university in his own country impossible, Patrick won a scholarship to pursue an engineering degree in the Soviet Union. He thus became one of a small number of foreigners to witness firsthand what life was like during the Perestroika Era.

After earning degrees in both engineering and Russian language, Patrick found his way to the United States, where he taught Russian, Math, and eventually obtained a superb education from top American universities.

Along the way, Patrick faced more hardships and heartbreak, including the untimely deaths of both his parents. His experiences teaching in inner-city American schools made him realize that despite the challenges of his journey, he was a lucky man.

An old boarding schoolmate of Patrick’s known on Facebook as H Kwasi Prempeh was excited about his new achievement of becoming a published author and expressed his thoughts in the words: A fine literary accomplishment worthy of the man and mind I have been privileged to know since our boarding school days! Grab a copy, and be educated and inspired!

Congratulations, Patrick.

Patrick’s amazing story offers insights, hope, and inspiration to others who face astronomical odds.

Source: yen.com.gh

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com