Francisca Lamini erstwhile of Keta Senior High School (KETASCO) has revealed she was inspired to push for excellence after watching her single mother struggle every day to care for her and her brother.
Lamini revealed this single inspiration drove her to study as hard as possible to become someone who can change her family’s destiny, which she is on the verge of doing.
The young student who became a national star after her performance in the 2021 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) competition, has gained admission to the prestigious University of Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States of America.
Francisca has been enrolled in the University’s pre-med course on a full scholarship as she aims to become a medical doctor.
Writing after finally arriving in Harvard to begin her journey, Francisca narrated how her drive came from watching her single mother toil to raise her brother and herself.
“I hope my story will inspire you to DREAM BIG, believe in God and Believe in Earth Angels!” she began.
“Since I started schooling at Sanity International School, where I had my basic and junior high education, I’ve always worked hard to be the best in my class and in every activity I partake in at school. My inspiration and drive have always been to make my mother proud. Seeing my mother toil as a single mother every day to make life easier for my brother and me, I promised myself not to let her down and learn very hard to become a better person in the future who will change our destiny as a family. That was when I started working toward my dream of becoming a medical doctor,” Francisa revealed.
According to her, she realised her affinity for science and math when she was able to answer a Science and Math Quiz question whilst still in Junior High School and watching the competition at home.
“I developed an interest in the national science and math quiz competition after I had written my BECE and I was waiting for my results and school placement. I was watching one of the contests and I was very amazed that I answered a mathematics question correctly. Due to this excitement, I developed some positive energy that if I could answer a question correctly even though I’m not in high school, I can do well if I study very hard in high school and contest for my school. I worked very hard towards this when I was in school and got selected for the KETASCO national science and math quiz team.,” she continued.
Francisca revealed she worked hard in school both to excel in the quiz but also to pass her exams to further her dream of becoming a medical doctor.
She consequently went on to write the WASSCE twice – one in second year and once in her final year – earning 8 ‘A1s’ both times.
Francisca added that after excelling on the NSMQ, she further got introduced to an incredible group of people, her ‘earth angels’, who helped her find academic scholarship opportunities abroad and also taught her how to carry herself.
“It was after NSMQ that I came across some amazing group of people who I refer to as my “earth angels”. I was informed one day by our NSMQ coordinator that a group of CEOs wanted to have lunch with me. We came to Accra and met them and that was where EVERYTHING started. I had a chat with them and they asked me about my dreams and which university I would like to attend assuming money was not an issue. I told them I wanted to become a medical doctor and that I would like to attend Yale University.
“I, later on, found out that Ms. Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh had reached out to the other CEOs and asked them to join her to have lunch with me. She did not stop there. After lunch, she spoke with my mother and invited me to stay with her family in Accra. She taught me how to project confidence when I sit and changed my wardrobe by giving me a lot of shoes and clothes. In Fact, she took on the role of my guardian from that time making sure that my dream of becoming a medical doctor becomes a reality. Because of her busy work schedule, she introduced me to her sister-in-law, Mrs. Majorie Kyerematen, who welcomed me as one of her daughters.”
The KETASCO alum received full scholarship offers from four universities – Harvard University, Cornell University, Stanford University, and New York University (Abu Dhabi) – eventually deciding to attend Harvard.
Francisca added: “I have learned so much from this experience. I now have complete faith in God and I know that hard work and prayers work. I also know that I can dream big, do my part and let God do the rest. I also believe that there are earth angels who are destiny changers and I am grateful to God he chose the best for me! As I start this journey I know that God will continue to guide me and help me become a top medical doctor who will change the destiny of my family and my whole village one day.
“I want to thank Ghanaians for the love they showed me after the NSMQ. It was overwhelming. God bless you all. I want to thank my mom, Ms. Benedicta Awudi for her unwavering support and her prayers that brought me this far.”
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com
