Dorcas

I am young woman whose roots are set in the Ashanti and Fante tribes of Ghana, West Africa. I  acclimated to the American culture after migrating here during middle school. I embrace my Ghanaian upbringing and see myself in a limbo where I consider both places home. I am from a family that greatly values education. My mother’s lack of formal education is what drives her to strive for a better and more promising future for her daughters. With my father out of the picture, my mother labors on an unfulfilling job in order to support the family. She consistently drums in to my head the opportunities that are before me and the accomplishments I can achieve if I put my faith in God and have confidence in myself.

I currently attend Baruch College where I major in Actuarial Science with the hopes of later working in the Insurance/ Finance industry. Actuarial Science allows me to capitalize on my strong mathematics background.Though it is challenging, I gain satisfaction from knowing that I am able to grasp the concepts as I apply myself. One major accomplishment that stands out to me is my success in scoring a 5 on the AP Calculus exam, one of the toughest exams while in high school. Based on this result, I realized that dedication to studying does pay off and my interest in mathematics increased as a result. My future appears to be more promising knowing that the New York Needs You Fellowship is available to assist me on my journey.