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Fellowships Fuel a Passion to Help Underserved Communities
Amyra Asamoah (MBA/MPP 2020)
Amyra Asamoah (MBA/MPP 2020)
Since enrolling in HBS’s joint MBA/Master of Public Policy program with the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) in 2017, the only thing Amyra Asamoah (MBA/MPP 2020) hasn’t been able to do is get enough sleep.
In addition to her demanding coursework, Asamoah has served as a student consultant for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she analyzed how Grand Rapids, Michigan, could increase workforce diversity. As a summer intern at a solar energy social enterprise in Ghana, she helped transform the company’s customer experience and devised a workshop introducing staff to brainstorming and ideation methods. Currently, she is a participant in the Venture Incubation Program at the Harvard Innovation Labs, where she is developing a startup that helps young adults discover careers that combine their multiple interests.
A native of Ghana, Asamoah grew up in Indiana and graduated from Indiana University. She worked as a research analyst at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, before attending HBS. “Through the amazing opportunities Harvard provides, I’m realizing that I am passionate about increasing human potential in underserved communities,” says Asamoah, who credits the Johnita Walker Mizelle (MBA 2008) Fellowship, the Byron Wien (MBA 1956) Fellowship, and financial aid from the HBS Fund for enabling her to explore her diverse interests at HBS and HKS.
“Every single one of these experiences has cost ramifications,” she explains. “My fellowships have taken some of the pressure off. Otherwise, my choices would have been driven more by debt than by the difference I want to make in the world.”
Asamoah aspires to enhance workforce development in Africa. “I would like to train and empower people to think more critically and innovatively to reach their full potential,” she says, “and to find efficiencies that help companies grow.”
Photo credit: Susan Young
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