NANA BAAH ~
Nana Baah did not only cross an ocean to pursue his postgraduate education — he crossed the boundaries of his own comfort and social expectations.
Currently a PhD student studying political science with an emphasis in international affairs, Baah is passionate about helping others develop professionally in every field he is involved in.
In addition to his studies, Baah holds a position as a Graduate Assistant for Peer Jacks Mentoring with NAU.
Baah was raised in Accra, the capital city of Ghana in West Africa. It was the expectation in his family — consisting of his parents and three brothers — that everyone attend university. So, when it was time for Baah to choose a major, he decided he wanted to be closer to money. He pursued a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Ghana.
In Ghana, a four-year degree from a public university provides you free tuition. The only thing covered by the student is additional fees. Then, once the student graduates, they are assigned a job for one year that services the government — for Baah, this meant one year teaching in an elementary school a 7-hour drive from Accra in the city of Wassa Akropong.
International PhD Student, NAU Graduate Assistant
While Baah said he had considered teaching as a possible profession, he had never wanted to teach anything other than high school.
“When I went there, I realized life was different,” Baah said. “I was wondering, how can we be in the same country? These third and fourth graders hardly come to school.”
Soon, Baah realized that these young children were skipping school to help their families with income. Baah said some would help their parents bring things to market to sell and others would be working in a natural mineral mine.
Baah said that in many cases, in order to stay attentive for their work, students in his class would be using illicit drugs, namely cannabis. While he tried to help his students in any way he could, Baah’s year of service at the elementary school was soon over, and he returned to Accra — but he was changed.
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He decided he needed to do something to help. Baah joined law enforcement in Accra to try to nip the problem in the bud. He soon decided he wanted to learn more about the systems of justice, but gain a unique perspective.
That’s how Baah ended up coming to the U.S. He used funding from an assistantship to enroll as a student at NAU pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice. Immediately, Baah said he was able to find countless key differences between the education systems in Ghana and America.
“I came here to advance my knowledge, to figure out how people here solve the things I saw in that school,” Baah said. “But here, college for many people is not just about learning things.”
Baah explained he has noticed a large number of students are here in a transactional sense. They are putting money and effort into getting the degree in hopes of receiving more money in a job after college.
Unfortunately, as Baah noted, the students who focus solely on the financial benefits they hope will come after college are often disappointed.
“Paying tuition for four years of college, looking at available jobs and seeing those salaries that are being quoted, you feel cheated,” Baah said. “You look at the time and money you spent on your education, and you feel cheated. But there are so many more indirect benefits of university that make it worth it.”
Pulling from personal experience, Baah said one of the indirect benefits of his education that he finds more valuable is the community he has been able to build. He said college has allowed him to be exposed to many different kinds of people with similar thoughtful minds.
Once he finished his master’s degree, Baah decided to take it a step further and pursue his PhD at NAU as well. His love for academia only grew, and he kept that elementary school in Wassa Akropong in his mind.
Baah said once he finishes his PhD this upcoming summer he will remain in the U.S. to gain experience, hopefully as a professor or in an administrative role within academia, but in the long term he would like to return to Ghana.
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Speaking with Baah and hearing his stories about those children in Wassa Akropong made me realize just how much of a first-world problem this entire capstone project is. The entire line of inquiry revolves around the effects that higher education can have on your life, especially analyzing why people make the decisions for or against getting a degree.
I knew that many people in the U.S. decide against college because it is expensive. It is not an option for many people because they need to focus on going to work to make money to survive, and cannot afford to spend the time and money on an education. Baah had firsthand experience with the same thing, but in elementary schools.
How fortunate are we, as citizens of a developed nation, to be so oblivious to the decisions being made by children in Wassa Akropong every day? These children, as young as 8 years old, have to make a choice between a primary school education and a living.
Those choices will affect their lives in unimaginable ways.