Ibrahim Abdullah: Ghanaian Engineer Shares Journey From Ashesi University to Microsoft

Ibrahim Abdullah: Ghanaian Engineer Shares Journey From Ashesi University to Microsoft

  • A Ghanaian software engineer, Ibrahim Abdullah, has recounted his journey to joining tech company, Microsoft
  • Abdullah narrated that his parents struggled to pay his fees in Mfantsipim School before he received a scholarship from the Government of Ghana
  • After secondary school, he went on to earn a degree in Computer Science at Ashesi University

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Ibrahim Abdullah, a Ghanaian software engineer, has opened up about his journey to joining Microsoft as he talked about his struggles and accomplishments.

Before graduating from Ashesi University, he completed Mfantsipim School. Abdullah recalls that his parents struggled to pay his fees while he was in senior high school.

''While in high school, my parents struggled to pay my schools fees until I was awarded the Mathematics, Science and Technology Scholarship by the Government of Ghana during my second year.

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Ibrahim Abdullah poses with his colleagues at Microsoft
From Grass to Grace: Ghanaian Shares Engineer Journey From Ashesi University to Microsoft Photo credit: Ashesi University
Source: UGC
''Before the scholarship, I always felt the possibility of dropping out of school at some point due to financial difficulties,'' he said in a Mastercard Foundation blog post.

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Life after senior high school

After Mfantsipim School, Abdullah took a gap year to work and make money to fund his tertiary education while exploring scholarship opportunities.

He discovered Ashesi University and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme and applied to the university.

In 2018, he graduated from Ashesi with a distinction in Computer Science. Abdullah spent a year working with the Computer Science Department at Ashesi as a Teaching Assistant before joining Microsoft as a software engineer.

Post-Ashesi University life

At Microsoft, he works with a team in Vancouver, Canada, on test platforms/tools (test framework and systems) for office developers.

"Vancouver is a typical cosmopolitan city and with the experience of my engagement with students from different parts of Africa at Ashesi University, my transition has been quite easy," he says.

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''The liberal arts education I received equipped me with the knowledge needed to kickstart my career at Microsoft.''

Abdullah added that at Ashesi, he learned more than software engineering but most importantly, the ability to solve problems and think critically.

Ghanaian Lady Becomes a Doctor

Meanwhile, Jessica Penu, a former student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has been inducted into the Ghana Medical and Dental Council.

Her recent accomplishment adds to her tall list of achievements. Penu participated and won The Spelling Bee in 2011 when she was a 12-year-old student of the Angels Specialist School.

She clinched the feat with the winning word "VELOCIPEDE", going on to represent Ghana in the Scripps Spelling Bee in the USA and making history as the only African.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Nathaniel Crabbe avatar

Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.