Meet Dominic Damoah The Ghanaian Who Self-Studied To Become One Of The Youngest To Attend University
- Dominic Damoah made history when he became one of the youngest people to attend Valley View University in Ghana
- His remarkable achievement also made him one of the youngest to gain enrollment into a university in the country
- The self-studied prodigy opened up about his journey, challenges, and skipping Senior High School to acquire a university education
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At 14, Dominic Damoah made history when he gained admission into Valley View University in Ghana, becoming one of the youngest ever to enrol in the establishment.
The first of four children was born to Ghanaian parents, Dr Dominic Dalyngton Damoah and Florence Owiredua Dankwah, in 1998.
Source: Facebook
Damoah's early education
He went to Sylvester Elementary School in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in the US until his family decided to move back home in 2008, he told MyJoyOnline. However, adjusting to a new school system and leaving behind the comforts of home was unlike any other experience.
In Ghana, he was allowed into a seventh-grade class at a school that did not yet have a sixth-grade.
See a photo of Damoah as an adult below:
Damoah was admitted to the class after exhibiting his worth with the school administration's assistance. He was quickly confronted with difficulties.
"I remember struggling my first day at that school." I scored a bunch of 9s. This was primarily because the US education system vastly differs from the Ghanaian education system,'' he said.
He claimed that after his teacher discovered he was lagging behind, he was matched with a student. He gradually improved and eventually passed his Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and was enrolled to his second-choice school.
Despite his troubles adjusting to Ghana's school system, he discovered a treasure trove of software engineering books left behind by his father. He read them while awaiting the start of Senior High School following BECE. What began as a passing interest in Java, HTML, and PHP quickly became a genuine love of computer science.
"I spent the entire waiting period reading one book after the other." "When I didn't understand something, I asked my father," Damoah explained.
His father encouraged him to apply to Valley View University's Department of Computer Science, where his father was a professor, for the American High School Diploma programme. He reasoned that if he finished the two-semester course, he could still join his peers in high school.
Damoah finished second in a class of about 100 students, most of whom were older than him, at the end of the first semester exams.
See an image of Damoah as an adult below:
He continued his schooling and was accepted as a computer science student at Valley View University when he was 14, skipping the high school experience.
"I graduated in 2016 at the age of 17 and a half, almost 18, with a 3.96 CGPA. I was the top student in Information Technology," he said.
After completing his national service requirements, Damoah started Schrep, an educational technology startup, and then worked at Stanbic Bank and Fidelity Bank.
The business founder is getting a doctorate at Purdue University to advance his career and make a meaningful contribution to his field.
Meet the Ghanaian child media star
Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that Samara Osae-Asare is a Ghanaian child entertainment personality, budding journalist, and brand ambassador who promotes Ghana through her interviews.
The young media personality is renowned for interviewing some of the world's most acclaimed entertainment and business personalities.
The TV3 Kidz Arena show host made waves in 2022 when she added Twitter (now X) co-founder Jack Dorsey to her impressive list of prominent interviewees.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
