Bismark Appiah: UDS Alumnus Shares how he Overcame Poverty to Acquire a PhD from the University of Freiburg

• A University of Development Studies past student called Bismark Appiah has opened up about his journey to gaining his doctorate degree
• Appiah shared that his mother had to sell her fabrics to see him through school, and he blacked out at a point due to hunger
• The vibrant young man shared that he was able to acquire his PhD in Neurobiology and Epigenetics from the University of Freiburg in Germany successfully through it all

A young Ghanaian man has recently opened up about how he worked hard to acquire a PhD in Neurobiology and Epigenetics from the University of Freiburg in Germany regardless of his low financial background.

Bismark Appiah shared in a post on LinkedIn that he grew up in a village in Ghana.

He shared that after gaining admission to secondary school, his mother was unable to get a chop box made and he had to search for pieces of leftover plywood to construct one himself.

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His mother's sacrifice

His mother, Gladys, had to sell her fabrics before he was able to pay for his school fees.

"Once when we had nothing left, my mother, Gladys went with me to the market and sold her clothing (those that still looked good) so I could go to school," Bismark shared.

Going hungry in School

During his bachelor's studies at the University of Development Studies, Bismark recounted that there was a time in school when he blacked out before an examination due to hunger but managed to emerge top of the class.

He had to work double jobs while pursuing his master's degree to take himself through school and to support his younger brother.

The light at the end of the tunnel

The brilliant young man said through resilience and hard work, he was able to complete his master's program and successfully acquired a PhD in Neurobiology and Epigenetics.

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Bismark Appiah shared more about his emotional journey in the post linked here.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Alex Kontondaba Lieyuor, a young Ghanaian man, has been forced to resort to farm works, following his family's low finances and inability to fund his tertiary education.

A recent publication by 3News indicates Alex gained admission to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to study Actuarial Science, following his excellent performance after WASSCE.

However, the young man is unable to enrol at the prestigious university, simply because his family cannot afford to pay his fees.

The young man was the best graduating junior high school student in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region, with an aggregate of 9 in the 2016 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Source: YEN.com.gh