Since childhood, Bright Antwi Frimpong had been fascinated by the natural environment and initially set his sights on studying architecture. However, after senior high school, he was offered his second choice, BA Geography and Rural Development, at KNUST.

“I wanted to become an architect. Anything related to the natural environment interested me, and Geography is about the earth, so I decided to take that up,” he said.

His transition was not without concern. Frimpong, a person with disability, worried that limited mobility and access to facilities could hinder his academic progress. That changed when he joined the KNUST Scholars Programme, implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, which provides transport support for students with disabilities.

“It has really made life simple. It has helped me get to class early,” he said.

Frimpong started with a second-class upper division. However, a motivational initiative by a former Deputy Director of Student Affairs, Professor Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, who offered a cash incentive for improvements in academic performance, helped him raise his cumulative average to a first-class level.

“He started with an average of 64, but with the help of Professor Addai-Mensah, he finished with a first class,” his father, Kwame Frimpong, said.

After graduation, Frimpong undertook national service at the Sepe Buokrom Health Centre, where he worked in the records department. The experience reshaped his career direction.

“Since I moved from Geography to health, it really sparked my interest in health,” he said.

He has since enrolled in a Master of Public Health (Health Services Planning and Management) programme at KNUST, supported by a second scholarship from the Africa Health Collaborative, also in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Frimpong said he hopes to join the Ghana Health Service and apply his training in management and leadership to improve healthcare delivery.

“I really look forward to being in the Ghana Health Service to exhibit the knowledge I have acquired in management and leadership,” he said.