On June 21, the U.S. Embassy in Accra welcomed four Ghanaian senior high students, their parents, and a teacher for an orientation session prior to their three week visit to the United States of America under the Pan African Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP). The students are Emma Hawa, from Tamale Girls Senior High School, Atubsaan Elyasu, Navrongo Senior High School, Mathias Obuo Akrofi, Accra Academy, and Ethel Selasi Sepenyatso, Wesley Grammar Senior High School.
They will be accompanied in their trip by Ms. Esi Gambrah-Sampaney, a teacher from the Ahmadiyya Senior High School. The group will be visiting Washington, D.C.; Burlington, Vermont; Kansas City, Missouri and Muncie, Indiana as part of their academic exchange program. American families will host the Ghanaian youth, who will be attending high schools and participating in a series of volunteer programs with American students and fellow PAYLP participants from other African nations.
Welcoming the group, Ambassador Jackson underscored the United States’ priority to promote education and thanked the parents for supporting and encouraging their children’s participation in the program. The Ambassador also exhorted the youth to maximize their exchange program experience not only by learning from their hosts, but by also teaching them about Ghana’s unique cultural heritage and values. He also urged them to expand their networks with Americans as well as fellow PAYLP participants who share a unique experience with them.
Public Affairs Officer Roberto Quiroz II advised the students to establish their own vision of leadership by imagining where they will be “five, ten, twenty years from now. Ghana’s development will be built through your own immense talents, ideas, and contributions. As you rise, lift up others towards success.”
To learn more about how to apply for a U.S. exchange program, please see our website link: https://gh.usembassy.gov/education-culture/study-usa/. To learn more about the Pan African Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP), please see: http://www.meridian.org/programs/paylp/.
