Why did you choose Waterloo?
I spent most of my childhood living in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana, moved between schools. Throughout school, however, I was passionate about mathematics, and my teachers encouraged me. Originally I wanted to go into business administration, but missed admission to the University of Ghana’s business school, so I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, statistics, and economics instead.
I found math easy and interesting, and realized I wanted to keep studying it while finding ways to apply my knowledge to improve people’s lives. I really appreciated Professor Chris Bauch’s research in mathematical epidemiology, and was so excited when he agreed to supervise my master’s thesis at the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS) in Rwanda. I proposed a continuation of our work together, and came to Waterloo because he is my mentor and I knew I could learn more from him.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I don’t have a routine that I follow strictly, because I like to have freedom to do what I want to that day. On average, if I don’t have any meetings, I wake up around 11 am and then start work around 1 pm. I often have grading to do as a TA, and then I jump straight into research work. If I’m on campus, I like to get a treat: I think I have developed an addiction to hot chocolate! I like to get a hot chocolate from Math Coffee & Donuts along with a spicy beef patty. Around 7 pm, I attend a Bible study online, and then I either do some more work or cook. I usually go to bed around midnight or 1 am, wake up early in the morning to check my email, then return to sleep until 11 am!
What do you do for fun?
I would say there are two things I love: cooking and dancing, mostly to gospel songs! There are many items on my bucket list: traveling to every province in Canada before I finish my PhD, mountain hiking, snow skiing, paragliding, volunteering with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, and learning how to drive a bus!
Do you have any advice for incoming graduate students?
My advice to incoming graduate students is to find a greater motivation for pursuing further studies than just a mere desire to have a master’s or PhD degree. Also, it is possible to still live your life while you study for an advanced degree.