User:Ibraadam/sandbox
MacLean Sarbah | |
---|---|
Born | Yeji, Brong Ahafo region |
Citizenship | Ghana |
Education | University of Ghana, University of Cambridge, Columbia University |
Mac Sarbah
MacLean Sarbah MA, MPhil, MDes, is a Ghanaian philanthropist, Social intrepreneur and Innovator. He was born and raised in Yeji, a rural town in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region[1] to immigrant parents from Mepe, Battor North Tongu in the Volta region[2]. He is currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leader and Project Manager within the Global Health Office of the President at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation[3].
Early life and education
MacLean Sarbah, popularly known as Mac, grew up as one of his parents' eight children in a small farming community that lacked basic amenities. Raised without a mother figure, he and his siblings were guided by their strict father, who instilled in them the values of hard work and responsibility.[4]
His father watches him study for several hours daily using kerosene lanterns. He had to walk 3 miles to Lake Volta , their water source for drinking and bathing.[5] His father had a critical stroke which made him move from Yeji for treatment elsewhere. As a result, he went to an under-resourced school, walked long distances every day, worked to save money, bought his books, and studied hard.[6]
He had his early education and Junior high in Yeji before moving to Adidome, a small farming town, to attend the Volta Region's Adidome Day Senior Secondary School [7]. After passing his final Secondary exams, he was admitted to study at the University of Ghana in 2002 and graduated with first-class honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. In 2010, he started his Master’s in Arts Social-Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. He graduated in 2012, also earning an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. The same year, he was accepted into the University of Cambridge's Master of Philosophy in Innovation, Strategy, and Organization program, graduating in 2013.[8]
In 2017, Mac pursued another Master's degree in Risk and Resilience at Harvard University and completed it in 2019[9]
Career
He is currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Office of the President.[10]
Before his current position, Sarbah founded and led EdAcme, an initiative dedicated to equal access to higher education and career opportunities for marginalized groups [11].
With a strong international presence and recognition, Sarbah has been featured in numerous media outlets and has spoken at global events.
Foundations
Mac Sarbah Founded EdAcme, a foundation that helped young people achieve their entrepreneurship and educational talents[12][13][14][15]. He is also President of Sarbah Foundation[16][17] a newly formed foundation to help contribute to education, entrepreneurship, and social impact in Ghana and the African continent.
Personal life and family
Mac has seven siblings born to their father, John Kwame Mensah Sarbah[18], and was raised in Yeji a rural town in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region[19]. His mother left home when he was less than two years old but his father, who had no formal education and who was a disciplinarian guided and shaped him academically in the early years[20]
Awards and recognition
Early in his academic career, Sarbah was awarded the Best Student Award in North Tongu District, Ghana[21].
During his time at the University of Ghana, he received an academic excellence award in his second year of study[22]
While staying in Mepe, he organized a fundraising effort to establish an internet facility for students as a charitable initiative..[1]
In 2019, ICEF honored them for their pioneering contributions to global education.[10]
In 2019, Mac was recognized as a Stellar Harvardian by the Harvard Gazette at Harvard University.[23] He also received the Social Impact Leadership award from the University of North Texas at Dallas in 2019.[24]
References
- ^ a b Wundengba, Charles (2018-12-19). "From Rural Ghana to Harvard: A Young Man's Rise from Obscurity to the World's Best University". Wundef.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Taylor, Mildred Europa (2019-04-20). "Beginning in Ghana,this Harvard grad heads home to tackle unemployment". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Dadzie, Ebenezer Afanyi (11 November 2024). "Breaking Barriers: How this Ghanaian landed a lead role at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "From studying with kerosene lanterns in Yeji to becoming a Harvard graduate, Mac Sarbah opens up". Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "From Adidome to Harvard: A young man's rise from obscurity to the world's best universities". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "From Adidome to Harvard: A young man's rise from obscurity to the world's best universities". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "From Adidome to Harvard: A young man's rise from obscurity to the world's best universities". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ a b "From rural Ghana to the Gates Foundation: The journey of a global social impact leader". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ Parsons, Lian (2019-04-15). "Harvard grad hopes to help take on one of Ghana's biggest challenges". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ "Harvard graduate who studied with lanterns in rural Africa launches company to give back". 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Bardhi, Pamela (2021-11-24). "Ep 83: From a Small Village in Ghana Reading from Lanterns to Harvard and CEO of International Education Company, Edacme, Mac Shares His Remarkable Underdog Story of Rising from the Bottom". The Underdog Show Podcast by Pamela Bardhi. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Mac Sarbah MDes '19 Returns from Ghana". Harvard GSD Alumni & Friends. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Harvard Graduate Who Studied with Kerosene Lanterns in Rural Africa Launches NGO". DailyGuide Network. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "School names block after former student, Harvard graduate featured on JoyNews - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Mac Sarbah MDes '19 Returns from Ghana". Harvard GSD Alumni & Friends. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "School names block after former student, Harvard graduate featured on JoyNews - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "From rural Ghana to the Gates Foundation: The journey of a global social impact leader". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ "From rural Ghana to the Gates Foundation: The journey of a global social impact leader". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-24.