One of the key things that attracted me to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) was its mantra, “Scholarship with Professionalism”. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I enquired about its meaning. I was told, “At UPSA, we do not just train our students to pass examinations. We train and prepare them for the corporate world.” I was quite impressed. However, I did not fully understand this until a week ago, when I had the opportunity to host this year’s Practitioners’ Forum for our final-year students at the School of Graduate Studies.
In 2020, I applied to join UPSA as a lecturer. During the interview, I was informed about the Practitioners’ Forum – an annual seminar organised for final-year students aimed at providing them with insights and opportunities to engage with industry experts. I was asked if I could address the final-year students regarding professional etiquette. Truth be told, I had never tackled such a topic before, but I had learned during my years in the corporate world never to turn down an opportunity, even if I didn’t know how to approach it.
One of my mentors said to me, “Accept the offer and go and learn how to do it—opportunity comes but once.” So, I responded positively and was asked to prepare and share my slides within two days. Originally, I was supposed to assist the speaker for this event, but a day prior, I was informed the speaker was indisposed, so I had to handle the seminar all on my own. It was an online session, and I delivered like a pro. About a week later, I was offered my appointment letter.
Fast forward to 2025. As acting vice-dean of the School of Graduate Studies, I had to lead the team to organise this year’s practitioners’ forum themed: “Dynamic Strategies for Global Industry Leadership.” We settled on Dr. Kofi Amoa-Abban, CEO of Rigworld Solutions, as the main speaker for the first day. He shared insights on leadership, innovation, and navigating the competitive job market. I sat in the front row with my Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, and a few dignitaries from Rigworld, and the insights from Dr. Abban’s presentation were very profound. For a session that was meant to prepare our final-year students for the corporate world, I must confess I gained very valuable lessons for life.
The lessons I picked up from Dr. Kofi Amoa-Abban were to build strategic partnerships, leverage local content, build capacity, and engage in networking. He admonished our students to assess the value chain of any sector of interest to identify the gaps and opportunities they could leverage to offer value. He shared insights into how he started Rigworld Solutions by leveraging our local content law within the sector and building strategic partnerships with international businesses. Another notable lesson I took away was the need to identify people with the technical capabilities and resources, to think ahead, be strategic, and innovative.
Thinking I had more than enough to take away from day one, Madam Obuobia Darko-Opoku took over on day two and spoke about RESILIENCE. I was held spellbound as I watched my former student share her life and encourage my current students. It was indeed a proud moment for me, and I am grateful to God for allowing me to witness this. Obuobia spoke about her life and shared her experiences. It was a moment that resonated with students and lecturers alike— that life happens, there are no guarantees that a master’s certificate will automatically lead to new job appointments or promotions. She defined resilience as “the decision to keep going, when you expect things to work faster, smoother, or easier, but they don’t.”
Madam Darko-Opoku provided five pillars on which resilience can be built. These are purpose, confidence, perspective, connection, and self-care. To be resilient requires having a deep sense of mission to pursue your goals and persisting irrespective of the obstacles. Confidence is believing and knowing your value, having an inner assurance that you must occupy a place at the table, while learning to improve yourself. She added that growing in confidence requires preparation, practice, and learning. A standout for me was her exposition on perspective. To be resilient requires shifting focus from the challenge to the goal. Just as Jesus Christ focused on the crown that was set before him and endured the cross, so must one stay focused on the goal and see every obstacle as a step to reaching the goal.
Finally, on connection and self-care, she indicated that connection is about finding a support system you can draw strength and encouragement from to keep going. While self-care relates to guarding your energy, taking a break and making a daily decision to honour your mind, body, and emotions to stay in the game. Ms. Ivy Heward-Mills capped it all up with a presentation on professional presence, indicating that one has only seven seconds to make a very good first impression. Hence, the need to pay attention to one’s personal grooming, appearance, and communication.
At the end of the two-day session, there were over fifty (50) students who signed up to be mentored by Madam Obuobia and Honourable Edem Agbana, with a few more requesting that Ms. Heward-Mills organise a paid session of her professional etiquette training. One lucky student also got the opportunity to be mentored by Dr. Kofi Amoa-Abban, with many more interacting with each of the speakers to gain more insights.
While observing these interactions, I then understood first-hand what Scholarship with Professionalism means, and I kept chiding myself for not doing my master’s with UPSA. Nonetheless, I thank God that I am at UPSA today as a lecturer, and I get to sit in these sessions to tap into the knowledge and experience of these industry experts. Education, it is said, has no end, and UPSA indeed provides scholarship with professionalism.
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Dr Linda Narh is a lecturer and coordinator (MA Brands and Communication and MBA Corporate Communications) at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. She can be contacted via email at linda.narh@upsamail.edu.gh
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