Rachel Afua Ansong turns every challenge into an opportunity. As a 12-year-old, she emigrated with her family to the United States from Ghana. Adjusting to a new country and a new language, Rachel kept a journal and wrote poetry as a way to tell her story. She kept on writing throughout elementary school and high school in the Bronx, and through her college years, earning her B.A. in English, and then receiving a master’s degree in English language and creative writing.

When she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in English Literature, she chose the University of Rhode Island because URI offered the opportunity to write a creative dissertation – one of a handful of programs in New England to do so. Her dissertation entitled “Adinkra Symbols: The Language of Our Skin,” exploring how Adinkra symbols developed by the Akan people evolved, were brought to the United States by their descendants (Africans and African Americans), and were eventually expressed in architecture that still exists today.

Midway through her doctoral program, Afua Ansong took on another challenge, enrolling in a part-time M.B.A. in URI’s College of Business. “I was very scared. I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but there was this conviction in my heart that I wanted to make a difference,” she said. “I want to be in a world where – when I speak – my voice is heard and on many different platforms. I’m challenged in every class about the practicality of what I’m learning. I don’t give up because this is what I signed up for.”

Afua Ansong’s ultimate goal is to create a platform for black and Ghanaian women to share their voices through literature or business. Earning an M.B.A. gives her real-world business knowledge to identify potential new opportunities and build new brands through strategic marketing and advertising. Now, Afua Ansong is getting first-hand experience in venture capitalism through her latest challenge as an Investor Fellow at Amplifyher Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm that invests in diverse leadership teams, particularly women-led entities. Afua Ansong is learning how to “source” potential prospects to bring forward to the Amplifyher team for investment consideration.

Amplifyher Ventures was founded by Tricia Black ’95, who is receiving a Presidential Distinguished Alumni Award from URI this fall. Amplifyher is “lucky” to have Rachel in the fellows program, said Black. “When curating the group this year, we felt it was important to have representation from URI among the applicants to tap into the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Rhode Island and support my alma mater.”

Afua Ansong is also keeping her focus on her creative side, too. Earlier this year in conjunction with the English department at URI, she successfully launched The Caged Bird Sings Poetry Festival as a celebration of National Poetry Month in April. Afua Ansong is also the recipient of URI’s 2020-2021 Writing Award in the Scholarly/Research category, and a two time-winner of the University’s Center for Humanities Graduate Research Award.

Taking on new challenges is nothing new for Afua Ansong who says she gets her inspiration from her church and her desire to use her creative skills to help people, in return for all the support she has received on her journey, including as a scholarship recipient at URI.
“I have applied for many scholarships. I’ve had teachers and professors that have mentored me and really given me the confidence as an immigrant and a young black woman not to give up on my dreams.”