Derick Omari, a recipient of Ashesi University’s top awards, the Presidential Award for Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship, had his mother, a Street Hawker do the receiving of the award on his behalf when his name was called at the 2018 Graduation Ceremony of the Ashesi University over the weekend, MyNewsGH.com covered.
The mother of Master Omari, a street hawker who sells polythene bags and other rubber bags, mounted the podium and received the award from Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo, who was special Guest of Honour, flanked by Ashesi President Patrick Awuah and Education Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
Her son, who won the award was out of the country having been selected as one of the Queen’s Young Leaders in the United Kingdom from where he expressed happiness about his mother taking the podium for him.
Parents, students and guardians who saw the proceedings applauded loudly and cheered the mum, with many calling it a play out of “the Ghanaian dream”.
MyNewsGH.com’s check for young Omari’s biography from the Ashesi website revealed:
“… It was his work with Tech Era, that got the attention of the Queens Young Leaders Awards selection team, which named him an awardee in 2018. He will be one 60 young leaders from around the world whose award will be presented this month by Queen Elizabeth II, in London.
A 2016 Dalai Lama fellow and nominated by his peers for several student leadership awards, we look forward to seeing this student make a global impact as he graduates from Ashesi today. For so strongly representing the Ashesi ideals of Scholarship, Leadership and Citizenship, we present this award to Derick Omari”
From the website of Ashesi University, the top awards, dubbed “The Scholarship, Leadership & Citizenship Award” is given on an annual basis to three graduates who have lived out Ashesi’s core values during their time at the university. The award is presented by the President of the University, and students who receive the award are those who have contributed in outstanding ways to Ashesi’s mission and have had a strong impact on the Ashesi Community.
“This is the highest award a student can receive at Ashesi”, the University website added.