About Me

I was born in Ghana and grew up in a home where education and entrepreneurship lived side by side. My dad was a math teacher, publisher and photography enthusiast. He was neurodivergent and had this analytical, forward-thinking mind a trait that was passed on to me. My mom was an entrepreneur my whole life which is where I get my entrepreneurial spirit from. And my sister? Easily one of the smartest people I know who ended up being a law professor. From early on, I was wired to think big, stay curious, and push myself not to compete, but to grow.

After high school I left to a place where I didn’t know a single soul in Hangzhou, China. That decision changed everything. I was young, curious, and just knew I wanted to explore and know more about the unknown. I chose China because I saw the future there. Hangzhou was a strategic and calculated move. No surprise that one of OpenAI’s biggest competitors today, DeepSeek, happens to be based in you guessed it Hangzhou.

In Hangzhou home of e-commerce giant Alibaba I studied at two tech schools where learned Mandarin and Marketing. This is where everything began professionally for me and where I grew as an adult. I tapped into the world of global trade and honestly, most of the learning and growth came outside the classroom. I was never afraid to try new things challenge beliefs, ask questions or fail. This is why at a young age of 19, I was already spending time with factory owners and trade partners who were much older than me and built lifelong relationships with people I respected who also respected my curiosity, fresh ideas, confidence and my willingness to learn.

I moved to Chicago as a result of the pandemic, a Christmas holiday to Ghana became an extended stay which led me to apply for graduate school and ended up in Chicago. I originally came to study Marketing Analytics which felt like the natural next step after a marketing degree but I felt it was too limited. I pivoted to Technological Entrepreneurship, based on the programs design of learning by doing which made more sense for someone like me who sees patterns, chases ideas, and is hands on. Around that same time, generative AI was just about to explode and I dove in.

Some days, I want to build game changing products and be a marketing genius like Steve Jobs. Other days, I just want to travel the world like Anthony Bourdain be humble, connect with people, even if I can’t cook. And then there are days I want to be like Virgil Abloh a creative force breaking down boundaries and disciplines. I have come to the realization that:

I don’t have to choose. I can be all these things.

I love the ocean, OBSESSED with dogs and care deeply about people and purpose driven missions. I stay grounded through volunteering with Rotary Club and CreativeMornings Chicago because I believe community matters just as much as code, design, or business.

Education

Chinese Language and Culture Certificate - Zhejiang University of Technology

B.A. International Marketing - Zhejiang University of Science & Technology

M.S. Technological Entrepreneurship - Illinois Institute of Technology