Ruth Ama Gyan-Darkwa has become the youngest PhD holder in the United States of America after bagging a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.
The Ghanaian national made history when she was admitted to the university at 13, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics.
Before joining Kwame-Nkurumah University of Science and Technology, she schooled at St. Louis Senior High School in Ghana.
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She’s also attended the Abraham Lincoln Junior High School and the Christ Our Hope International School in Kumasi, Ghana
At 17, she graduated as the best student in her class at KNUST. Ruth went on to join the University of New Mexico.
Ruth comes from a family of Mathematicians with his father, Kwadwo Gyan-Darkwa, a Mathematics and Physics professor at Premeph College.
Ruth has confessed how her journey to the end of tertiary education hasn’t been a rosy affair. Despite a brilliant academic history, she has experienced several uncertainties and felt like quitting. But she pushed on despite the nervous feeling.
“I was able to overcome the many challenges because God saw me through, and I looked at him at all times. Also, I had my eyes focused on the end goal,” she said.
“Some of my coursemates felt intimidated because they thought I was too brilliant. Others wondered if I was cut for the journey. All these brought me to the point of questioning my potential but I found solace in how far I’ve come, the support I received and the future that awaits me,” Ruth stated.