Bridget Ayinbono Azera, a brilliant Ghanaian girl who was taken to the United States together with her family when she was only 13, is living a life of inspiration.
Here is what she has to say about her journey
I grew up as an only child in the Northern part of Ghana in West Africa. I was born Bridget Ayinbono Azera to David Adongo Azera who was the Regional Internal Auditor for Ghana water Company limited in the Upper East Region and to Comfort Aponyaga Anamooh who was a business owner . Although I was an only child , it didn’t feel like it. I grew up in an extended family with many aunties and cousins around majority of my y childhood years .
Growing up in a two parent home education was always a must but not an option. I spent my earlier years at Mount Sinai Educational center in Bolgatanga where I did my primary and JSS education. I took my BECE and outperformed myself and obtained an aggregate 6 and so was accepted into the prestigious Saint Louis senior secondary school in Kumasi where I schooled for a few months prior to travelling to the united States of America with my entire family to continue my education.
My parents have always thought me the value of having an education as this can never be taken away from you no matter where you find yourself. This became an innate part of my life. Moving to the United States of America in the early 2000’s was not easy as I was moving to an entire new environment where I was unfamiliar with. I was leaving close friends and family behind and starting life again from scratch.
We moved here with only $1000 dollars to my fathers name. We lived with a close family friend of ours where I slept on the same bed with mom and dad straight for 3 months in a one bedroom apartment in New York City . Mom had to start all over and went to school to become a home health aide initially and dad had to re do his education where he obtained his masters and eventually PHD in accounting .
FM Alexander once said “ People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their future. Moving to the United states of American at such a young age of 13 I knew I had a choice to either study hard and become a doctor as I have always dreamt of or decide not to. I chose former,. I enrolled into High school on arrival to the United stated where I graduated as the schools valedictorian and had a scholarship to College of mount saint Vincent to study for my Bachelor’s of science in biology and chemistry on a pre-medicine track . I subsequently went to medical school where I graduated on the Deans list . I got into a residency program at the State University of New York where I trained in Internal medicine and I am currently a practicing board certified internist here in New York.
All the above did not come easy. Life has its own way of hitting you with unexpected circumstances . While I was in medical school, 6 months to my graduation my dad suddenly fell ill and was literally told he had 6 months to live . I remember I was on my surgical rotation then , I received a call from my dad stating he was ill and that he wanted me to come home. I did not for once prepare myself for what I was about to see. Out of all the challenges I have faced in life, mom having to take out every single dollar from her business to pay for my tuition to enable me graduate from medical school . My dads last words to be were “please finish medical school no matter what , I know your mom will take care of you , this is not how we planned it but I know this is what God wanted . The lord is my shepherd I shall not fear”. These words resonated with me up till today . They carry heavy and deep meaning . I know God is not done with me yet . He has just started with me. I cant wait to see how far He would take me.
