"Everything well achieved is done with determination and zeal for accomplishment" are

words my mum would caution me with as I grew up in Accra; a town in a developing

country called Ghana. I have always had the goal of making my family proud one day. I
Moses Addai Baffour Owusu, being part of the few to attend Senior High School in my
family, got to know that success is not an option. Given that, financial resources are very
limited and so were directives as to which path is most worthy. After considering many
options Computer Science is a program I now choose to thrive on.
As a child of a developing country, I remember being curious when I saw one of my
teachers using a computer for the first time in Junior High School. I saw a whole lot of
alphabet and numbers which were not easy to read. I asked, "What are all these things
on the screen?" and He said, "these letters, numbers, and brackets you see on the screen
are actually what form the interface of websites. I however did not understand but it
caught my attention. How then does this work? For about two months, I searched and
learned more about it only to realize it forms the interface of google, amazon, and
brave, amongst others that we see. After some time of diving into it, I thought it wise to
consider computer science as a future career.
The world is gradually turning into a technological one (Artificial intelligence) and
considering such a career could not be overemphasized. Getting into a career that pays
much but rids me of my satisfaction, interest, and joy because of other people's joy
(helping them) is not what I'm looking for". Computer Science (web development) is a
field of study that has gotten my attention since infancy.
My passion to further pursue computer science ignited in the wake of the Covid-19
pandemic somewhere in 2020. The outbreak of this pandemic lead to a total lockdown
across the globe. A developing country like Ghana where I come from went into a three-
week total lockdown. All schools and institutions, market squares, and major business
operating areas were temporarily closed down. This I wasn’t left out as the senior high
school I attended was given a long break until further notice.
Organizations and institutions were therefore forced to immediately find alternative
means to ensure work activities were not impeded to avoid loss of revenue. Companies
were forced to attempt working from home and conduct trainings and meetings
virtually. Unfortunately, many did not make strides in their efforts which led to the loss
of revenue and collapse of business in that brief season. Academic activities were also
supposed to be conducted online but were however ineffective since not all students
had access to the internet or even were well versed in computer usage. This adversely
affected the academic calendar and performance of students.
The sudden change in the economic conditions brought to mind some staggering
questions like; how do you suddenly work from home if you do not have the necessary
tools put in place? How would the economy thrive if the lockdown was supposed to
continue for a long period of time? what happens to institutions and businesses that do
not have alternative means of business operation rather than the indigenous mode of
operation? How can producers and consumers do transactions successfully without
physical presence? How can students have access to an efficient e-learning system? In
seeking answers to these questions about a developing economy that had to go digital
suddenly in order to thrive, Computer Science is a decisive course to study. I would like
to explore these and other computer fields in seeking higher education.
The pandemic has forced the Ghanaian economy to go digital leading to the increasing
usage of computer technology applications. As learned from your website, taking into
account courses like software development, web design, and networking coupled with
advanced tutors, internet connection, and a conducive study area, studying Computer
Science in your noble institution will be of great benefit to me personally and my
country at large.
I grew up with the notion that everything well achieved is only with determination and
indeed my determination to become a computer scientist springs from my heart to
cause a change in the world of technology and my home country. I will be elated to
study in other to achieve this dream if given the opportunity. As Tom Lehrer said, "Life is
just like a piano, what you get out of it depends on how you play it".
From the foregoing, given my background, passion, and love for the subject, I sincerely
appeal to the selection committee that my application be accepted and be granted a
place in your Computer Science Program for my well-being and the development of my
country as I aspire to be a Computer Scientist.

Moses Addai-Baffour Owusu

Email: maddaibaffour@gmail.com