STEM WOMAN CRUSH: ANNA A. AMPAW
I have felt like giving up on my Ph.D., mainly when my research does not produce a good result. Practically my first year of Ph. D. felt like a waste, which was a tear-driven moment for me. But what kept me going was the fact that I had a goal and where I will love to be. — Anna A. Ampaw
The SWIS Africa team has been following Anna’s Instagram handle and how she has been engaging her followers about her journey as a chemist. We were inspired by the great things she’s doing in the STEM space. We arranged an interview with her to learn more about her passion and encourage other women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
SWIS Africa: Kindly give us a brief autobiography of yourself?
Anna: My name is ANNA. I am 28 years old, a Ph.D. student in chemistry. I was born on the east side of Canada, but I currently live in Ontario, the capital of Canada. My mission is to help people.
I want to get to a level where I can help people in their careers. Encouraging them to pursue their dreams in STEM despite who they are.
SWIS Africa: What encouraged you to pursue a Ph.D. in stem
Anna: Initially, I never wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry. I have always loved to be a dentist; I found human teethes fascinating. After several trials of getting into dental school, I got rejected at all times.
My rejection helped me to find the path which I love. I have always been so good at chemistry, which helped my decision to go for a Ph.D. in chemistry. Also, I found a supervisor working on a topic I found interesting.
SWIS Africa: How do you balance your social life and your research?
Anna: It has been a struggle managing my social life and my research work, and I don’t think anyone will ever master how to balance everything. Being a full-time Ph.D. student is challenging.
I put in the effort to have the right life balance. Some days I focus entirely on school, and other days I take a break to hang out with friends. It’s challenging to balance, but I think it’s essential, and I am grateful for this pandemic it helped me take a break and enjoy life and build necessary life skills.
My hobbies fall in the range of adventure, going out with friends, finding new spots, and restaurants.
SWIS Africa: Have you ever thought science is for men?
Anna: During my undergraduates, I had been at that place where I felt science is limited to just guys. That’s because most of the professors teaching were mainly guys, and women were minorities, especially women of color; all through, I never had a black female professor.
Often when we find ourselves somewhere and don’t see people like us, we are discouraged. The higher I go in my education, I find out I am more of the minority; in most conferences, I have attended, I find out I am the only black woman. I have realized there is a lot of science bias; even higher education is challenging for women.
SWIS Africa: Have there been a tear driven moment during your research?
Anna: I have felt like giving up on my Ph.D., mainly when my research does not produce a good result. Practically my first year of Ph. D. felt like a waste, which was a tear-driven moment for me. But what kept me going was the fact that I had a goal and where I will love to be. Allowing my failures to get the better of me won’t let me reach my goal.
SWIS Africa: What are your plans after this?
Anna: There are many job opportunities for me, but I want to go into academia and have a principal lab group; getting there may be a struggle, but I know I will get there. I will also love to work in the industries in drug design and syntheses.
SWIS Africa: Do you think there are job opportunities in chemistry?
Anna: There are job opportunities, but you won’t find out until you get into the field and talk to people. The pharmaceutical companies, chemicals, cosmetics, and even the public sector are always looking for people.
You could also teach and become a consultant, interestingly you could be a lawyer too, plus I believe a career in chemistry is lucrative.
SWIS Africa: Have you ever regretted your decision?
Anna: I don’t regret pursuing a Ph.D., and I don’t think It’s a waste for me. Knowledge is power, and no matter the amount of experience you have, how you apply it is crucial. I don’t think we should look at a degree as not useful, but we should ask questions like; how do I use this knowledge to make money and help the world?
I have learned several life skills like communication, writing which will help me even in a different career path.
SWIS Africa: Do you think schooling is not important in studying chemistry?
Anna: In chemistry, you can never be a self-declared chemist; of course, they are things you can learn from youtube. In some fields like programming, one can sit on the computer and learn how to code and do business out of it.
A medical doctor can’t watch a youtube video and start practicing on people. But generally, I feel education is more useful than school. You can go through this life by not going to school, but you can’t get through this life without education.
SWIS Africa: Advice to a younger you
Anna: Don’t let anything discourage you, even your grades. At first, things will be challenging, but it will get better the more you work. In the schooling system, don’t get discouraged by bad grades.
Your mindset and passion should always drive you; don’t let challenges, difficulties, bad grades prevent you from achieving your dreams.
SWIS Africa: Thank you very much, Anna, for your time. We wish you success in your career.
If you want to learn more about Anna and her work, kindly follow her on social media:
Instagram: @anna_thechemist
SWIS Africa is an initiative focused on celebrating and shaping women in STEM in Africa. You can learn more about us by clicking this link.
