Student Profiles

Ghana Experience Impacts Student’s Life

When Karl Salomon ’08 (economics and legal studies) was nine years old, he and two brothers left Haiti to join their immigrant parents (and a sister and brother who left the previous year) in Boston. At the airport they were greeted with this advice: “To succeed in this country you will have to work extremely hard.”

“I entered the fourth grade and thought I’d never be able to speak English like an American,” Salomon recalls. “But two years later I finished my ESL requirements and became a ‘mainstream’ student. Confident, I figured I could do anything with enough effort and time. Focused on my learning, I ignored distractions that came my way. Not going to college was never an option. I saw the sacrifices my parents were making and the dirty jobs they worked. I would never have hurt them by closing doors to success.”

Salomon chose UMass Amherst because he wanted a large school with a diverse group of people. “I’ve roomed with a Puerto Rican studying business, a Japanese studying art, a Jew studying computer science, and a Haitian studying chemistry. The range of diversity I imagined has definitely proven to be true.”

His interest in economics began in high school. “Economics plays a part in nearly every aspect of life,” Salomon says. “I enthusiastically declared my major even before I was accepted. Also in high school I took a few law courses and was part of a mock trial team. By junior year here I decided to pursue a career in law, so I added legal studies as a second major. I know that I can apply to any law school with any major, but adding legal studies was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my short life. That became clear this past year when I studied at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, which typically is for those who have earned undergraduate degrees. Thanks to the courses I had taken in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, an exception was made for me and I performed at a high level.”

Speaking of studying in Ghana, Salomon says that decision was “genius.” In his application, he stated that the opportunity would significantly change his life. “What an understatement!” Salomon declares. “My trip to ‘Mama Land’ has given me much wisdom and information to think about and answer many questions about black people that I’ve wondered about. Certainly it has left an indelible positive mark.”

Besides studying law and French, Salomon learned much about Ghanaian culture. “I took a course in Twi, the local language in Accra and other parts of the country, and joined a traditional dance class,” he says. “I went to the local market everyday and developed unforgettable relationships there. My stereotypes of Ghana and Africa were debunked, and I learned to understand even if I didn’t agree. By the end of my trip, Ghanaians would sometimes mistake me for one of them…not because I conformed to their way of life, but because I tried to understand it. Most of all, I learned a lot about myself.”

Salomon is quick to point out that this experience could never have happened without the moral support of his family and the financial support of the Ansin Study Abroad Fellowship. “I didn’t even know how I was going to pay for the ticket to get to Ghana,” Salomon says. “The Ansin family provided me with more than a check. They showed how much they care about students who dream of studying abroad. This scholarship allowed me to complete my college career as I had imagined. It’s wonderful to know that there are people out there who share my desire to learn about the world and make it a better place.”

Students: Applications for the Ansin Study Abroad Fellowship and other scholarship opportunities are available online.

January 28, 2008