GhPageLifestyleMeet Gloria Opoku-Boateng Osardu - Ghana’s 27-year-old UX Researcher/ Scientist PhD Holder

Meet Gloria Opoku-Boateng Osardu – Ghana’s 27-year-old UX Researcher/ Scientist PhD Holder

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Techpreneur Magazine: What was growing up like?

Gloria: As a middle child of three girls, I was not the most exciting or extroverted person around. Growing up, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was that I wanted to be in a career that was challenging, yet fun, and required minimal interaction with people. My parents openly encouraged my sisters and me to pursue college/grad school degrees and careers that fit our personality and what we wanted to do. My dad, a pastor and theological professor, did not particularly have any bias towards the sciences or arts. He also did not particularly encourage us to pursue a particular career. My mom (aka superwoman), a Human Resource Executive, was more of an unseen force that gently pushed and encouraged all three of us in life while playing the role of a self-appointed career psychologist who check-in on us to make sure we were each thriving in the paths we had chosen.
My dad did not get all of his degrees back to back; however, as a go-getter, he made a plan, followed through, and received his PhD. My mom, on the other hand, got married and had all three of us before she started her college and received her MBA. My sisters and I all have advanced graduate degrees in computer science. By now, you may have an idea where my drive to push harder and strive to be better each day comes from.
I think it matters for readers out there to know and understand the influence my background, support systems, and Ghanaian culture played in shaping the life I live today. I always like to compare my life (both growing up and now) to two groups of contemporaries; those who have made more impact than I have, and those who have not. For example, considering all the people around my age that I grew up with, there are others who have gone on to make huge strides in life (professionally or personally) than I have. There are others who are struggling to reach where I am and thus made little to half as much impact as I have. The answer lies in the opportunities one has. Growing up, I was fortunate to have so many opportunities in life which I quickly grabbed. My first somewhat real job was in a library where I read most of my life away. I was fortunate to know more about applying to grad school and preparing for life after college. I was blessed to have parents who understood the importance of education and also supported my ambitions that were rather too large sometimes. I can go on and on but you catch the drift. My childhood is summarized in the opportunities I had and the risks that I took in grabbing them.

READ ALSO: Rachael Oniga Reveals Why She Regret Without Fighting For Her Marriage

Techpreneur Magazine: What should we expect from Dr. Opoku-Boateng Osardu in the next 3 years?

Gloria: Hmmm… I am not sure what to expect myself. I honestly pray for life till then. Let’s see… As you may or may not know, I barely started working full time as a UX Researcher (now Senior Researcher). Let me see… in 3 years expect me to be in a management position where I can do managerial work as well as technical. Ultimately, I want to be able to create opportunities for others. I currently volunteer; support Women in Technology with experiences and opportunities that are available. The idea of harnessing resources to come back to Ghana and host a UX hackathon that both empowers others and teaches critical UX research methods is not far-fetched. 3 years is a short or long time to make that happen depending on how you look at it. For now, I know both mentoring and planning or hosting a hackathon is on my radar. Basically, I want to be useful and make an impact!

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