Abenaa spent the first seven years of her life in Ghana. She lived with her grandmother and when she came to America, she learned responsibility at an early age. She started working at a restaurant in high school and walked over a mile to work every week.
As an independent student, Abenaa is completely responsible for financing her living and education expenses. Her upbringing influenced the direction of her studies. Being familiar with the poor health faced in African countries and low-income communities, she was inspired to pursue a career in public health research. At the University of Maryland, she has conducted independent research on HIV/AIDS and has published articles on her studies.
Abenaa studied abroad in Ghana in the spring where she studied medical sociology and pharmaceutical and health management. She is also an intern at the Ghana AIDS Commission. Abenaa and her sister, an aspiring teacher, were both awarded with CS scholarships in 2011. They will become the first in their family to graduate from college.
Abeena received funding from our William & Richard Shock Endowed Scholarship Fund, a fund established five years ago by former Central Scholarship Board Chair, Molly Shock.
