Mac Sarbah
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MacLean Sarbah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Yeji, Brong Ahafo region |
| Citizenship | Ghana |
| Education | Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, University of Ghana |
MacLean Sarbah MA, MPhil, MDes, is a Ghanaian philanthropist, Social entrepreneur and Innovator.[1] He is currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leader within the Global Health Office of the President at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[2]
Early life
[edit]MacLean Sarbah, popularly known as Mac, grew up as one of his parents' eight children in a small farming community that lacked basic amenities. He was born and raised in Yeji, a rural town in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region[3] to immigrant parents from Mepe, Battor North Tongu in the Volta region.[4] Growing up without a mother figure, he and his siblings were guided by their strict father, who instilled in them the values of hard work and responsibility.[5]
His father observed him to study for several hours each day by the light of kerosene lanterns. He used to walk a long distance to Lake Volta, which was their source of water for drinking and bathing.[6]
His father had a critical stroke which made him move from Yeji for treatment elsewhere. As a result, he went to an under-resourced school. He will walk long distances every day to the school and also work to save money to buy his books and studied hard.[7]
Education
[edit]Mac had his early education and Junior high in Yeji before moving to Adidome, a small farming town, to attend the Volta Region's Adidome Day Senior Secondary School.[8]
After passing his final Secondary exams, he was admitted to study at the University of Ghana in 2002 and graduated with first-class honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. In 2010, he started his Master's in Arts Social-Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. He graduated in 2012, also earning an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.
The same year, he was accepted into the University of Cambridge's Master of Philosophy in Innovation, Strategy, and Organization program, graduating in 2013.[9]
In 2017, Mac pursued another master's degree in Risk and Resilience at Harvard University and completed it in 2019[10]
Career
[edit]He is currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Office of the President.[11]
Before his current position, Sarbah founded and led EdAcme, an initiative dedicated to equal access to higher education and career opportunities for marginalized groups.[12][13]
He has been featured in numerous media outlets[14][15] and has spoken at global events where he shared great concerns about youth unemployment and entrepreneurship.[16][17][18]
Social Initiatives
[edit]Mac Sarbah Founded EdAcme,[13] an initiative that helped young people achieve their entrepreneurship and educational talents.[19][20][21][22] He is also the president of Sarbah Foundation,[23][21] a newly formed initiative to help contribute to education, entrepreneurship, and social impact in Ghana and the African continent.
Personal life and family
[edit]Mac has seven siblings born to their father, John Kwame Mensah Sarbah.[24] He was raised in Yeji a rural town in Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region.[23] His mother left home when he was less than two years old but his father, who had no formal education and who was a disciplinarian guided and shaped him academically in the early years[24]
Awards and recognition
[edit]Early in his academic career, Sarbah was awarded the Best Student Award in North Tongu District, Ghana.[25]
During his time at the University of Ghana, he received an academic excellence award in his second year of study[26]
In 2019, ICEF honored him as a groundbreaker for his contributions to global education.[11]
In 2019, Mac was recognized as a Stellar Harvardian by the Harvard Gazette at Harvard University.[27][1] He also received the Social Impact Leadership Award from the University of North Texas at Dallas in 2019.[27]
In 2019, Bonsu Royal Educational Complex in Yeji honored Maclean Sarbah by naming a school block after him, MACLEAN (MAC) SARBAH BLOCK for his contributions to the primary and junior high school he once attended.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Parsons, Lian (2019-04-15). "Harvard grad hopes to help take on one of Ghana's biggest challenges". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Dadzie, Ebenezer Afanyi (11 November 2024). "Breaking Barriers: How this Ghanaian landed a lead role at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation".
- ^ Wundengba, Charles (2018-12-19). "From Rural Ghana to Harvard: A Young Man's Rise from Obscurity to the World's Best University". Wundef.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Taylor, Mildred Europa (2019-04-20). "Beginning in Ghana,this Harvard grad heads home to tackle unemployment". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "From studying with kerosene lanterns in Yeji to becoming a Harvard graduate, Mac Sarbah opens up". Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Shiundu, Linda (2019-07-04). "Man who studied using lanterns earns degrees from three prestigious universities". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "From Adidome to Harvard: A young man's rise from obscurity to the world's best universities". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ a b "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ "From Adidome to Harvard: A young man's rise from obscurity to the world's best universities". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ a b "From rural Ghana to the Gates Foundation: The journey of a global social impact leader". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ Parsons, Lian (2019-04-15). "Harvard grad hopes to help take on one of Ghana's biggest challenges". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ a b "Harvard Graduate Who Studied with Kerosene Lanterns in Rural Africa Launches NGO". DailyGuide Network. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Maclean Mac Sarbah on The Executive Lounge - JoyNews (7-8-19)". www.modernghana.com. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Gefeiert und geehrt: Merkel in Harvard – DW – 31.05.2019". dw.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "School names block after former student, Harvard graduate featured on JoyNews - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Taylor, Mildred Europa (2019-04-20). "Beginning in Ghana,this Harvard grad heads home to tackle unemployment". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Yale Young African Scholars 2019 programme ends in Ghana". Graphic Online. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ "Harvard graduate who studied with lanterns in rural Africa launches company to give back". 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Bardhi, Pamela (2021-11-24). "Ep 83: From a Small Village in Ghana Reading from Lanterns to Harvard and CEO of International Education Company, Edacme, Mac Shares His Remarkable Underdog Story of Rising from the Bottom". The Underdog Show Podcast by Pamela Bardhi. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b "Mac Sarbah MDes '19 Returns from Ghana". Harvard GSD Alumni & Friends. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Harvard Graduate Who Studied with Kerosene Lanterns in Rural Africa Launches NGO". DailyGuide Network. 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b "School names block after former student, Harvard graduate featured on JoyNews - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
- ^ Reporter, Asaase Radio (2024-11-12). "Breaking Barriers: How Ghanaian Mac Sarbah landed a lead role at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ a b "From rural Ghana to the Gates Foundation: The journey of a global social impact leader". 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-26.