Ghanaian elected as director of powerful Harvard Alumni Association

A Ghanaian man has been voted as a director of the influential Harvard Alumini Association. He is Sangu Julius Delle, a Ghanaian who gained a full scholarship to study at Harvard University in 2005.

He is among six new directors who were elected and would serve a three-year term. A statement for the renowned university said; “the Elected Directors were each elected for three-year terms. They were chosen from a slate of nine candidates, who were nominated by a Harvard Alumni committee as prescribed by the election rules. Harvard Degree holders cast 28,541 ballots in the elections.”

Delle, who shared the news on Facebook, and also wrote about his first impressions of Harvard as a child.

Sangu Delle is the co-founder of cleanacwa (sic), a non-profit working in rural Ghana to provide water and sanitation and the founder and chief executive officer of Golden Palm Investments, an investment consultancy for African-based companies.

Below is the message, Sangu Delle shared on Facebook about his election.

Won't He do it!!!!!!

When I was 5 years old, I discovered "Harvard University" from a booklet that was sent to my father from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I asked him what a university was and he replied "where you go to get smart." I asked "whats Harvard?" and my father said, with his eyebrows raised, "Ohhh, that's where you go to get REALLY smart."

In my naivety, I wrote a letter to Harvard's President at the time, Neil Rudenstein, saying "Dear Headmaster of Harvard, my father says this is where you go to get really smart. I'm smart but I want to get really smart, so when can I start?" To my greatest surprise, he wrote back and sent me materials on Harvard, but gently explained they don't accept 5 year olds .

I continued to correspond with Harvard via letters from Ghana through President Larry Summers. Harvard was never about its rankings or reputation. For me it was that place where I would "get really smart." It held a special place in my heart and was my lifelong dream.

Some people discouraged me. I'll never forget when a European ambassador to Ghana said "my own daughter won't even dream of Harvard.... it's young and foolish for an African boy to dream of going to Harvard" and offered to help me get into schools in Europe, instead. I cried that day.

Fast forward to December 15, 2005, I get an email at 6:11 pm EST from Dean Fitzsimmons telling me that the young and foolish African boy was accepted into Harvard College with a full scholarship. Harvard was the greatest experience of my life. I love the school and I'm grateful for all she has done for me.

Today, I am so honoured to have been elected a Director of Harvard University's HAA!!!

Thank YOU to ALL of you who voted for me for your trust and support. I will work my hardest to serve you and to ensure that Harvard becomes a more inclusive community.

Here's to being a young and foolish African boy whose God never fails!!