Louis Karik Ari Opoku Ma. Sociology

LOUIS KARIKARI OPOKU
MA. SOCIOLOGY
For my first three years of University, there never was such an idea of a particular career that
appealed to me. I enrolled in a wide variety of courses in search of calling. These classes
taught me a lot and the most was the passion it made me develop for sociology, which has
influenced my decision to pursue at the graduate level.
After completing High School, where I studied General Arts with courses such as History,
Economics, and Geography, I proceeded to read Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at the
University of Cape Coast, Ghana. I studied modules such as sociology, conflict management,
criminal justice and criminology during my degree. The academic path and the related
modules I chose have been primarily influenced by my experience in society and the desire to
contribute to finding lasting solutions to such society-related issues. I have had the
opportunity to lead in various capacities, including being Assistant School Prefect and Vice
President for the Student Representative Council during my High School education. I also
had the opportunity to serve as the Deputy Captain of the school football team.
Having grown up in one of the slums in the eastern part of Accra, Ghana, child labour and
street hawking are the main focus for all children above age six within the community to
support their families. Most parents in these slums do not see the need for formal education
as they do not have the resources to take their children through school to University. They see
education as a waste of time due to the community's high unemployment level. I am the first
of four children, with my father being a retired local motor mechanic and my mother a petty
trader, both without formal education. My father is currently retired due to old age and is
unable to do any work. The current family monthly income is approximately US$ 143.08,
and this goes into taking care of family rent, feeding, hospital bills, and education of my
younger siblings, among other expenses.
To support my family, I started doing unskilled jobs such as helping at construction sites and
cleaning homes of middle-income earners in affluent communities from age eleven. This I do
together with my other siblings to help support the family with an additional income of
approximately US$ 42 per month.
With my quest to be a University graduate, I increased the number of jobs from age sixteen to
enable me to save for my University education as my parents were not financially sound to
support my education. Though it was dangerous in a community with a high crime rate,
inequality, and constant group conflicts, I had no choice but to focus on my dream of
obtaining a university education. This, I believe, will improve my life beyond living in the
slum in the future and also help provide support for my family. Throughout my university
education, I had to engage in unskilled jobs after lectures to help support my tuition fees and
upkeep with other support from family and friends.
These jobs obviously had a negative impact on my performance, especially during my early
years in the University, and almost led to depression as combining work and studies was
becoming difficult. However, with determination and the zeal to break out from my
community.
Currently, my focus is to pursue a second degree to better position me to get involved with
policy formulation and implementation in my country that will benefit disadvantaged
communities and conflict management programs within the sub-Saharan African countries
and with a sociology background it help me achieve that.
With a passion for assisting the vulnerable within disadvantaged communities, I serve as a
volunteer in one of the local NGOs, Common Ground Learner Centre. The NGO focuses on
providing social interventions for single mothers, children engaged in child labour, street
children, and providing employable skills to needy children. The experience with Common
Ground is self-fulfilling, and always pleased to shape the lives of these children who could
have ended up being a nuisance to the communities. I contribute with my skills and time as a
facilitator on rural education, advocacy, and placing children in employable skills, among
others.
Having grown up in a high-density community associated with tribal conflict,

underdevelopment and poor governance structures, I became curious to improve my
knowledge to help bring change to my community and Ghana at large.
My voluntary experience in Ghana has exposed me to the limitations within the public policy
sector regarding the formulation of novel policies that will reduce tribal conflicts, help
decentralise development and improve governance structures. This underpins my desire to
pursue a master's degree in sociology.
This degree, I believe, will help shape my career objective of becoming a Policy Analyst
within the Public sector and help introduce policy reforms that will help curb communal
conflicts and bring the equitable distribution of resources across Ghanaian communities. The
program will help increase my knowledge in international development, which will help me
contribute through publications to neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and
Togo, which are conflict-prone.
I also desire to use this degree as a platform to pursue advanced research in this direction at
the PhD level.
I am confident that the acquired knowledge will also help me collaborate effectively with the
various Local Assemblies in Ghana to help shape policies that will improve the standard of
living and reduce conflicts within Ghanaian communities.
I shall therefore be grateful if I am considered for admission to help me complete this degree.

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LOUIS KARIKARI OPOKU

Having grown up in a high-density community associated with tribal conflict,

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