Samuel Andoh ’28. Photo provided.
Samuel Andoh ’28 is a ninth grader from Ghana who came to Northwood to pursue his dream of playing professional soccer. His peers and teammates recognize him as a hardworking and humble student-athlete.
So far, he is settling into Northwood well. “I’m getting comfortable, but it is stressful. There is a lot of stuff going on.” Andoh also shared the differences between school here versus school back home. “In Ghana, we write in books, we don’t use any laptops; that is too expensive. So, I’m now getting used to using a laptop for schoolwork. I also find the teaching different. Back home, the teachers are less… patient. I find here, I can ask as many questions as I need; in Ghana, it’s not the same.”
Andoh explained to me that back home, his family doesn’t have much. “My family is passing through a lot of difficult times, and sometimes we don’t have food to eat or the resources we need. I left my family at the age of 12 to find a good education and to continue my career [in soccer].”
Samuel Andoh ’28 in the black kit. Photo provided.
I asked Samuel what soccer is like in Ghana compared to here. “It’s very different. We don’t play on turf back home. The ground is rough. When you fall, you get hurt; it’s not like here, where we get to use nice turf.”
He also shared his future aspirations: “My dream is to work hard so one day I can change my family’s lives and the community I’m from.”
He also took some time to share with me his faith in God. “The journey that I’m on is thanks to God. God held my hand from the beginning to today. I believe that with God all things are possible; he will make a way for me.”
