San Bruno, California, resident begins Peace Corps service in Ghana

Danielle Ohemeng, age 24, of San Bruno, California, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Ghana on June 4, 2018, to begin training as a secondary education math teacher volunteer.

“I wanted to join a program that would combine my interests of forming international connections and working in education,” said Ohemeng of her desire to join the Peace Corps.

Ohemeng is the daughter of Mabel Wilson and Kwaku Ohemeng of San Bruno, California, and a graduate of Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, California. She attended High Point University in High Point, NC, where she earned a B.A. in mathematics in August 2017. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, she held numerous positions including as an assistant with the International Student Services at High Point University, a volunteer at Kid's Cafe at Parkview Village Elementary School, and a teaching assistant with Peninsula Bridge in Hillsborough, California.

During the first three months of her service, Ohemeng will live with a host family in Ghana to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, Ohemeng will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Ghana, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.

“I hope to help improve educational opportunities for those who have not had access to a good education during my service. Additionally, I want to learn more about Ghana, especially outside of the main city, Accra. My parents are originally from Ghana, and so I wanted to learn more about a country that makes up my past, and could possibly be involved in my future,” Ohemeng said.

Ohemeng will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Ghana and help Ohemeng develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.

Ohemeng joins the 873 California residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 28,514 California residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

About volunteers in Ghana: There are more than 150 volunteers in Ghana working with their communities on projects in agriculture, education, and health. During their service in Ghana, volunteers learn to speak local languages, including Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangbe, Ewe, Ghanaian Sign Language, Kasem, Mampruli, Sisali, and Twi. More than 4,675 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Ghana since the program was established in 1961.