I chose marriage over going to Yale university – Ursula Owusu
Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, at a point in her life prioritised marriage over an opportunity to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Yale.
According to the Minister, despite having to give up going to Yale University to marry a man who was interested in her, at the time, she has not regretted making such a decision.
She noted that women are under pressure most of the time to get married as society views them as inadequate if they remain unmarried.
The Minister said: “We do give in to a lot of pressure from family, friends and the church that if you are not married, you’re not whole and that is the ultimate you can have in life.”
She said when the opportunity came for her to go to Yale University, she chose marriage over her education.
The Minister recalled: “I had the opportunity to go to Yale and there was a young man who was wooing her [me] at the time and she decided that okay, let me go and get married.”
She further noted that the decisions women take has a way of influencing their future, thus, the need to be guarded in such moments of decision-making.
“…those are crossroads moments in our lives. Whatever decision you take in your life will influence your future and we have to take it carefully.
“Maybe if I had gone to Yale, I wouldn’t be sitting here as a Member of Parliament and your Minister today and so the Lord knew, but that was a decision I had to take,” the Communications Minister stressed.
The Minister, who is married to Dr. Sam Ekuful, the owner of Ekuful Eyecare and a senior consultant, revealed this when she spoke at the 2023 International Women’s Day.
The event was organised by eTranzact Ghana Ltd.
A private Ivy League research university, in New Haven Connecticut, USA, Yale University was founded in 1701. It is considered one of the best universities in the world.