Mensah pursues her passions in and out of the classroom
WHEN PURSUING HER ACADEMIC AND EXTRACURRICULAR GOALS, Krannert junior Jessica Mensah does more than seize the opportunities that come her way. When necessary, she creates them.
A native of London, Mensah inherited that passion from her mother and father, who emigrated from Ghana, West Africa, to England to pursue their dreams and start a family.
The ensuing years took Mensah on extended trips to her parents’ homeland, a short stay in Amsterdam, and finally to the United States, where she’s lived for the last decade and now holds dual citizenship. Settling in Indianapolis, where her father works for Purdue’s Cooperative Extension Service, Mensah initially wanted to pursue a career in medicine.
“I took every advanced placement biology and chemistry course that my high school offered and planned to eventually become a pediatrician,” she says. “But I started selling jewelry that I bought nationwide and my mother sent from London and Ghana and quickly realized that, in addition to science, I had a second passion — business.”
Not willing to choose one passion over the other, Mensah discovered that a degree from Krannert would allow her to pursue both. “My plan was to major in business and then work in the healthcare industry,” she says.
The decision proved to be correct. While participating in the Management Ambassadors during her freshman year, Mensah secured a summer internship in human resources with Stryker Medical in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She co-chaired the company’s annual United Way drive, coordinated its fi rst product fairfor employees, completed a compensation study, and assisted with various organizational development efforts.
“Human resources is ultimately about making people happy and ensuring that they’re satisfi ed at work,” says Mensah. “My internship convinced me that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Mensah’s work with Stryker Medical continued when she returned to Purdue for the fall semester. She served as the company’s campus ambassador, delivering presentations on career opportunities and working with recruiters to target prospective interns and employees.
In addition, Mensah remains an active member of numerous student organizations, including the Management Ambassadors, the Society of Minority Managers, and Purdue’s chapter of the Society of Human Resources Management. She also serves as a mentor in Krannert’s Business Opportunity Program and was recently inducted into the Mortar Board Senior National Honors Society.
Outside of academia, Mensah nurtures yet another passion — dance. At first she and her friends considered joining one of Purdue’s existing dance groups, but decided instead to form their own.
Founded in 2007, Unified Through Dance (UNi-D) promotes multiculturalism through dance at campus diversity functions and offers free lessons and workshops to sororities and various student organizations. “It’s given me the opportunity to share my love for dance with others through teaching and performing,” Mensah says.
Such exuberance and commitment is a reflection of Mensah’s experience at Krannert. “College is where you make your passions a reality,” she says. “Krannert’s flexible plans of study and family-like environment off er countless opportunities to be involved, explore new ideas, and make a difference. We are a community of students and faculty who truly have one another’s best interests at heart.”
— Sarah
Wermuth |
