Staff Profiles | George Boahen

LauraBoahen fills one of the most important positions in the NECC residential program -- that of overnight professional. In this role, he substitutes for staff when a team member is absent because of illness or vacation.

Since joining NECC, he has diligently worked from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. four nights a week, monitoring students' safety while they sleep and intervening if they happen to wake. A true professional, Boahen is thoroughly trained in working with students who have developmental disabilities. He reports that he "loves the challenge of 'floating'" and feels that he would miss seeing the wide range of NECC students were he to accept a more permanent assignment. "I value my experiences at NECC because I learn from the students every day," he says. Deservedly, Boahen was recently named "Employee of the Month."

Other details of George Boahen's life include the following highlights:

• A native of Ghana, Boahen was inspired by the promise of economic opportunity in the United States and immigrated in 1998 after being selected in a visa lottery in his native country. His wife and three children still remain in Ghana but will join him after his oldest daughter completes her final two years of high school. The family dreams that she will attend an American college or university.
• Boahen was trained as a teacher of primary grade students -- ages 6 to 15 years old -- in Ghana. On arriving in the U.S. he was offered a teaching position in an urban public school but decided that it was not the right opportunity for him.
• His generous spirit extends beyond NECC to his local community. As a member of St. Catherine of Sweden Catholic Church in Worcester, Boahen is active in volunteer activities. He works with parish staff to assist new African members with adjustment to life in America.

When asked how he manages his busy schedule, the challenges of his job, and the separation from his family, Boahen remarks that he is motivated by the desire to reunite his family and build a life together in America. Challenges are "to be expected," he notes. "Life can't only be smooth. In Ghana they say, 'The kite rises stronger against the wind."