On Monday, February 24th, men and women from the incoming freshman class spent their first day as Ashesi students. Forty-four individuals were selected from among over 200 applicants to become the Ashesi graduating class of 2006. Welcomed by a rousing speech from Ashesi's President, Patrick Awuah (see full text), the new undergraduates were challenged to think of themselves as the future leaders of Africa and to never stop searching for new knowledge.
Ashesi's orientation week, held from February 24th to February 28th, was an eye-opener for many of the first-year students. During orientation week freshmen participated in team building exercises, attended workshops on basic computing and library research, and had a chance to interact closely with faculty and staff.
One student commented on how surprised he was to find himself sitting with the president of the school, having a jovial conversation. "That made me understand that he really cares about this school and that touches me a lot. Ashesi is a wonderful place." Another student was pleasantly surprised to sense the high motivation levels of Ashesi's faculty and staff. "I'm impressed that everyone from the president to the gardener feels so enthusiastic about what they do here." Clearly, the members of Ashesi's Class of 2006 are very excited to get started. Ashesi University is different than anything they had imagined.