yearned to return to the United States to further his
education. Between years of working and studying,
he eventually obtained a master’s degree in public
health at the University of Kentucky.
But Mensah wasn’t quite finished. Once again, his
heart was being called back to the place where his
journey began – education. He worked for a year
and went back to school.
“I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in education without
knowing what I wanted to teach. I just wanted to
teach,” Mensah said. He started out with a focus
on higher education in the college’s Department
of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation. Two
semesters into the program, Dr. Kelly Bradley
called him to her office. “She wondered why I had
indicated higher education as my major but almost
all the courses I had taken were quantitative-based.
The realization from that meeting was that I was
more quantitative-oriented than I thought.”
Mensah is now a doctoral candidate in the
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Education Sciences
program with a focus on measurement and
evaluation. Graduates of the program are
prepared to meet the growing national need for
educators who are well trained in methodological
issues in education research. Graduates typically
have careers in research universities, educational
research labs and corporations, and research groups
within education agencies.
Mensah hopes for a career as a faculty member or as
a researcher in the field of test/survey development.
Ultimately, he wants to make a difference in the
lives of others, just as others have done for him.
“The two mentors I have had during my educational
journey made the difference – Mr. Kobina Mintah
(my 8th grade teacher) and Dr. Kelly Bradley (my
current mentor and advisor). I have been a teaching
assistant for two academic years under Dr. Bradley’s
tutelage and direction. It has been a blessing.”
Bradley said Mensah is the gold star example
of hard work and ambition equating to desired
outcomes and success.
“EPE is full of degree opportunities that allow
students to obtain the skill set and educational
training that they need and want, to graduate with
the qualifications and credentials that they desire,”
12 | next»
Mensah and his mother, Hawah Abban
she said.
“Richard has and continues to take advantage
of opportunities and the full spectrum of faculty
training and interests. His research skills in
quantitative methods and measurement offer him
the ability to make a huge contribution in either
industry or academia. There really is no limit to his
career potential.”
Mensah’s wife and son joined him in the U.S. in
August 2012, shortly before he began the Ph.D.
program. They have since added two more children
to their family.
“We have been enjoying the program together
through thick and thin, through times when daily
bread was sometimes not easy to get,” Mensah said.
“I look at them now and I tell myself, ‘It’s been
worth it.’” «