Scholarship Spotlight: Queen Liza Ayinesom Aboyah’s Journey of Service, Support, and Social Work
Queen Liza Ayinesom Aboyah plans to return to her home country of Ghana and open a mental health clinic.
by Kari Litscher
Queen Liza Ayinesom Aboyah’s path to becoming a changemaker began in the town of Zuarungu in Ghana’s Upper East Region. The youngest of four children, she grew up in a deeply Catholic family where service was central. Her father, a social worker, and her mother, a public school teacher, instilled values of kindness and compassion that shaped Queen’s worldview.
“From an early age, I watched my father go above and beyond for the vulnerable and marginalized which lit a spark in my desire to help others,” Queen recalls.
Zuarungu, though a close-knit and caring community, faced serious challenges including poverty, teenage pregnancy, mental health stigma, and domestic violence. These realities fueled Queen’s passion for social work, leading her to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in the field at the University of Ghana, Legon.
A Meaningful Connection
When Queen was accepted into the Master of Social Work program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her excitement was mixed with anxiety. While her tuition was covered, living expenses in a new country were a daunting hurdle. A conversation with her mentor, Father Martin, and his colleague, Father Attah-Nsiah, became a turning point.
“Father Attah-Nsiah immediately thought of Jackie Cramer, BVM from the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and said he would reach out. Soon after, I was connected to Sister Jackie, who would become my sponsor,” Queen shares.
Jackie helped Queen craft a strong scholarship application and has since provided ongoing guidance, mentorship, and support.
“That divine connection changed everything,” Queen says.
A New Home in Wisconsin
Madison quickly became a second home for Queen. Though the winters were colder than anything she had known, the city’s peaceful atmosphere and welcoming community made it feel warm in other ways. At the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, Queen experienced not only academic growth but personal transformation.
“The faculty and my fellow students have been a strong pillar of support,” she says. “I will always be grateful for the knowledge, encouragement, and community I found here.”
Dreaming of Impact
Looking ahead, Queen’s dream is to return to Ghana to open a mental health agency dedicated to outreach, education, and culturally sensitive services. She hopes to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness and create safe spaces for healing.
“To prepare for that mission, I plan to become a licensed clinical social worker with additional certifications in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, adoption competency, and solution focused therapy,” Queen explains. “For me, social work is not just a profession; it’s a ministry which I am dearly committed to.”
Scholarship That Changed Everything
The support from the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scholarship for Women has been transformational. Balancing 21 hours of unpaid clinical fieldwork each week with a 20-hour on-campus work limit as an international student left Queen financially strained.
“This scholarship changed this nightmare,” Queen says. “Thanks to BVM support, I could focus on my studies and fieldwork without the constant pressure of financial insecurity.”
Jackie has felt equally blessed.
“It has been a real pleasure for me to interact with Queen during the past two years of her studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” she says.
Jackie has been impressed that as an accomplished student, Queen has brought to her U.S. studies the diverse experiences of growing up in a remote part of northern Ghana and working with a mental health agency in Accra, Ghana’s capital and largest city.
She shares, “Queen’s intense desire to become an effective therapist and advocate for people struggling with mental health issues mirrors at an even deeper level my own 51-year history as a high school counselor in Mississippi and Tennessee. She will bring greatly needed skills back to Ghana.”
A World of Thanks
Inspired and grateful for this support, Queen offers a heartfelt thank you to Jackie and the Sisters of Charity, BVM for making this possible. The scholarship didn’t just support Queen’s education—it transformed her life.
“Special thanks to Sister Jackie, who has been more than a sponsor. She has been a mentor, a mother, and a friend,” Queen says. “Her prayers, check-ins, and belief in me have kept me going. I am also deeply thankful to Development Director Jean Tucker for her help with my applications and to every sister on the scholarship committee. Your kindness has planted seeds that will bloom in Ghana and beyond. God bless and keep you all.”
This story was featured in:
Fall Salt 2025: Call and Commitment: Transforming Promise into Reality
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