Hailey Appiah-Opoku

Hailey Appiah-Opoku achieved what she set out to do when she transferred to UMass Lowell to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in management information systems and entrepreneurship: She has gained the skills she’ll need to work in information technology or start her own business someday.

Along the way, she has grown as a leader, gained a global perspective and helped foster a greater sense of community for others.

“I love UMass Lowell. I'm so grateful for all the opportunities I've had here,” says Appiah-Opoku, a Leicester, Massachusetts, native who transferred to UML from UMass Boston as a sophomore. 

Since then, she’s made her presence known on campus. As vice president of the Black Student Union (BSU), marketing director for Joy Tong Women in Business and a Student Alumni Ambassador, she has played key roles in planning events and expanding engagement.

Appiah-Opoku is especially proud of her work with the BSU, which she joined as a social media coordinator. As a senior, she helped put on the Black Hair Expo and “Till the Streetlight” events, which included a basketball tournament and a thrift shop collaboration with the Fashion Club.

“What we do is for the people,” says Appiah-Opoku, who was honored for her efforts with the Chancellor’s Medal for Diversity and Inclusion — an unexpected but meaningful recognition.

“I was shocked,” she says of the award. “Being a black woman, sometimes you feel like you’re not really being heard. But you still rise.”

On a service-learning trip to Panama before her senior year, Appiah-Opoku and fellow business students served as consultants to local entrepreneurs. It was her first time traveling internationally.

“Everyone should go on a study abroad trip if they can,” she says. “You’re able to use what you learn in the classroom and discover more about your capabilities.”

She has also sharpened her skills through an internship at Mosaic Lowell, a nonprofit supporting the local arts community, as well as with an office assistant position in the Manning School of Business Dean’s Office.

She credits Dean of Business Bertie Greer and Associate Dean Amit Deokar for “making my experience unforgettable.”

“If it wasn't for them, I don't know if I would have had all these opportunities,” says Appiah-Opoku, who was supported financially by the Rist Families Endowed Scholarship and the Pulichino/Tong Family Foundation, Inc. Business Endowed Scholarship.

Appiah-Opoku is staying at UML for an MBA in the bachelor’s-to-master’s program. Long term, she hopes to start her own business — possibly involving chocolate from Ghana, her family’s home country.

“I found my interest in business at UMass Lowell,” she says. “The more classes I took, the more I loved it. It’s a very versatile degree that you can use anywhere.”