Young alumni: Gyamfi turns childhood struggles into career of care
Ebenezer Gyamfi with his wife Racail.
By Cam Adams
Stability wasn鈥檛 something Ebenezer Gyamfi was used to growing up in Ghana. He bounced between different relatives after he said his mother abandoned him from a young age, starting with his grandma and later filtering through a host of aunts and uncles.
Despite the odds being stacked against him, the 蘑菇短视频 graduate persevered.
Gyamfi earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Ghana before moving to the United States to pursue his master鈥檚 in social work.
Now, he鈥檚 building his life in the states, graduating from WCU, settling down in Virginia and getting married 鈥� all last year.
He鈥檚 conquered several challenges to get to this point, and as a foster care social worker in Alexandria, Virginia, he's helping kids facing those same problems he stood against as a child.
鈥淚 kind of give them advice that, 'Hey, I've been in your shoes before, whatever we are going through,' kind of giving them emotional support that they need to grow and understand what we are doing for them,鈥� Gyamfi said.
鈥淚 feel like my impact and everything that I'm doing will pay off in the future for their case when they grow up.鈥�
Amidst all the shifts and adjustments he experienced, Gyamfi wasn鈥檛 in a traditional foster care system. Different members of his family took the mantle of caring for him, and during all the change, he developed an interest in it.
鈥淚 really wanted to understand how the foster system works and how the government helps kids in the community,鈥� Gyamfi said.
After earning his undergraduate degree, Gyamfi sought to study in the U.S. out of curiosity. He hoped to explore a different part of the world and learn more about its culture.
Gyamfi鈥檚 friend recommended him a list of universities, one of which was WCU. Gyamfi soon applied, was accepted and found himself in an unfamiliar land he had never been to. But the transition was more seamless than Gyamfi thought it would be.
鈥淓verybody (at WCU) was amazing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he professors, Homebase (College Ministry), the students. There was some international community, some from Nigeria, some from Zambia, some from South Africa, some from Zimbabwe, Botswana, so we kind of joined heads together, and we were successful on campus.鈥�
During his time in Cullowhee, Gyamfi gained a wealth of experience in internships with Homebase and the Haywood County Department of Social Services.
As a child welfare social worker with Haywood County DSS, Gyamfi practiced a lot of what he does now with the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services, helping ensure child safety, well-being and reunification when possible.
鈥淢y education at 蘑菇短视频really, really, really helped me with a lot of experience,鈥� Gyamfi said. 鈥�(蘑菇短视频had) professors who have the knowledge to teach clinical skills, how to interview and how to talk to clients.鈥�
Gyamfi鈥檚 journey has been full of improbabilities that came to fruition, having lived with several different relatives in Ghana before moving to the U.S. and helping children who share the shoes he was in.
But meeting the love of his life during Hurricane Helene and proposing to her at graduation inside the Ramsey Center last May was probably up there, too.
During the storm, Gyamfi went up to Maryland to visit family and met his now-wife, Racail, on a dating site. Gyamfi was only up there for a couple of weeks, but when he went back down to Cullowhee, Racail visited Gyamfi quite often.
Over time, the strength of his feelings grew apparent.
鈥淚 was like, OK, this is the woman for me,鈥� Gyamfi said. 鈥淚 had always wanted to do that on my graduation day, to kind of get the feeling and atmosphere and stuff like that, so I proposed, she accepted it and we got married on Aug. 8, 2025.鈥�
Throughout his childhood, Gyamfi had a difficult time finding a place to call home, but now, he鈥檚 found it in Virginia, not far from where he found his first home in the States in Cullowhee.
