The 2019 Rising Stars of the Profession: Godson Sowah

Age: 34

As an African immigrant raised in communities plagued by economic-hardship and illiteracy, Godson Sowah says he counts himself among the lucky. Moving from Ghana to Iowa for college and transitioning to Minnesota to start a consulting career was the beginning of his purpose-driven journey.

"My life experiences affirmed my conviction to transform my community through leadership and service," he says. "I am most proud of my contributions as volunteer Program Director for the annual Accounting Career Awareness Program."

ACAP is a strategic career development program designed specifically for minority high school juniors and seniors to increase the pursuit of majors/careers in accounting, IT and other business-related fields. Since 2007, ACAP has supported over 150 students and awarded over $120,000 in academic scholarships to the minority students towards college.

The impact of his ACAP experience on his career has been remarkable, he says. "I have discovered the perfect union between work and passion," Sowah says. "By integrating my community efforts and client service at EY, I have adapted and applied the important skills of managing global resources, building high performing teams, and inspiring innovation on my teams to solve both business and community issues."

In 2017, he received the Titans of Technology—'Community Hero' award from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

"Pursuing this purpose-led journey has driven me to be intentional about building a diverse network of professionals across different industries and communities across the world," he says. "Breaking out of echo chambers and actively leveraging my social network either to support a cause or simply a source thought leadership, has been a key factor for my personal success."