Chief Executive Officer of Crown Peak Holdings, Dr Kobbina Tuyee Awuah, has revealed a surprising turning point in his academic and professional journey, disclosing that he once declined a NASA-related opportunity despite a long-held dream of pursuing a career in aerospace engineering.

Speaking on The Career Trail programme aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, the Pinkberry franchise operator recounted how his passion for space and engineering initially shaped his ambitions from an early age.

“I wanted to work for NASA. It was like a dream for me. So I went to Opoku Ware and pursued Science,” he explained.

According to him, his academic path eventually led him to study engineering in the United States, where he attended Cornell University and later pursued a master’s degree in a combined programme.

“I did my undergraduate and master’s in about five years. Cornell is one of the best engineering schools in the world,” he noted.

Dr. Awuah disclosed that during his studies, he secured an internship opportunity connected to NASA and also worked in advanced research environments, including Brookhaven National Laboratory.

“I actually got an internship with NASA in my third year,” he revealed.

However, he said the experience made him question his long-term direction.

“I think it dawned on me that this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he stated.

He explained that although he had invested years into the dream, he reached a point where he had to reconsider his path, even while facing uncertainty about his next steps.

At that point, he applied for both employment and PhD programmes but eventually chose to enter the workforce. 

“So I tried both. I applied for jobs and PhD programmes; I got into a few, but then I decided to work. Right out of school, I got a job, and I was working for an oil company as a petroleum and reliability engineer based in New Jersey. And I ended up travelling to a number of countries, Brazil and Norway,” he recounted.