Name: Terry Oppong
Profession: Global Mogul
Age: 25
One Word That Describes You: Global
Born in Ghana, West Africa, Terry Oppong has seen it all and when there wasn’t a clear path for Oppong, due to his humble beginnings, he decided to make his own. Oppong is a graduate of the College of New Jersey, in Ewing, NJ, where he received a B.S in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. During his time on campus he became a leader of several organizations, which allowed him to hone his skills, and develop relationships with campus administrators. A “natural connector,” he uses his ability to develop relationships quickly, and to bridge the gap wherever, and however, he can. As he works to develop relationships, he is simultaneously striving to better himself, and the community around him, through involvement in nonprofit organizations that focus on empowering adolescents to develop stronger communication skills and understand social responsibility. Life never stands still; it evolves, changes direction, and leads to new possibilities. Terry Oppong is ready for what life has in store.
Growing up in Gaberone, Botswana, Oppong would wake up and say goodbye to his father, who traveled the world for work. While his father was away he would watch his mother diligently run her boutique store and hair salon. “I guess you can say being exposed to that at an early age ingrained a hustle- mentality in me, which manifested itself as I came of age,” Oppong tells BE Modern Man. As he watched his parents start and grow their businesses he also saw the challenges they dealt with, many of which he’s also faced on his own path. Oppong turned obstacles into opportunities. “My initial opportunity (challenge) was establishing a presence in NYC after graduation, since most of my network at the time was mostly in NJ,” Oppong says. “I figured out that I would expand my network by attending after-work events, and meeting people everywhere I could. A friend, Andrew Moko, helped me by sending out emails for events taking place around the city. This led to another opportunity (challenge) to help grow what is now America Needs You, by joining the Young Leadership Board of New Jersey Needs You.” From this, Oppong realized that his ability to connect with others could be expanded to connecting people in his network.
Read more about the role education and travel played in Terry’s success…