Mary A. Ashun (born 1968) is a Ghanaian-Canadian educator, author and researcher; she is principal of

Ghana International School Ghana International School is a coeducational international school located at Cantonment, Accra Ghana. Ghana International School has an enrollment of diverse backgrounds. The student population derives from many countries and cultural orientatio ...

in Accra, Ghana.

Education

Mary Ashun was born in

Accra, Ghana Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, in 1968 as Mary Asabea Apea to Emmanuel Apea, former diplomat with the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Secretariat in London and UN Ambassador and Coordinator to Nigeria and

ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...

, and Emma Elizabeth Apea (née Appiah) a teacher. She holds a BSc in combined science from the

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

(UK), a B.Ed. in secondary education from

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and a PhD in biochemistry from SUNY Buffalo, NY.

Academic career

Ashun was principal of Philopateer Christian College in Toronto, Canada, and a professor in the Faculty of Education at

Redeemer University College Redeemer University is a private Christian liberal arts and science university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the community of Ancaster. Founded in 1982, Redeemer stands in the Reformed Tradition and offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelo ...

in Canada. In 2014, Ashun was awarded a Klingenstein School Heads Fellowship at the Teacher's College, Columbia University. Also in 2019, she was elected as a board member of the Association of International Schools in Africa. In May 2011, Ashun was awarded a $200,000

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was merged into the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2013 by the federal governmen ...

(CIDA) grant from

Redeemer University Redeemer University is a private Christian liberal arts and science university located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the community of Ancaster. Founded in 1982, Redeemer stands in the Reformed Tradition and offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelo ...

to work on literacy development and Business growth in

Asamankese Asamankese is a town in south Ghana and is the capital of West Akim Municipal District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana. Asamankese has a 2013 settlement population of approximately 39,435 people. Asamankese is on the main ...

, Ghana. Together with a team of students and adult volunteers, the literacy program for women grew into a primary school for children in the village of Asamankese. The school has since graduated its first group of Yr 6 students into Middle School at His Majesty's Christian School in Asamankese. It is a quality low-cost education option for parents in the Asamankese area. In January 2013, she organised TEDxSixteenMileCreek under the topi
"RE-Imagine"
Her research work has been published in both academic and non-academic journals, exploring subjects such as how adults learn mathematics and her experience of being a black faculty member in a predominantly white teaching environment.

Writing career

Ashun is also an author, writing under two pseudonyms – Asabea Ashun and Abena Apea. She has written several books for children and young adults across various genres, from short stories to science fiction books for children. Her first novel ''Rain on My Leopard Spots'' (now published as ''Tuesday's Child'') was a quarterfinalist in the 2010 Amazon/Penguin Writing Contest, and her second novel ''The Expatriate'' (now published as ''Mistress of The Game'') was a quarterfinalist in the 2011 Amazon/Penguin Writing Contest. From September 2011 to February 2012, Ashun was the creator and host of a literacy show on

Rogers TV Rogers TV (stylized as Rogers tv) is a group of English-language community channels owned by Rogers Communications. Many of these channels share common programs. Rogers TV broadcasts in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and ...

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

called ''Book 'Em TV.'' Ashun has written scripts and produced stage adaptations including the DreamWorks musical, ''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The first feature film from DreamWorks to be traditionally animated, it is an adaptation of the Book ...

'', which was performed by her Ghana International School students at the

National Theatre of Ghana The National Theatre was opened in 1992 to spearhead the Theatre movement in Ghana by providing a multi-functional venue for concerts, dance, drama and musical performances, screenplays, exhibitions and special events. In Ghana, theatre as an art ...

Personal life

Mary is married to Joseph Ashun, who is an engineer and together they have three sons and are currently residing in Toronto, Canada and Accra, Ghana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashun, Mary 1968 births Living people People from Accra Alumni of the University of East London University of Toronto alumni 21st-century Ghanaian women writers Ghanaian women novelists Ghanaian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian women novelists Ghanaian emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian women writers University at Buffalo alumni Ghanaian expatriates in the United Kingdom Ghanaian expatriates in the United States