UCLA Ghana Scholars Program marks 5th year with tour of the African nation

A diverse cohort of 20 UCLA students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members explored the rich history and vibrant contemporary culture of Ghana July 14-22 as part of the UCLA Ghana Scholars Program 2026.

Participants in the program had the opportunity to visit sites such as the W.E.B. Du Bois Center, Makola Market, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Center and Independence Square. Guided tours, community service and reflective learning activities invited participants to grapple with the enduring legacies of the transatlantic slave trade at Omans Slave River and the Elmina Castle slave dungeons, while also illuminating Ghana's role as a place of historical memory and return for Black Americans.

"This year's tour was a rousing success," said UCLA professor of education Tyrone Howard, who is the founder of the program and led the trip along with Jonli Tunstall, UCLA vice provost of student diversity and director of the UCLA Academic Advancement Program. "The program continues to offer a powerful model of global education that advances UCLA's mission to develop critically engaged world citizens."

By intentionally integrating scholarship, experiential learning and critical reflection, the program deepens participants' understanding of how histories of enslavement, resistance and independence shape current struggles for freedom, identity and justice locally and globally. Now in its fifth year, the Ghana Scholars Program lowers barriers to transformative international engagement, exploring the African diaspora and modeling the inclusive, high-impact programming that positions UCLA as a leader in equity-driven global education.

"I learned more about the continent we call Africa in eight days than I have in 22 years of the education system," said Mitchell Stevens, a 2026 UCLA graduate who took part in this year's visit.

"Never could I have imagined I'd be the first in my family to return to the Motherland," he said. "I was always aware of my lineage as a descendant of the institution of slavery, but I never thought I would ever be reconnected to that lost history. No words can fully recount the different foods I tasted, the surroundings I witnessed, the unique sounds I heard and the spiritual connection I felt. For nine entire days, I felt completely at home. To quote my grandmother, 'I felt Africa in my soul.'"

Read more about the trip on the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies website.