Victoria Mends

Victoria Mends is a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at Academic City University College in Accra, Ghana. Hailing from Ayigya in the Ashanti Region, she began her education at a low-cost school due to family financial constraints. Throughout her basic schooling, she helped her mother sell pastries to support their income. In 2016, Victoria attended Kentinkrono M/A Junior High School, where she became School Prefect and founded a club for academic support among students. 

Despite financial challenges, Victoria continued to Senior High School in 2018 and worked at various jobs to save up for university. Her dedication paid off when she was selected for a scholarship interview in Accra, enabling her to pursue higher education. At Academic City University, she excels academically and is recognized for her community impact. She was awarded the Most Outstanding Engineering Student for the 2022/2023 academic year and maintains a CWA of 85.53. 

Victoria’s high school achievements include scoring 5As and 3Bs in her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), earning a Presidential Scholarship, and becoming a prominent figure at Armed Forces Senior High Technical School in Kumasi. She led her school’s National Science and Math Quiz (NSMQ) team, winning accolades at the Ghana Science Olympiad and Global Girls in AI Hackathon. 

Victoria is passionate about being a positive influence on her peers and community. She initiated "The Scholar’s Project" at her university to provide academic support, particularly for first-year students and those retaking exams. Collaborating with the Dean of Students, she raises awareness about health and stress management. She also resolved campus confusion about academic floors by designing clear identification signage. 

Victoria's community involvement beyond campus sees her volunteer with Academy Achievers and Beme Ghana to teach robotics and programming to women and children. She also works with Ghana educational non-profit FireflyIO, which she co-founded, to provide practical STEM education to underprivileged students and mentors high school graduates in scholarship and university applications. As a public speaker, she promotes STEM opportunities for women and discusses technological advancements in healthcare. 

A real commitment to public health shows through her organizing health screening programs and participating in clean-up activities. She mentors students on menstrual hygiene and practical STEM subjects. Victoria's innovation and invention skills have seen her work on projects such as a surgical lamp, an air filtering system, an obstacle detection system for the blind, and a system for detecting Atrial Fibrillation. 

Despite her family’s financial hardships, living in a single room with shared facilities, Victoria's determination never wavered. She balanced academics with supporting her community, even when it meant risking her scholarship. Her resilience and commitment are reflected in her academic success and community impact. 

Victoria pursues global citizenship by collaborations with students from different countries. She is a core member of Build SCI TECH (AgroPremium), campus-to-country lead for Innovators for Global Health and worked with Boston University members on projects like the surgical lamp. Victoria also facilitates interactions between Ghanaian and American students and has moderated international virtual events.