One connection to Upwardly Global led to a community of support — and a director-level job Ama thought she’d lost
Ama was 350 job applications deep, debating if it was time to pack her bags, head back to Ghana, and restart the high-powered treasury career she’d built over 15 years.
Then the phone rang. It was a U.S. recruiter offering her a director-level role in finance — after a year of silence.
“I was shaking,” Ama recalls. “I couldn’t even speak. I thought, ‘Wait, is this real?’”
Leaving a full life in Ghana behind
Ama had everything going for her in Ghana: She was an executive in the banking sector, managed millions in assets, and had a name that opened doors.
“I had a comfortable life,” she shares. “And I had my extended family, but I didn’t have my husband.” After several years of long-distance marriage and quarterly transatlantic travel, she made the tough decision to join her husband in the U.S. in 2023.
But after making the move, all of her credentials felt like they’d been lost in translation. Suddenly, she was being passed over — not for lack of skill, but because her experience wasn’t “American enough.” One interview even ended mid-call when a recruiter realized Ama had previously worked in Ghana, not in the U.S.
She didn’t just need a job; she needed a whole new playbook.
Finding a support system at Upwardly Global
A former colleague tipped her off to our program, and within weeks, she had a career coach, a reworked resume that began to get traction, and an introduction to a professional mentor from Wells Fargo who stuck with her weekly for months.
“She basically reprogrammed me for U.S. interviews,” Ama said. “And she never gave up on me, even when I was ready to walk away.”
Ama also didn’t sit still. She studied for and passed the Certified Treasury Professional exam and took an intensive eCornell course on U.S. financial regulations, all sponsored by Upwardly Global.
“I thought it would be a breeze,” Ama laughed. “It wasn’t. But it sharpened my understanding and gave me the language I needed.”
Landing the job — and paying it forward
With new tools, renewed confidence, and a network of champions in her corner, Ama aced one of the toughest interview cycles of her life at a Wisconsin bank.
“The interview support was invaluable. I had all these people who were trying to get me over the finish line,” she says. “It’s everything you need when you are in a new place with no professional network.”
Although she had applied for a manager role, Ama was offered a role as Director for Treasury Optimization, putting her career right back on track.
These days, she works remotely, close to her family, and well within her lane of expertise. But more importantly, she shares what she’s learned with others — because too many immigrants still end up sidelined, invisible in a job market that doesn’t know how to see them.
“Upwardly Global reminded me of my own value,” she says. “Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you long enough for you to remember it yourself.”