Following His Leaders

January 2020

Forced to drop out of junior high at age 15, Batholomew Hottor from the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa, didn’t think more education was possible. After obtaining his degree through BYU-Pathway Worldwide, he’s now pursuing a master’s degree at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Forced to drop out of junior high at age 15, Batholomew Hottor from the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa, didn’t think more education was possible.

After completing PathwayConnect, Batholomew was called to serve as a clerk in his ward as well as the facilitator for the Education for a Better Job self-reliance class.

“When the Liahona magazine came, I loved the stories of general authorities overcoming difficulties to improve themselves. I wanted to follow their path,” Batholomew says. “When I joined BYU-Pathway in my ward, there wasn’t anyone else, but I wanted to follow my leaders.”

Because of financial challenges, BYU-Pathway was the only educational program possible for Batholomew. “It took about four years and was very challenging, but I graduated last year with a bachelor of science degree in business management,” says Batholomew.

And he’s not done yet. He’s now pursuing a master’s degree at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Though far from home, Batholomew desires to bless the people in his home country. After graduation, he plans to help improve access to education, healthcare, energy, and financial services in Africa through entrepreneurial projects.

Batholomew is very grateful for the opportunities he’s been blessed with because of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. “If there was no BYU-Pathway, I would not be here today,” says Batholomew. “I am so grateful.”