Before the sun could rise over the market stalls in Ghana, a young Sandra Ayivor was already on her feet—completing her house chores, setting up tables, organizing wares, and helping her “auntie” prepare for the day’s sales. Then, with barely a pause, she made the long walk to school. There was no complaint. No thought of another way. It was just what needed to be done.
“It’s just what I did,” she says simply, reflecting on her upbringing in a God-fearing home where the values of faith, hard work, determination, and kindness were instilled and serve as the bedrock of who she is today.
Ayivor doesn’t talk about hardship the way most people do. She acknowledges it, yes, but never dwells. A long-distance marriage, raising three children across two continents, pursuing multiple graduate and doctoral degrees – there was no other way.
And now, on the verge of receiving her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from West Virginia University, that same mindset remains: “It’s just what I did.” Through every transition, from Ghana to Morgantown with multiple stops in between, her belief remained the same.
“Victory starts in the mind,” she says.
Even as a child, Ayivor stood out as a leader. She served as a girls’ school prefect at her high school, a role that placed her at the center of student life and responsibility. At home, she was looked to for guidance by cousins and siblings, some of whom were the same age or even older. She says that she never sought to become a leader or something she set out to be, but more of an innate quality.
“People always looked to me,” she says. “I didn’t even think about being a leader; I was a pacesetter. I just was.”
For Ayivor, education (and more education), was always something she aspired to. It was the highest bar and the biggest dream, but nothing that she felt like she couldn’t do.
She married her husband, Jesse Ayivor, in 2003. Soon, Jesse left for Ohio University for a master’s degree of his own. It would be the first of many long stretches they’d spend apart. However, she joined him there later to pursue a master’s degree in international studies with a focus on African studies, but soon he was back in Ghana and Sandra was still finishing her degree. Despite the challenges of distance, the two remained committed to doing whatever they could to stay connected.
“Back then, it was Skype, and we’d have Skype dates,” she recalls. “And I wouldn’t miss those for anything. I used my lunch break to do those calls. Sometimes it didn’t really feel like we were really that far away because we’re talking, seeing each other’s faces, and still in each other’s business,” she says with a laugh.
As her time was coming to an end in Athens, students from WVU came to campus to talk about opportunities in Morgantown. Sandra was very interested in coming to WVU but was unable to get her application in early to secure funding. She’d have to wait to become a Mountaineer.
After earning her degree at Ohio, Sandra returned to Ghana where she spent the next six years working primarily as an administrative manager for the Local Churches in Ghana, a religious nonprofit organization. By that time, she and Jesse had already welcomed three daughters: Jessica in 2005, Sowani in 2008 and Ama in 2012.
A natural in math, Sandra thought she might want to become an accountant and decided to take certification exams towards that end. She had no formal education in this area, but simply studied on her own for the exams, and passed them. Soon, though, Sandra abandoned her pursuit of being an accountant and completed all the coursework for a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Ghana. In 2016, an old connection from her time at Ohio helped lure her back to the United States.
“My former professor at Ohio University had moved to West Florida, and he told me about an opportunity to get a doctoral degree there and asked if I wanted to apply,” she recalls.
She applied, was accepted, and was soon in Pensacola. She earned her Ed.D. degree in curriculum and instruction while balancing the long-distance relationship and raising three daughters. As she started to look for jobs, she felt that even that academic credential wasn’t quite enough. The Ed.D. was a great accomplishment, but now she needed a Ph.D., and now the timing was right to come to the campus and university she wanted to head to over a decade ago when she was wrapping up her time at Ohio.
Sandra was set to receive her degree from West Florida in the spring of 2020 – the height of the COVID pandemic. She had already relocated to Morgantown to begin her next academic chapter at WVU, which meant that she was not able to attend the ceremony at UWF. On top of the general disappointment from not being able to have that moment was a bigger wrinkle: Sandra was so well-respected by her peers and faculty at UWF that she was selected for the honor to serve as a commencement speaker. With no live ceremony, she needed to record her remarks remotely. Coordinating with WVU faculty and staff, she borrowed WVU regalia to wear for the video.
“It felt strange,” she admits with full understanding of the significance of regalia. “I hadn’t even started at WVU yet, but here I was in their cap and gown. It made me feel like—I have to finish this now.”
But, of course, was there ever any doubt?
On May 18, Sandra will walk across the stage and receive her Ph.D. in higher education administration. Additionally, because – why not? – she’ll receive her master’s degree in education towards teacher certification and a graduate certificate in gender studies. Meaning, while she was completing her doctoral dissertation at WVU she was student teaching, being a wife and mom, completing classes, and navigating the rigorous process of becoming a permanent U.S. resident—a process she proudly notes she completed without hiring a lawyer.
While academic and professional goals have driven her, Ayivor’s greatest motivation comes from her children and the desire to lead by example.
"I want people to look at me and think, 'If she can do that, I can do something, too,'" she says. She views her latest degrees not as an endpoint, but as part of a continuum of growth. "It's not just about finishing," she said. "It's about expanding what I believe is possible."
Sandra doesn’t have a specific job title in mind for what comes after commencement. But she knows what she wants: to keep dreaming, to remain open to new opportunities, and to model what it means to strive for more.
"I want to dream big. I want to keep doors open so I can choose," she said.
With every degree earned and every sacrifice made, Sandra Ayivor has built a life defined not by circumstance, but by mindset.
And at the heart of it all is a quiet, unwavering truth: Victory starts in the mind.
See other featured members of the Class of 2025 from the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences here.