Harriet Achiaa Dwamena was not always a mathematics whiz. “In primary school, I really loved science and English but my math was not very good,” she recalls. “My best score was 50 percent!” It is only when her class six teacher challenged her about her mathematics scores that her focus shifted—resulting in a marked improvement in her performance. “When my teacher encouraged me, I realized that math is not difficult, it is just about applying the principles,” she declares. “I really love math—everything about it,” she smiles. It is this love for numbers that led Dwamena to pursue a BSc in Mathematics and explore the possibilities that this specialization offered. “With mathematics, you don’t limit yourself to one area, you can take it to health, engineering, or agriculture,” she explains. After graduating, Dwamena had an opportunity to apply her mathematics in agricultural research when she was posted to CSIR for her national service.