Lemuel Crentsil: Meet the 23-year-old Ghanaian PhD student doing ‘wonders’ at Oxford University
Many are called, but few are chosen by the prestigious Oxford University, and even a tiny elite receives thunderous applause that could bring down a roof on their graduation day.
Yet, Lemuel Ebenezer Kobina Crentsil, born to Ghanaian parents, surmounted all barriers to be crowned among the handful of graduate scholars with a First Class Masters in Chemistry at the renowned Oxford University, U.K.
The acknowledgement from the university hierarchy at the Sheldonian Theatre on May 13, 2023, was profound for a brilliant student who achieved distinction (79% score) in the first-year preliminary examinations and maintained a high level of excellence (72% score) to complete a four-year programme in final honour school examinations.
The outstanding first-year results placed him in the top 25 out of 180 MChem students across 36 colleges.
He was just one of 5 black students out of the 180 population.
This qualified Lemuel Crentsil for a £7000 yearly scholarship for excellent academic achievement given to just four students.
In addition, Lemuel attained a ‘Scholar’ status, £300 stipend and priority for accommodation for his subsequent years in the top U.K. university that boasts alumni such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, ‘father of Economics’ Adam Smith and Physics legend Stephen Hawking and over 70% of all U.K. Prime Ministers.
On its official website, Oxford University states that the proportion of UK-domiciled students who identified as Black as of 2020 was a paltry 3.5%, highlighting the remarkable feat by the 23-year-old from a minority group.
The successes chalked by the genius propelled him to receive a fully funded scholarship of £50,000 for a four-year (Doctor of Philosophy) DPhil in Inorganic Chemistry.
On average, Oxford University receives 50 applications for the PhD programme, of which 11 are selected.
Yet again, Lemuel was the only black person out of the 11 successful candidates.
He also benefits from the Black Academic Futures financial scholarship support programme offered to 30 U.K. black and mixed-black students.
Childhood Journey
Lemuel Crentsil was born in the U.K. on December 28, 1999, but spent the first three years of infancy life with his grandparents – Mr & Mrs James and Josephine Minta-Jacobs, in Inchaban, Takoradi, Ghana.
He later joined his parents in Gravesend, northwest Kent, England.
At Rosherville Church of England Primary School, his teachers spotted his gifts and intellect at a tender age.
After exceeding expectations in examination results, they selected him for a small group of five talented pupils identified for upper-grade lessons.
By year two, at age seven, Lemuel and his extraordinary classmates were already taking lessons meant for pupils four years older.
“He embraces new subjects and concepts with interest and shows excellence in all subjects,” a tutor said.
At age 10 in 2010, he wrote the 11+ entrance exams to qualify for a state grammar school.
Lemuel scored 410 out of 420, the highest mark from his school and one of the highest in Kent County.
In 2011, he got admission to the Gravesend Grammar Boys School.
Lemuel did not only excel in class but ascended to the top in sports.
He attracted the attention of scouts as a winger and was invited for trials at two professional football clubs.
West Ham United F.C. came calling when he was just 8, and Charlton Athletic F.C. followed after he had turned 13, but a professional contract did not materialise.
Having one of the fastest limbs, he was selected to represent Gravesham Borough in 2015 at age 15 in the 400-metre Kent Schools Championship.
He was the recipient of the Peter Sharp Award for Excellence in Chemistry.
Also, he snatched a Silver Award (Top 25%) for the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge in Lower Sixth at Gravesend Grammar School.
Lemuel was the only student to qualify from Gravesend Grammar School and the county for the national U.K. Chemistry Olympiad by the Royal Society of Chemistry, receiving a Silver Award (Top 35%).
The same year, he wrote the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations and emerged as one of the top five for his school with 6A*s and 4As.
Most students choose three subjects to study at Advanced Level (A-Level) after GCSE, but he opted for four subjects – Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics & Economics.
Again, Lemuel showed his academic prowess by scoring 4A*s to emerge as the best student in 2018.
With a keen interest in the sciences and searching the depths of his soul, he settled on building a career in chemistry.
Chemistry at Oxford University is a four-year, integrated Masters course leading to an MChem (with honours).
“Chemistry is one of my favourite subjects in school and the one I easily excel at,” he pointed out. “I enjoyed the way it was taught. I like the experiments and the trial and error”.
Besides the academic results, he was required to take an entry test which he passed and attended an interview to be given an offer at Oxford University.
The next period was months in summer school dedicated to people from poorer or underrepresented backgrounds as he prepared assiduously for the Oxford admission requirements.
Life at Oxford University
It was not a stroll in the park for Lemuel as he faced a rigorous journey away from the comfort of home and family as he tried to balance academics, student life and his ambitions in a new environment.
“Oxford was not easy,” he recounted.
He continued: “At the beginning, when you don’t see as many faces like you (as a black person), it is a bit scary because you feel there is no one to relate to. But I think more people are becoming aware of that, so one of the solutions was a network of black students. It is a place you realise you are not the only one,” he emphasised.
“At Oxford, everyone was welcoming; I feel very fortunate to have that for the past four years”.
“There is a lot of work to do. Being black, it could feel like you are not supposed to be there. It can make it hard to do anything else other than study. Trying to balance, socialising, working, and doing sports, which I have always enjoyed, would probably be my biggest challenge for the four years”.
Lemuel’s capabilities on the tartan tracks and the green fields were again on display.
He played for the university football team as a fullback and the rugby team as a winger.
In 2019, he helped Christ Church College to place second out of 36 colleges at the university’s inter-college competition.
Lemuel was placed in charge as squad leader for student participants in short sprints for the Oxford University Athletic Club (OUAC).
Fast-forward to 2022, he was a key Oxford University athletics team member and helped his alma mater to win the 4×100 relay against Cambridge University in the Varsity Match.
He also participated in the 200-metre competition.
Again, Lemuel and his team snatched the ultimate prize in the 4×100 relay for the second consecutive time in the 2023 edition of the competition.
Among his traits are his soft heart and compassion for others which triggered volunteerism in various philanthropic endeavours.
In 2019, he was a 42-kilometre marathon runner in Spain to raise £1,200 for the global humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger to help malnourished children and provide communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger.
Plans for the future
Lemuel has set his sights on surpassing famous scientists who have impacted the world in diverse ways.
“In the next five years, I want to be a known name in my field – Chemistry”.
He hopes to be a lecturer to educate young people and contribute to academic knowledge through research.
Additionally, he plans to be a consultant and a global policy influencer.
He hopes to embark on a global educational project to build the capacity, to tutor and mentor young people from his home country and other places.
He has long-term plans for implementing sports and charity projects in Ghana.
Family values
From a Christian home, Lemuel’s parents are not hesitant to borrow a quote from the Bible in Matthew 3:17.
“This is our beloved son, in whom we are well pleased!” Lemuel’s parents proudly proclaim to the world.
His father, Mr Godfrey Crentsil, has lived in the U.K. for 25 years.
The Executive Director of the Financial Inclusion Advocacy Centre also doubles as a lecturer in finance and business at various colleges in the U.K.
He believes Lemuel’s achievements have influenced his two siblings – Valentino Fiifi Crentsil, who is a third-year medical student at St. Andrews University in Scotland, where Prince William and his Wife Princess Catherine of Wales had their university education, and Mischa Adelaide Araba Adooba Crentsil, a year 8 student at the Northfleet School for Girls.
“We raise our children in a God-fearing home. Our upbringing in Ghana counts a lot. We encourage hard work and never entertain mediocrity,” he emphasised the guidelines for their parenting style.
Lemuel’s mother, Mrs Adelaide Crentsil, shares similar thoughts.
Hopefully, her formula for Lemuel will help other children to excel at the Cre-8-tive Kidz Childcare Centre, a nursery school she established in Kent, UK.
She was full of praise for her son.
“He is calm, very intelligent and goal-oriented,” she stressed with a broad smile.
“I feel very proud of how far he has reached, but I advise him to be humble and never let that get into his head. We instil discipline in our kids, encouraging them to work hard and do what they need to but never relegate God to the background”.
She advised parents to provide holistic support for children to propel them to the top.