Godson Sowah receives Luther College Young Alumni Award

Luther College has awarded Godson Sowah ’08 the Young Alumni Award for 2022.

Sowah receiving his award at Commencement

Each year, the Young Alumni Award goes to a Luther graduate who has attained significant personal achievements, demonstrated leadership abilities and provided service to Luther or society. The recipient must have graduated in the last 15 years and exemplify the college’s mission to serve the common good. The announcement was made during the Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 22.

“Personally, I was humbled by the recognition. I hope my now fellow alumni were inspired to find their own calling and do something wonderful with it!” said Sowah. “Such awards are great reminders of the positive impact of our service to others and the community.”

After graduating from Luther with a bachelor’s in Accounting and Management Information Systems, Sowah has risen quickly in his field. He currently serves as senior manager in Business Consulting at Ernst & Young, overseeing a team of 60 Minneapolis-based consulting professionals who work to “build a better working world” for their clients.

In the past five years, Sowah has received many honors. The St. Paul Chamber of Commerce named him Young Professional of the Year; Consulting magazine recognized him as a Rising Star of the Profession; the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal named him a Titan of Technology – Community Hero honoree; and twice, once by Governor Dayton and once by Governor Walz, he has been named to the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy.

Sowah has a commitment to addressing the education achievement gap and the employment gap among minorities. After noticing the lack of minorities and women interested in the accounting field, Sowah began engaging with these populations to explore their career opportunities, specifically related to accounting.

For five years, he has served as president of Avenues for Homeless Youth group. Sowah has also been the president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants for the last six years.

During her remarks at Commencement, Lisa Small Steinbauer ’88, Alumni Council president, said, “Clearly, Godson has been incredibly successful in his career. He has also thrived in his vocation. By vocation, I refer to the way he is serving on behalf of the common good. This broader understanding of how we invest our lives is at the heart of Luther College’s mission. Godson Sowah has lived out this mission with great distinction.”

“My experiences at Luther were the building blocks on my journey to find my leadership purpose professionally and in the community. As a student, I served on the Board of Regents as a student representative and I worked the night shift with Decorah Opportunity Homes, training young adults with disabilities; today I sit in board rooms advising executives at Fortune 500 companies and coach low-income Black and Latino high school students in North Minneapolis about accounting careers. Perhaps this is the Luther experience showing up in strong bonds between our values and our vocation – that is uniquely Luther and I am proud to be part of this legacy!” said Sowah.

Sowah is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Privacy Technologist and Certified Information System Auditor. He earned his master of business administration degree from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.

About Luther College

Luther College is home to about 1,800 undergraduates who explore big questions and take action to benefit people, communities and society. Our academic programs, experiential approach to learning, and welcoming community inspire students to learn actively, live purposefully, and lead courageously for a lifetime of impact. Learn more at luther.edu.