Mighty Kwame Firempong

 

On Saturday, June 12, 2021, we laid  our angel to rest. The funeral and subsequent burial and repass were absolutely beautiful ceremonies. We thank each and every person/family who gave their support to his family, who helped coordinate the scholarship efforts at both UCLA and Tufts, and who provided their time and talents to make his day special.

Please read the official obituary:

"Our beloved Gaylinn “Kwame” Firempong, MD, M.B.A. gained his angel wings on April 26th, 2021. He was born on Saturday, September 12,1992 in Los Angeles, California to Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, M.D. and Gretchen Gilmore Firempong.


Kwame was an exceptional child, loved by all for his kind heart, and respectful nature. He was a stellar student, with an inquisitive mind and a passion for learning. Unlike many children, he knew his life was meant to heal others, and as a result, his childhood friends described Kwame as the only kid on the playground who knew he wanted to be a medical doctor. Additionally, his mother and father introduced him to several different sports, including basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, karate, ice skating/hockey, and swimming to name a few.


At the age of three, he began his educational journey at TenderCare Preschool. From there he attended Wilders Preparatory Academy for elementary school, Berkeley Hall for middle school, and he graduated in 12th grade from Windward School in 2010. In his senior year, he was the recipient of the Pauletta and Denzel Washington Award for the Family Gifted Scholars Program in Neuroscience. Donned with his accolades, he then traveled across the country to Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts with an academic scholarship, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biopsychology in 2014. While he was there, he proved himself to be an outstanding collegiate student-athlete. He focused on the pre-med track, led the Men's Basketball Team as their point-guard, and also served as their team co-captain in his final two years there. He was a member of the Tufts Africana center and was an awesome role model for his peers, balancing academics, friendships, and basketball, all with a permanent smile on his face, and a side of humor. With all of his responsibilities and obligations, he always offered his time to those in need. He was the type of friend who noticed when people struggled, withdrew, and became distant, extending himself to them. His heart and intentions were always pure. During his summers home in Los Angeles, Kwame tutored young kids at Mathnasium, and volunteered as a coach and counselor at the Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy to help youth develop their basketball skills.


Following his time at Tufts, he returned home to Los Angeles to complete a post-baccalaureate program, and attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM), while simultaneously attending the UCLA Anderson School of Management to obtain his M.B.A. Kwame was a member of the UCLA-PRIME-LA cohort, which afforded him the opportunity to obtain both degrees in a 5-year plan. His professors and peers at DGSOM described him as a warm, brilliant, and positive student, classmate, and friend. He served as an anatomy tutor, UCLA MD/MBA Biodesign Scholar, and Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and Black Business Student Association member. In addition to all of the other activities he had, Kwame taught for the UCLA Pipeline Summer Health Professions Education Program, and volunteered for community health fairs and Project HEAL, teaching high school students to become stewards of health for their neighborhoods in East Los Angeles, Watts, and Lennox. To honor his memory, UCLA posthumously awarded him with his medical degree on June 4, 2021.


As accomplished and sweet as he sounded, Kwame had an incredible sense of humor. He lived life being silly and free spirited, and it only made him more cool and relatable. He constantly roasted his closest friends and family, but always with a smile from ear to ear and an unforgettable, loud and boisterous laugh. His energy was incredible, and his Tufts and DGSOM peers could attest to the countless late nights and early mornings he spent cracking jokes and enjoying the company he kept. Additionally, as confirmed by his mother, Kwame never slept (literally and figuratively). His spirit easily lifted the mood in any atmosphere he was part of, and prompted others to relax around him. He was unapologetically goofy, yet it showed how comfortable he was in his skin. As the bright star that he was, he easily commanded and captivated rooms. He also knew how to simplify life. Kwame’s drive was unmatched, and he never missed an opportunity to share his wisdom with others. Though he was extremely competitive, that trait never interfered with his passion for teaching and mentoring others. He was a great advisor, and encouraged others by making the task or goal at hand seem attainable and effortless. He had loving relationships with his brothers Alexander Owusu Firempong, M.D. (deceased) and Christopher Ananeh-Firempong, and his sisters Adoma Ananeh-Firempong and Nanafrema Ananeh-Firempong.


Kwame is preceded in death by his brother Alexander Owusu Firempong, M.D., grandmothers Eleanor Ellis-Gilmore and Margaret Ananeh-Firempong, grandfather B.R.D Ananeh-Firempong, and uncle Kofi Ananeh-Firempong.


He leaves behind several proud family members to cherish his memory including his mother Gretchen Gilmore Firempong, father Dr. Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, grandfather Clarence Gilmore, extended family mother Sheila Ananeh-Firempong, aunts Beatrice Yankey, Joana Amoateng, Esther Ananeh-Firempong, Josephine Ananeh-Firempong, and Stella Nwoko, uncles Merkelyn Gilmore, Rev. Dr. Asafo-Agyei Ananeh-Firempong, and Adom Ananeh-Firempong, nephew Caine Ananeh-Firempong, a host of cousins, and countless loving friends.


Though Kwame was “the gift that kept on giving”, he never laid his own burdens on his friends or family, seldomly leaning on them for support. To us all, he seemed to guard his heart’s secrets. Rather than focus on what happened to our friend, he would rather that we celebrate him, and remember him with joy. In 2017, during his first year at UCLA, he wrote:


“The fragility of life is apparent when you walk the halls of a hospital and experience what might be the end of a journey for some patients. We spend our lives trying to arrive at a destination: going to work, going to school, rushing to a soccer game, getting a job, getting married. We, myself included, tend to focus on the end destination and forget to appreciate the journey that it takes to arrive. When we share personal moments with those at the end of their life journey, it reminds us of remaining present and enjoying the process to any destination we wish to arrive.”


Our duty to our dear friend, brother, son, and mentor, is to open ourselves to others. We must be generous and giving, kind and caring, laugh with our friends and families, and focus on achieving our greatest dreams and aspirations. We must smile at what once was, but most importantly, be present in the moment, and appreciate who we have while we still have them. The future will come, but we should never lose sight of the blessings that currently surround us.


So, Kwame, we send you home. Thank you for all of the laughs, the lessons, and all of your love. You certainly changed all of our worlds for the better. Heaven has gained a mighty angel."

 

As we originally intended, Kwame's name will live on forever, and it will help future students in the process. Please keep sharing this page to your friends and families! And please also share the UCLA page as well:

https://bit.ly/2SIH1PM


and Long Live King Kwame.

-Dominique Bannerman, Tufts '14