Meet Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19, mathematics with a minor in economics. Anna is an award-winning Ghanaian American researcher and writer and a doctoral student studying public policy and economics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Anna is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Boston honoree and the youngest recipient of a CEDAW Women’s Rights Award by the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women—previously awarded to Vice President Kamala Harris and former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Anna’s newest book, “The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid,” explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and why it doesn’t have to be this way. Take it away, Anna!
Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?
A: I came to UMBC from the University of Maryland, College Park. On a large campus, I felt too much like a number and not like an actual person. I also felt, in my gut, that College Park wasn’t the right campus for the kind of growth I knew needed to happen to transition into adulthood. UMBC, at first, seemed like the right fit, but I struggled a lot to find my place and to find my voice. I didn’t immediately know what I wanted to do right away. It actually took me until my junior year to figure out the path I am on now, and even then, I wasn’t too sure! That said, the communities on this campus really became the match for the fire I feel today in the work I do. The educators, the students, and the organizations have fueled me throughout, even now as an alum.
Q: Were you involved in any student organizations at UMBC?
A: One of my favorite organizations to lead and be a part of was the UMBC chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). There’s something about being part of a Black-led organization alongside Black students that was so empowering. I was educated at predominantly white schools up until college, so between participating in NSBE, where we started new traditions like the annual NSBE pageant and launched the first U.S. conference for Black women economists, and being part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, I felt more seen than I had in the years prior.
Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?
A: There are a couple of people across the UMBC community who have made a big impact on me, but I want to focus on two people specifically: Bonny Tighe and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. ’09, human services psychology. Ms. Tighe taught my Calculus II class, which at the time was one of the most difficult courses offered for STEM majors. She and Dr. Kalman Nanes really believed that I could do hard things, and her class became a turning point for me—math was really something I could pursue in college. She’s also hilarious.
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19 and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. ’09, in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program office. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)
Dr. King is my soul sister, truly a kindred spirit. She is part of what I like to call my Mount Rushmore of educators. Dr. King led the MARC/URISE program, which funded my final years of college. She saw me stumble in with no plan, no purpose, and no direction, and coached me into the life I am living and thriving in today. She and I touched base weekly, sometimes just to catch up, and her guidance fundamentally changed my college experience. I owe her so much.
Q: Can you tell us more about your work as an author?
A: The work I do as a writer cuts across race, gender, and the economy, with an eye toward making the workplace a fairer place. In 2022, I published a critically acclaimed collection, The Black Agenda, which was the first trade publication to exclusively feature Black scholars and experts across economics, education, health, climate, criminal justice, and technology. In September 2025, I published The Double Tax, which explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and how the individual costs women of color face become societal costs later on. You’ve probably heard of the pink tax—that additional price women pay to exist in the same world as men. Now meet the double tax, the compounded cost of racism and sexism, or the pink tax and then some.
I am currently hosting events across the country and hope you’ll join me! If interested, RSVP by visiting my website: annagifty.com!
Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about us?
A: UMBC is a small school, but finding community is still the best way to make your time on campus count. I talk a little bit about my time at UMBC in my new book, The Double Tax, namely, how when I first arrived, I was so lost in the sea of ambition and among the students who seemed to have it all together. I think finding community on campus via clubs, organizations, and academic affiliations made this school feel more like home and ultimately became the driver of the success I am experiencing today.
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