Lindenwood Graduate Nicholas Poku Gives Back to College Table Tennis
An NCTTA Feature - July 2011

By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Relations Committee

Nicholas Poku vividly remembers the chilly day in 1995 when he exited an airplane on American soil at New York’s Kennedy airport.

It seemed like the coldest day of his life when he moved to the USA. The Ghana native never experienced such freezing winter temperatures and powerful winds back home in West Africa. It’s a good thing for collegiate table tennis and the NCTTA that life in America warmed up for Poku.

Fast forward to the sweltering days of summer in the USA when temperatures often climb to the 100- degree mark or close to it in much of the South and other regions of the nation. In early July, we are pleased to report that Poku, a Lindenwood University graduate and splendid table tennis player at the Missouri school, is assisting the NCTTA’s marketing and media relations committees.

It’s a perfect fit for Poku, a graphic designer and artist. Call it payback time for a sport he loves. A table tennis scholarship helped pay for the bulk of his college costs at Lindenwood. He managed to play well enough to take trips to the College Table Tennis Championships in 2009 and 2011, both in Rochester, Minnesota. Poku was also a big help to our staff in providing photo coverage of the games in April 2011.

“The least I can do is give back to the sport,” Poku says. Scholarships each year at Lindenwood helped pave the way for him to secure a bachelor of fine arts at the Missouri university and the stepping stone to his career. Table tennis, he said, also provided him with an amazing amount of energy and boosted his fitness.

Born in Accra, Ghana, Poku initially thought about studying computer science at college, but we are glad he’s found his niche as a graphic designer and artist. One of his clients is former professional football player Brandon Williams, who’s a rising star as a broadcaster. While in the NFL, Williams played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, and St. Louis Rams. It’s a nice part-time job for the Chicago-based artist, who does lots of freelance assignments.

Poku hasn’t given up playing his favorite sport. A member of the USATT, he recently played in America’s Team Championship organized by Ed Hogshead in Rockford, Illinois.

In his native Ghana, soccer is really a big sport. Ghana made it to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa. At NCTTA, we are thrilled that Poku discovered table tennis. Working with the NCTTA’s team, Nicholas hopes to spread the message about the benefits of college table tennis to colleges across the USA and Canada. Welcome aboard Nicholas Poku!