Mc Kirk De Joke, also known as Mc Kirk De Junior, is a Ghanaian based in Indianapolis, Kentucky, in the United States, where he has lived for about seven years. He shared his journey in an interview with DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show, recounting his struggles, sacrifices, and eventual breakthrough abroad.
Mc Kirk attended Pope John Senior High School in Ghana and traveled to the United States on an F1 visa through a foreign exchange program. After completing the program, he was expected to return to Ghana, but with encouragement from a close friend who believed in him, he extended his stay. Life quickly became challenging. One day, he met someone doing cleaning work, asked for an opportunity, and was hired. He worked as a cleaner for about a year.
Due to high rent costs on campus, he moved off-campus but could barely afford furniture and ended up sleeping on the floor. His school counselor later visited him, noticed his living conditions, and out of compassion bought him chairs and basic furniture for his apartment. She prayed with him and left, a moment he says he will never forget.
Still an F1 student, Mc Kirk was not eligible for student loans or many opportunities available to citizens. Despite these limitations, his natural talent for entertainment began to shine. Through small MC jobs, he became popular on campus. On one occasion, a scheduled MC failed to show up for an event, and Mc Kirk volunteered to step in. His performance impressed everyone, and he began MCing regularly, often for free, to build his name.
As he tried to improve his income, he met an Uber driver who introduced him to ride-hailing services. At the time, he did not know that as an F1 visa holder he could obtain a Social Security Number. After sorting out his documents and getting a driving license, he started driving Uber. Sometimes, he drove one hour and thirty-nine minutes to another university town just to work. Later, he added Lyft, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, which significantly improved his earnings.
Academically, Mc Kirk studied criminology and secured an internship. He had ambitions of attending law school, but the process was difficult. As part of his journey, he also completed a master’s degree in communication. During this period, he went through a painful personal experience after supporting a young woman through college—helping with her assignments and daily needs—only to be accused of having ulterior motives and eventually being abandoned, which deeply broke his heart.
Despite the setbacks, Mc Kirk remained resilient. He found fulfillment in educating people about Ghanaian history, including the transatlantic slave trade. Eventually, his perseverance paid off when he secured a job with the Department of Child Services in Indianapolis. At one point, he worked up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, for over a year.
Later, he sold his car and took on responsibility transporting students from the Indianapolis airport to their school academy, even helping to secure vehicles for the institution. He also joined TikTok, where he began explaining aspects of the U.S. legal system. His MC skills continued to open doors, as people reached out to him for events and programs.
Through it all, Mc Kirk credits God for his progress. He met his wife, they got married two years ago, and they now have children together. Looking back, he describes his journey as one marked by hardship, kindness from strangers, persistence, and faith—proof that with resilience and hard work, it is possible to rise from nothing and build a meaningful life abroad.
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