About Adwoa
LMSW · Genealogist · Educator
Adwoa Ulzen Setrakian is a licensed master social worker (LMSW — Georgia and Alabama) and a professional genealogist: a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, working toward Board for Certification of Genealogists certification.
She founded and directs spanDNA Families, a diaspora-genealogy program carried out in collaboration with the Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation (EAUMF), an independent nonprofit where she serves as principal genealogist and vice-chairperson, The TransAtlantic Genealogy Summit is hosted by spanDNA Families, with support from the Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation, Human Temple Therapeutics, and spanDNA PBC. Her research contributed to the establishment of the Elmina-Java Museum in Ghana. An independent scholar and educator, her work brings together DNA, records, story, and care.
My own family story
My genealogical journey began at seventeen with an exploration of my Dutch ancestry and my less-documented Ghanaian roots. DNA testing later opened additional paths for documenting and exploring my Ghanaian and broader African ancestry. Forming a family also brought me into relationship with the Slovak and Armenian family histories of my children through their father. These experiences have strengthened my understanding of migration, diaspora, cultural intersection, and family belonging.
The oneness of humanity is central to my work. I approach each visitor as a member of one interconnected human family. Everyone is welcome here, while I bring particular knowledge and experience to families of African descent and to West African-descended and dispersed African family histories.
DotGAC draws its name from Descendants of the Global African Community. The phrase reflects the African-centered provenance of the framework while recognizing the diversity and interconnectedness of the human family.
Explore related work through Link.dotGAC
Education
M.S.W., Indiana University (IUPUI), 2019
M.A., Secondary Education, University of Alabama, 2008
B.A., Romance Languages (French) & International Studies, UNC–Chapel Hill
Credentials & memberships
LMSW — Georgia (MSW010721) & Alabama (7255G)
Georgia Educator Certificate — School Social Work (P-12) & French (P-12)
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists
Working toward BCG certification (portfolio in progress)
Virginia Educator License (current)
ORCID 0009-0002-4878-6121 ↗
Featured & speaking
Speaker, Legacy Family Tree Webinars — "Family Legacies Reclaimed: Building Family Ties Through Genetic Genealogy" (June 2025) ↗
Featured, The LOLA — "They Know Me Here: Reclaiming Black Ancestry Through Connection" (May 2025) ↗
Featured, The African Dream — spanDNA TransAtlantic Genealogy Summit ↗
Video series — "Family Legacies Reclaimed"
Press — archival (Dutch, 2000)
My work has been more than two decades in the making. My transatlantic genealogy research was first featured in the Dutch press in 2000, when I was seventeen:
Onze Wereld — a first-person journal written in English by Adwoa Ulzen Setrakian and translated into Dutch for publication in the November 2000 through February 2001 edition. Translation, publication-layout, image, and scan-distribution rights remain subject to their applicable rights and permissions.
Rotterdams Dagblad — article about Adwoa Ulzen Setrakian, published December 27, 2000, by Ad Hoogerwerf. Copyright and publication rights remain with the applicable author, publisher, or other rights holder.
View the 2000 press scans (PDF) ↗