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A Story of Hope
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| Nancy Aossey & Nancy Umuhire |
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Nancy Umuhire (MIS '08) was a little girl in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 100-day ethnic genocide that devastated her homeland in 1994. She survived, but her mother was among the nearly 1 million people who did not. Two million others were displaced.
Nancy Aossey (Marketing '82, M.B.A. '84) was in Kigali at the same time. She had chosen to position her relief operation there, close to the killing fields, unlike many other organizations that had opted to set up shop in the relative safety of neighboring countries.
The two Nancys did not cross paths then, but they would be on the same stage years later during the May 2008 commencement ceremony at UNI. Umuhire would be the commencement speaker, representing her class of graduating seniors; Aossey would receive an honorary doctorate from her alma mater for her worldwide humanitarian work. Any business school would be proud of these two alumnae for what they have overcome and what they have accomplished!
That afternoon, as I watched the two Nancys sitting on either side of President Allen, it struck me that beyond the captivating story each could tell, there was another story the two of them could only tell together. Aossey left UNI to bring hope and the promise of a better life to every devastated corner of the world, including the one in which Umuhire lived. Years later, having lived through one of the most tragic moments in human history, Umuhire came to UNI, hoping for a good education and a better life.
Together, they represented a full circle, a whole story of hope, and I was happy to be representing the school where this particular story took shape. I could see my school as a landing place for those determined to improve their own lives and as a launching pad for those determined to improve the lives of the others. Isn’t this dual, complementary role what allows business schools to occupy a central place in today’s society?
Thanks to the two Nancys, I had a chance to think about the greater purpose of higher education. The moment felt so good I wanted to capture it and share it with you.
Farzad Moussavi, Dean
Updated 17-Feb-09
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