MINNEAPOLIS, March 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Edna Adan, former foreign minister and Somali
first lady, addressed more than 1,050 graduates and 4,600 guests,
faculty, administration and staff attending Walden
University's 53rd Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015, at the Gaylord Palms
Resort & Convention Center near Orlando. Adan shared her
powerful personal story and experience of going against all odds to
effect positive social change in her country and offered inspiring
insight into the importance of education and the responsibility
that comes with earning an advanced degree.
"We were honored to have Edna
Adan, a passionate advocate who gives a voice to the
voiceless, share her inspiring story of social change with
Walden graduates," said Jonathan Kaplan, interim president of
Walden University. "Her drive to pursue
education as a basic human right and her continuous fight to
challenge the status quo ring true for the Walden community, who undoubtedly went home feeling
motivated to continue impacting their communities, now and in the
future."
Adan reflected on her journey as the first Somali girl awarded
one of a few coveted scholarships to study in Britain, where she spent seven years studying
nursing, midwifery and hospital management to become Somaliland's
first qualified nurse-midwife in the country. She then went on to
open the Edna Adan University Hospital in 2002 and Edna Adan
University in 2012, "the first university in Somaliland that is
headed by a woman."
For Adan, her scholarly achievements made her accountable to the
women and girls of Somaliland and gave her the ability to create
educational opportunities that previously may not have been able to
be realized. "Besides giving me a new purpose in life, the [Edna
Adan University] Hospital has also become a platform from where I
can influence education in my country, where I can encourage girls
to go to school and often say to those who hesitate 'Do you think
that I could have built this hospital without education?'"
continued Adan.
In her speech, Adan reinforced to the graduates that "... today
proves to all that you have the skills and the professional
competence to succeed but the graduation also places
responsibilities on you to show to all what you can do with that
degree you have worked so hard to obtain."
Walden's newest alumni are part of a
graduating class of more than 6,100 students representing 50 U.S.
states and more than 97 countries who have completed their
bachelor's, master's, doctoral or education specialist degree
programs during the past six months.
Several alumni and faculty were honored before the ceremony,
including:
- Dr. Joshua M. Garrin, Ph.D. in
Psychology graduate from Milford,
Pennsylvania, who received the Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for his dissertation,
"Inspiring Change: Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism,
and Perceived Stress in College Seniors." This award is bestowed
upon a graduate whose dissertation is judged as meeting the highest
standards of academic excellence.
- Dr. Kimberley Cox, School of Psychology from Los Angeles, California, who received the
Bernard L. Turner Award, given to
the faculty dissertation chair of the Harold L. Hodgkinson Award recipient.
Walden proudly hosts diverse
speakers from around the world who present an array of experiences
and viewpoints with the hope of inspiring scholarly conversation.
Adan joins the list of accomplished individuals who have addressed
Walden commencement audiences,
including former President Bill
Clinton, former Secretaries of Education Richard W. Riley
and Margaret Spellings, former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, former President of
Costa Rica and Nobel Laureate Dr.
Oscar Arias Sanchez, former Deputy
Secretary General of the United Nations Rt. Hon. Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, and social change leaders
Lilly Ledbetter, Dr. Tererai Trent and Paul Rusesabagina.
The Walden University community
gathers to honor its graduating students twice a year at summer and
winter commencement ceremonies. An archived version of the webcast
will be available at www.WaldenU.edu/commencement.
About Walden
University
For 45 years, Walden
University has supported working professionals in achieving
their academic goals and making a greater impact in their
professions and their communities. Today, more than 47,800 students
from all 50 states and more than 145 countries are pursuing their
bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an
engaging educational experience that connects them with expert
faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in
the Laureate International Universities network—a
global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities
in 29 countries.
Walden offers more than 75 degree
programs with more than 385 specializations and concentrations.
Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services,
management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public
administration and information technology. For more information,
visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden
University is accredited by The Higher Learning
Commission, www.ncahlc.org.
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SOURCE Walden University