Khalif “Yema” Manyanki grew up in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest urban slums. He was fortunate. Opportunity presented itself, and Yema took that opportunity and ran with it.
On May 16, he will receive his undergraduate degree from Dominican University of California.
Yema is an inspiring example of what happens when one combines education and opportunity.
These past four years the honor roll student has held five internships, produced and presented shows for Dominican’s student-run radio station, executed a social media strategy for the athletics department, served as student body vice president and acted with the American Conservatory Theater.
He plans to enter the nonprofit field, giving back to others in need.
Last month, the Council of Independent Colleges published a report that affirmed what we at Dominican know well: Small- and mid-sized independent colleges lead the nation in effectiveness when it comes to providing effective college learning environments and ensuring positive educational outcomes for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds.
Dominican’s students represent the diversity of California, from high-achieving students who have had access to the best high schools to students who come from homes where English is not the primary language.
About one-third of our undergraduates are the first in their family to attend college.
On May 16, 300 undergraduates and 200 graduate students will receive degrees at our commencement ceremonies. This event also marks a commencement of sorts for me — as I joined Dominican in 2011 when our graduating students were freshmen.
Yema’s is not the only inspirational story from our class of 2015.
Excellent laboratory skills and high scholastic achievement earned Jessica Hernandez Bivian a prestigious National Institutes of Health fellowship to Nicaragua. Jessica also participated in service trips to Mexico and presented biomedical research at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene international conference in New Orleans.
A first-generation college student, Jessica was a member of multiple honor societies, yet she still found time to tutor students in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood and volunteer at Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa.
Inspired by her experiences in our unique mentorship program with Kaiser Permanente, Jessica aspires to become an MD or MD/Ph.D.
Magdalena Fitipaldi was 10 years old when economic crisis and political instability in South America forced her parents to migrate from Uruguay to the United States.
Magda, who grew up in Novato and attended Marin Catholic High School, also took advantage of the many opportunities Dominican has to offer. As a freshman she traveled with eight other Dominican students to Uganda, where they taught villagers about hygiene at public health workshops in rural villages. She also studied abroad for a semester in Spain, interned with the World Affairs Council, represented Dominican at national conferences and volunteered with 10,000 Degrees, tutoring children in local schools.
Last month, Magda was named recipient of a 2015 Newman Civic Fellow Award for best representing the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. This fall, Magda will begin working on her master’s degree in Latin American Studies at Stanford University.
Immediately after Jake Bernstein graduates from the Barowsky School of Business he begins his full-time job at LinkedIn, where he served as an intern this past summer thanks to introductions made by one of his faculty mentors. Jake successfully competed against students from throughout the United States for a coveted position in the company’s Business Leadership Program.
After graduation, Stephanie Rasmussen will travel to Uganda for the summer to work alongside her Dominican faculty mentor studying anti-malarial drug resistance in malaria patients at the Tororo District Hospital before pursuing a Ph.D. in infectious disease.
As Marin’s only four-year university, Dominican offers an education based on the values of community, service, study and reflection while drawing on the many opportunities for research and scholarship offered by our outstanding location and our partner organizations in the Bay Area. The upcoming 2015-16 academic year marks our 125th anniversary. As we celebrate, I look forward to sharing with our community many more examples of the work underway at Dominican.
Mary Marcy is the president of Dominican University of California in San Rafael.
