Some distinguished guests attended the graduation ceremonies:
Ambassador Mahamadou Nimaga
Former Ambassador of Mali in Washington DC
Curent Professor – Chargé de cours partenariats stratégiques et négociation diplomatique – in Mali.
Monsieur Ibrahima Biridogo, Former Second Advisor
Embassy of Mali in Washington DC
Mr. Adama Diarra, Former Minister of Sport and Culture in Mali
The event was covered by two TV stations: ORTM and Tele Mande
This year’s graduation was interesting because DeAfrica had students enrolled from many parts of Mali, such as Timbuktu, Sikasso, Koulikoro, Kayes, Kolikani, and Segou. Those students could not attend the ceremony.
Among the attendees:
- Domota Diarra, one of the graduates, came all the way from Sikasso by bus to attend the ceremony
- Ousmane Doumbia, one student, had over 15 certificates from the University of Virginia.
- Guest students from Lycee Prosper Kamara, a famous High School in Bamako, attended the events.
- Mahamadou Nimaga, the former Ambassador of Mali in Washington DC, delivered a speech in both French and English. He thanked Dr. Kristen Palmer for her dedication to helping African students access quality education.
Mrs. Korotoumou Cisse, alias “ Koty,” a beneficiary of the African Scholarship Cohort (ASC), also thanked Dr. Palmer for all her efforts and the University of Virginia (UVA) for providing free scholarships to Africans. She was the Master of the ceremony (Emcee).
Below are moments captured from the DeAfrica 2022 Graduation in Bamako, Mali.
