Getting my education at Bridgewater will help me help the people back home in Cape Verde.
As 路易莎碧娜 和 Alcione Delgado near the completion of their bachelor’s degrees, they look forward to using their Bridgewater State University education to make a difference in Massachusetts, as well as more than 3,000 miles away in their native Cape Verde.
The two seniors immigrated to the United States from Cape Verde years ago. 这些天, they work with their families to support their homel和 through donations of money, 供应及更多.
“My family is able to help other families back there,阿尔西奥尼说, who is studying criminal justice 和 hopes to one day share what’s she’s learning with her home country. “They don't have as much as we have.”
路易莎 和 Alcione are proud to know their university is similarly committed to supporting Cape Verde’s development 和 democracy, a partnership Cape Verde 总统 José Maria Pereira 七巧板 praised during a recent visit to campus to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his country’s relationship with BSU.
“We discovered that through education we could build this bridge,内维斯对全体教员说, 工作人员, 学生, lawmakers 和 other guests at a luncheon in Dunn Conference Suite.
The partnership, forged by 七巧板 和 former BSU 总统 Dana Mohler-Faria, is an important link between Cape Verde 和 its diaspora, which predominately lives in Southern New Engl和.
The partnership has been productive in many ways. Bridgewater faculty helped Cape Verdean officials secure a major grant from a U.S. foreign assistance program. Faculty 和 学生 traveled to the African archipelago 和 Cape Verdeans came to BSU to attend workshops 和 earn degrees. BSU helped create the University of Cape Verde, which is the country’s first public university. Many of the university’s professors are BSU alumni.
BSU is home to the Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies, which builds academic 和 social engagement with Cape Verde. Undergraduate 学生 can pursue an interdisciplinary Cape Verdean studies minor, through which they learn about the social, 文化, 和 historical contributions of the peoples of the 10-isl和 nation.
“We feel like we’re the 11th isl和 of Cabo Verde,” said BSU 总统 弗雷德里克·W. 克拉克小. “We’re very proud of that. … Today we reaffirm our commitment to the future of this extraordinary partnership. Our vision is clear, 和 our intentions are nothing short of profound.”
To that end, Clark announced two new endowed funds to support Cape Verdean 学生 attending BSU. The funds are named for retired administrator 迈克·戈麦斯, who is Cape Verdean 和 played a key role in developing 和 sustaining the partnership. 七巧板 presented Gomes with a special medallion that is one of the highest honors the country awards.
七巧板, who has grown the country’s economy, 拥抱清洁能源, implemented financial reforms, 和 deepened democracy, said the partnership 和 support from members of the diaspora such as 路易莎 和 Alcione are essential to furthering Cape Verde’s development. This assistance is even more important as the country recovers from the health 和 economic effects of the COVID-19 p和emic, 内韦斯说.
"我们必须问, ‘How can we use our talents, our capacity that we have in the diaspora, to help Cape Verde develop?’”他说。.
路易莎, a mathematics major who is considering a career as a teacher, has an answer: “Getting my education at Bridgewater will help me help the people back home in Cape Verde.”
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