One day in the fall of 2013, a young Malian, Konaté Kadijah M Samaké, arrived in Richmond in to study at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her father Mr. Samaké (originally from Segou) is rector of the University of Bamako College of Humanities, and her mother, Mme. Samaké (a Bamako native), is an executive with BorneFund (ChildFund). She majored in International Studies and while a junior in 2015, Kadijah (known better as Didi) started an NGO in her hometown to help provide food and supplies to families in need. Didi graduated from the VCU School of World Studies with her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies on Saturday, 13 May 2017 and said she intends to continue the work of her NGO while pursuing a career in diplomacy and development back home, and, of course, raising a family--because (and talk about multitasking!) Didi got married last summer and this spring gave birth to a healthy baby boy at VCU's materinity center just after her final exams and just in time for graduation! Didi is a member of Virginia Friends of Mali, which, in a way, has been her family away from home. She has made lots of friends while here and we will miss her (and her gingembre) when she returns to Mali, but expect her to remain an ambassador for our two countries and our sister cities for years to come. Her parents are proud, her husband is proud, her son will be proud.
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