On a Sunday evening in December many in the Augustana College community gathered around screens to watch CNN announce its “Hero of the Year.” They were not disappointed.
Nelly Cheboi, a 2016 Augustana graduate, won the special honor and $100,000 to impact the amazing work she is doing through her non-profit, TechLit Africa. She works with hundreds of supporters to repurpose computers to bring technological literacy to students in rural communities in her home country of Kenya.
Nelly’s vision, passion and work are remarkable and incredibly impactful. She is changing the world, and we are incredibly proud of the work she’s doing.
And, while Nelly and TechLit Africa’s work has now received worldwide attention, it’s also important to recognize the liberal arts education she received at Augustana College. Her education informed her approach and values in launching this initiative and is exactly what she’s bringing to those rural Kenyan communities.
The word “liberal” in this case derives from the Latin “liberalis,” associated with the meaning of “freedom.” The original “artes” simply means “subjects of study.” A liberal arts education offers an expansive intellectual freedom in all kinds of classes and academic disciplines.
If you were to ask me, I would tell you that a liberal arts education is a superpower that propels Nelly and will hopefully inspire the students who benefit from the technological literacy she makes possible.
Nelly’s liberal arts education develops the professional skills, ethical citizenship and independent judgment that society needs today.
At the end of four years, graduates of liberal arts colleges — like Nelly —emerge with the superpower to make sense of complex information, and the independent thought and judgment to make wise decisions. I describe it as a breadth of education that allows graduates to see the world not in portrait mode, but in panoramic mode.
Students who choose liberal arts colleges:
Develop as critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers.
Solve the new problems they discover.
Follow their curiosity.
Value diversity in all its forms.
Become effective, persuasive communicators .
Grow as ethical citizens.
In “Beyond the University,” Michael Roth wrote that Benjamin Franklin thought “the awakening of curiosity, learning to learn, was at the core of liberal education.” That’s a pretty good way to think about it.
That’s an education that opens the future for every graduate, in any field of study and every career. And, it’s exactly why Nelly Cheboi is changing the world.
Kent Barnds is vice president of external relations for Augustana College in Rock Island. Readers can reach him at wkentbarnds@augustana.edu.
