FORT WAYNE – Holland Elementary School is making plans for a memorial to honor Aliahna Lemmon, who was killed shortly before Christmas.Author Homa Sabet Tavangar has seen a few things since she was a student at Northrop High School in the early 1980s.
She’s studied in Peru, worked in Kenya, lived in The Gambia and traveled to China and other countries for business trips.
She’s become what she calls a “global citizen.” And last Wednesday, she stopped by Northrop High School to tell students how they might become one, too.
Tavangar, who was born in Iran and educated at Princeton University and UCLA, spoke about how the world was becoming increasingly interconnected.
She urged students to reach out to others, learn more about other cultures, and always keep an open mind.
“You will live multiple lives,” she told students. “Be flexible, be adaptable. That’s what the world wants of us.”
Tavangar recently published a parenting book called “Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World,” which was inspired by time she spent living in The Gambia with her three daughters.
She showed Northrop students slides of her time in Africa and spoke about the meaningful relationships she’d formed there.
“Sometimes we make assumptions about people around the world,” she said. “But there is so much to learn.”
Mary Ankenbruck, a 17-year-old junior who has done relief work in Mexico and likes to travel, said she walked away from Tavangar’s talk having heard a clear message:
“Always do something positive for the community,” she said. “Even the smallest thing you do can play a big part on the world stage.”
Recognitions
•Paul Harding students Zachary Haydock, Frank Anderson, Chelsea Anderson, V.J. Beachem and Dominique Wilson won first place in the Black History Knowledge Bowl.
•John Pierce and Julie Klingenberger won the 2010 Indiana PTA State Life Award.
•Defiance College has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Registration
•Steuben County public elementary schools are planning for the 2010-2011 school year. Parents of eligible children are being asked to call the elementary schools if they did not register their children at the kindergarten roundup. A child must be 5 years of age by Aug. 1, 2010, to qualify.
•St. Therese Catholic School, 2222 Lower Huntington Road, will host a kindergarten roundup from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and a pre-kindergarten roundup from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Call 747-2343 for more information.
Scholarships
•Alex Miller, a 2009 graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, was awarded a $3,000 Verizon Scholarship for being the top intern for the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus for 2010.
IPFW
•A free workshop, “Job Search Strategies in a Tight Economy,” will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the Walb Student Union Ballroom.
Huntington University
•Award-winning investigative journalist Daniel Bice will present “Watchdogs in the Era of New Media” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Merillat Centre for the Arts.
