But she never imagined her father鈥檚 participation in the 2009 (SPI) would so directly impact her own future. Winifred, a junior economics major, spent the summer as a community assistant at SPI 鈥� the very program that first brought her father to 黑料正能量.

SPI director knows both father and daughter. 鈥淲ilfred fills up the room,鈥� said Goldberg. 鈥淗e is very outgoing … and tall. Winifred is quieter, but there is definitely a presence that they both share.鈥�

As a community assistant, Winifred has offered support and information to the many international citizens who stayed on campus this summer. SPI employees accompanied participants to the grocery store, and on trips and tours over the weekend. The assistants were also available around the clock should someone need help or advice.

鈥淭hey are incredibly dedicated to the participants,鈥� said Goldberg. 鈥淭hey are always willing to answer questions and provide help whether they are working or supposed to be off.鈥�

Her experience at SPI this summer has further solidified her commitment to follow in her father鈥檚 path of peacebuilding work, Winifred says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 blown my mind how great everyone has been. Watching the dynamics between people from all over the world, the way they connect with each other 鈥� it makes me want to do good things.鈥�

SPI plays 鈥榓 critical role鈥�

Wilfred Gray-Johnson, executive director of the (LPBO), attended SPI in 2009 and 2014.

鈥淪PI has enormously enhanced my theoretical knowledge and application in peacebuilding, which has contributed to the level of success of the LPBO,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are responsible for coordinating the Government of Liberia peace and reconciliation programs, and lead the development of various peace and reconciliation strategic policy frameworks. SPI, having built our skills in the areas of conflict and context analysis, as well as restorative and other forms of justice, continues to play a critical role in our work.鈥�

Gray-Johnson has also sent members of his office to SPI every year since 2009. Participants from the LPBO include Sunny A. George, training and conflict sensitivity officer; Togar S. Tarpeh, national early warning and early response program officer; John R. Dennis, national monitor and evaluation officer; Matthew B. Kollie, who now works with the Governance Commission; and Victor Smith, who currently heads a USAID project in Liberia.

Tough transition

It wasn鈥檛 always apparent that Gray-Johnson was bound for Virginia. Soon after she graduated from high school, her mother passed away. Wanting to remain close to her father, two younger siblings and 10 extended family members, she attended a local college in Liberia for two years, after which she sat down with her father and had a long conversation.

鈥淚t seemed like the best thing, for my education,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t that point I needed to get away, to focus.鈥�

Her father agreed. 鈥満诹险芰库�檚 campus environment is conducive to focus and learning, par excellence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 applaud the school for its multicultural environment that encourages respect for diversity, while remaining distinct in championing moral and ethical values.鈥�

Winifred says her father鈥檚 familiarity with聽鈥� and affection for 鈥� the campus made a hard decision a little easier. 鈥淢y father loves 黑料正能量. He has so many friends here,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 afraid to leave me here on my own.鈥�

While her father鈥檚 connections to the campus drew her to 黑料正能量, they didn鈥檛 smooth her transition from Liberia to Virginia. The cultural transition, food and the winter weather proved the highest hurdle.

鈥淚 had a keen sense of being alone,鈥� she emphasized. Furthering this feeling was a discomfort with certain social norms. 鈥淭he hardest thing to adjust to was addressing my professors and supervisors on a first-name basis. I probably went for two months without saying their names. It just wasn鈥檛 comfortable for me.鈥�

But frequent Skype conversations with her father helped ease her. 鈥樷�淲e weren鈥檛 always close,鈥� Gray-Johnson said. 鈥淣ow we are close. We have become good friends.鈥�

They are, however, good friends who haven鈥檛 seen each other for the past year. Though Wilfred Gray-Johnson was able to visit his daughter in Maryland last summer, where she was staying with her aunt, the two haven鈥檛 been on campus together since he dropped her off at the start of her first year. 鈥淚鈥檇 love it if he was on campus with me. Then he could introduce me to everyone he knows,鈥� she said.

For his part, her father plans to attend an SPI session next summer. 鈥淗opefully my daughter will be an SPI community assistant once again, and we can spend time together then,鈥� he said.

Help for home

Nor has Gray-Johnson been able to return to Liberia, due to the Ebola outbreak in the summer of 2014. Watching from afar while the disease threatened her family and her father worked on the front lines of the crisis in Liberia, Gray-Johnson to supply aid and raise awareness of the devastation in her home country.

The group reached out to Nobel Laureate , MA 鈥�07 (conflict transformation), a fellow native of Liberia, and who knows and has worked with Wilfred Gray-Johnson. Winifred first met Gbowee when she was the 2014 commencement speaker (her son Joshua Mensah graduated with the class of 2014), and was eager to bring her back to campus.

To the group鈥檚 surprise, Gbowee accepted their invitation, donating her time and services to the cause, waiving even travel fees. Bolstered by Gbowee鈥檚 attendance, ISO raised over $4,000 to assist in fighting the Ebola epidemic. In addition, student participation in ISO events rose significantly over the remainder of the semester. 鈥淲e had so much involvement,鈥� Gray-Johnson said. 鈥淚t was really wonderful.”

And when Liberia was declared Ebola-free earlier this summer, Gray-Johnson offered a prayer of thanks. 鈥淲hen I heard that, I gave a long exhale,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was so relieved.鈥�

Future peacebuilder

Her summer experience has contributed to a long-term plan that she hopes one day leads back to Liberia. In the meantime, she鈥檒l spend the next year as president of a newly invigorated International Students Organization.

Following graduation from 黑料正能量 in 2017, she鈥檇 like to spend a year interning or volunteering in a French-speaking country, to learn the language. And after that?

Gray-Johnson contemplates graduate school, maybe even at 黑料正能量鈥檚. That thought gives her pause, though. 鈥淢y father is so well known there, I am worried the level of expectation will be too high,鈥� she said, a momentary frown crossing her face. Then she shrugged and smiled. 鈥淭he apple doesn鈥檛 fall far from the tree.鈥�

Pausing, she reflected for a moment on her father鈥檚 love for SPI and 黑料正能量, and his eagerness to share both with her. She nodded. 鈥淣ow I see what caught his attention.鈥�

It also helped that Gbowee knew 黑料正能量 well. She had earned a in 2007.

Gbowee, a social worker who led a women鈥檚 peace movement that helped end Liberia鈥檚 civil war 10 years ago, addressed a fundraising dinner for over 100 people at 黑料正能量 on Feb. 7. Organized by the school鈥檚 International Student Organization, the event was followed by a public address to about 200 attendees, who put contributions into baskets passed by the students.

The events raised over $4,000 after expenses for the care of children whose parents died from Ebola. The funds will go to the Nobel winner鈥檚 in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. The foundation makes grants to grassroots groups, including two Liberian organizations founded by graduates of .

The countries hardest hit by Ebola, which started in March 2014, were Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, said Gbowee in her public address. The 3.4 million people of her country had only 51 doctors. 鈥淲e were not prepared for Ebola, but Liberian civil society rose to the occasion,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 wait around for the international community to come and help us.鈥�

Gbowee told the stories of three Liberian heroes 鈥� a doctor who cared for Ebola victims in his humble clinic at the risk of his own life, a taxi driver who transported dangerously infectious patients to the hospital, and a young man with a full-time job who provides care for orphans in his off hours.

The epidemic has finally abated in Africa, she said. The Ebola clinics are emptying and students are going back to school. But, she added, the people still live in fear, the economy is ruined and orphans abound.

鈥淲e appreciate the help of international organizations,鈥� Gbowee said. 鈥淏ut sometimes they didn鈥檛 bother to consult with the local people about how to fight Ebola. They thought they had the expertise, but if you don鈥檛 really listen to what the people want, then it鈥檚 not much use.鈥�

Gbowee has a reputation for speaking truth to power, most notably when she publicly confronted the president of Liberia during the country鈥檚 civil war. Most recently she criticized the United Nations鈥� humanitarian aid efforts during a meeting of the UN Security Council.

During a question-and-answer session at the conclusion of her speech, Gbowee praised young people for their idealism and gave advice on how to start on the path to activism. 鈥淚deas that are ground-breaking and keep you awake at night might seem like crazy ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut write them down, tell a friend and step out boldly. Getting angry about an unjust situation is not only okay, she added, but a good thing.

The students who organized the fundraiser represented five continents: Kaltuma Noorow and Nandi Onetu of Kenya, Winifred Gray-Johnson and Gee Paegar of Liberia, Sun Ju Lee of South Korea, Wael Gamtessa of Ethiopia, Brenda Soka of Tanzania, Zoe Parakuo of the United States, Norah Alobikan of Saudi Arabia, Danika Saucedo of Bolivia, Victoria Gunawan of Indonesia, and Marcus Ekman of Sweden. , 黑料正能量鈥檚 director of , is the advisor for the International Student Organization.

Gbowee鈥檚 last trip to 黑料正能量 was in April 2014, when she was the that included her son, Joshua Mensah. Before that she came to campus in . Just prior to her arrival, the was announced, and thus her appearance made for a frenzied weekend.

Editor’s note: Kara Lofton, a 2014 黑料正能量 grad, reported on Gbowee’s appearance at the Ebola fundraiser for local public radio station WMRA; her four-minute report can be heard.

鈥淒are to be laughed at, mocked and scorned.鈥�

A Nobel Peace Prize winner gave those words of advice to Sunday afternoon.

Leymah Gbowee (pronounced bowie) 鈥� a 2007 鈥� addressed a crowd of 467 graduates, along with their friends, family members and 黑料正能量 faculty during the university鈥檚 96th commencement Sunday on the campus lawn.

• 听听

Gbowee, whose son Joshua was a member of the graduating class, encouraged graduates to reach for their dreams but also to learn how to stay in the moment.

鈥淓mbracing the present allows us to see practical ways to make a difference even when our lives are in conditions of pain,鈥� she said.

Gbowee, who is Liberian, won the Nobel Prize for her contributions to a women鈥檚 peace movement that helped bring about the end of the second Liberian Civil War in 2003.

She recalled a woman from her country who had lost two sons to civil wars. The woman came to a protest and got involved because she didn鈥檛 want others to lose their sons.

鈥淗er present was full of heartaches and pains but she chose to embrace it for a better future for Liberia,鈥� Gbowee said.

Gbowee was a poor mother of two and only had a high school diploma, but decided she wouldn鈥檛 let her income or social status, or her lack of a college education, limit her.

鈥淚 never set out to be a global women鈥檚 rights activist,鈥� Gbowee said. She just wanted to make a difference.

And she did.

Among her efforts was an initiative working with young girls in Liberia.

Many young people in her community had sexual relations early in life and wound up pregnant before they had a chance to finish school, she said.

One day Gbowee invited four girls from that environment into her living room. She was thrilled when, many years later, one graduated from high school without having had children of her own.

鈥淭hat was like a Nobel Peace Prize for me,鈥� Gbowee said.

She encouraged 黑料正能量 graduates to not let others鈥� perceptions of what they will do after graduation stop them.

All one needs is a 鈥渃razy idea or concern and a whole bunch of enthusiasm,鈥� to make a difference in people鈥檚 lives, Gbowee said.

Having one friend who helps can be a big plus, she said, citing the examples of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she added: 鈥淭he world is crying out for risk-takers and change-makers. The future depends on what we do in the present.鈥�

Cristian Quezada, 33, a Santiago, Chile, native who received a with an emphasis in and , said it was an 鈥渋mmense privilege鈥� to hear Gbowee.

鈥満诹险芰�, and particularly [the ], focuses on the importance of being relevant peacebuilder practitioners that are generators of transformative revolutions, so Leymah鈥檚 address felt tremendously relevant to us all.鈥�

Mariana Lorenzana, 52, is a school teacher at Smithland Elementary in Harrisonburg.

Originally from Honduras, Lorenzana said she wanted to be an example to the Latino community and her children.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy, but it鈥檚 not impossible,鈥� she said, after attaining her master鈥檚 degree in education.

It took her three years of going to college part-time to finish, said Lorenzana, who has been teaching for 20 years.

鈥淚 wanted to give back to the community,鈥� she said. 鈥満诹险芰� gave me the opportunity to continue working, be a mom and get a higher education.鈥�

Courtesy of the Daily News Record, April 28, 2014

鈥淏egin with what you have,鈥� she said, using 鈥測our little gift to change the world.鈥�

Gbowee referred with pride in her to being a graduate of 黑料正能量 (she earned a in 2007) and to being the mother of a 2014 graduate, . 鈥淢y home is 5,000 miles away from this campus, but this is a place that is very close to my heart.鈥�

She said she chose 黑料正能量 for her eldest son because she wanted a university with “a whole lot of Jesus and lots of churches” in the vicinity, but “limited partying.”

Mensah, a major, was one of 351 students receiving bachelor鈥檚 degrees. Eighty graduate degrees were conferred, including the first graduates from 黑料正能量鈥檚 two-year-old . Graduate certificates, associate degrees, and pastoral ministry degrees were also conferred.

Among the thousands of family members and friends in the audience were 10 relatives of , a well-known figure on campus for his basketball prowess. Less well-known is that he flunked out of 黑料正能量 after his freshman year.

Thorne appealed for re-admission, hoping to prove that he could be the first member of his extended family to finish college. The following years were not entirely smooth, including at least one brush with the law. But, in Thorne鈥檚 words, basketball coach “stayed in my ear to push me along and to be honest. He never gave up, and he鈥檚 been getting on my nerves for four years! But that鈥檚 what people need.鈥�

An published in December 2013 showed that Thorne, in his fifth year at 黑料正能量, was still struggling to complete his required coursework. Upon reading the article, Coach Dean posted this comment:

You need to really focus and finish strong! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel so keep grinding! Years from now, I need to be able to tell other recruits about 鈥楢ndrew Thorne鈥欌�here he came from, what he had to overcome, the contributions you are making to society, and the successful life you are leading now. That鈥檚 where this story needs to go over the coming years. Get it done.

When Andrew鈥檚 name was called and he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, his father James waved the commencement program in the air and yelled, 鈥淚t鈥檚 about time!鈥�

Andrew’s 27-year-old brother (named James like his father) got leave from his work as a Norfolk-based petty officer in the U.S. Navy to be present. 鈥淚 knew he was going to make it,鈥� said his brother, though 鈥渋t was not an easy ride for him.鈥�

Their mother, Wanda, said she is sure “Drew” 鈥� as the family calls him 鈥� 鈥渋s going to be successful 鈥� he鈥檚 proven that he can overcome a lot of obstacles in his life.鈥�

Drew himself was all smiles as he hugged his family, but he was a man of few words in talking about his accomplishment. He simply said, “It means the world. It’s a fresh start. It’s a new beginning.”

More from commencement weekend:

Cords of Distinction ceremony听(辫辞诲肠补蝉迟)

Seminary commencement ceremony (podcast)

“” – WHSV/TV3 (video)

Nurses’ pinning ceremony (podcast)

Seminary Baccalaureate听(辫辞诲肠补蝉迟)

鈥淐oming from an African culture, your parents are in charge,鈥� says Mensah. 鈥淵ou may have an opinion, but they have the final say. They know what鈥檚 best for you.鈥�

A , Mensah received his bachelor’s degree from 黑料正能量 on April 27. His mother, a 2007 MA graduate of 黑料正能量 who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, was the speaker.

When he first saw the small quiet campus, Mensah had doubts about his mother鈥檚 choice. 鈥淚鈥檝e always lived in cities. I envisioned a larger place. My first impression was 鈥� 鈥榃hat is this?鈥欌��

Mensah鈥檚 family is currently centered in New York City. He takes annual trips to Ghana and Liberia to reconnect with extended family and 鈥渞efresh my culture.鈥�

He readily identifies with 鈥溾�� raised in multiple countries and cultural settings. 鈥淚 notice things, subtle differences that others might miss. I describe myself as an introvert-extrovert. I get energy from people, but I like thinking, collecting ideas, analyzing.鈥�

Mensah hopes to return to Africa to share what he鈥檚 learned with his generation of budding artists after completing his cross-cultural requirement at this summer.

鈥淚 want to be an entrepreneur, do business after college. I feel like I have the right ideas,鈥� says Mensah. 鈥淚 want to take this newfound love for media, visual communications, and apply it back to Liberia and Ghana.鈥�

This spring, for example, Mensah was part of a group of student videographers who produced “,” a documentary that linked a chemical spill in West Virginia鈥檚 Elk River in early 2014 to pollution feared from a proposed 4.5-mile open-pit iron mine in Wisconsin鈥檚 Penokee Hills.

Mensah says he wants to 鈥渞e-teach, share what I鈥檝e learned at 黑料正能量 and not just make money off of it鈥� by opening a photo studio and offering classes 鈥渁s a way to bring young people into this line of work.鈥�

Mensah鈥檚 artistic skills were apparent at a young age. In high school he began hand-painting designs onto white t-shirts. He now has a line of international urban clothing which he sells through /.

The street word 鈥渄ub鈥� is the brand name Mensah chose for his business venture. 鈥淚t can mean a number of things. It could mean twenty, it could mean to win, as in 鈥榳e got the W.鈥� Dub means a re-mixed Jamaican song. I think it鈥檚 a special word. I took that word and I put another meaning to it. And it still means we are winning, we are champions. We鈥檙e pushing something good.鈥�

During his junior year in the only business class he took at 黑料正能量, Mensah parlayed his idea for an app to a weekend at James Madison University. He convincingly communicated the concept for his event finder and planner app, which he named 鈥淰ite-us,鈥� to the win the 鈥渟ilver medal鈥� among 24 competitors. He also won a business plan competition among students taught by 黑料正能量 business professor Tony Smith.

Mensah鈥檚 multiple talents were on display in the he created for his senior show in early April, an original song 鈥淏eauty鈥� to celebrate the life of a high school friend who died earlier this year in Ghana.

Combining original lyrics, collaborative music by a high school friend and a kaleidoscopic montage of double-exposure video, Mensah鈥檚 capstone project showcased his visual and musical abilities.

鈥淲hat pushed me to make this project 鈥� I鈥檇 hear people say, 鈥極h, your friend was so beautiful.鈥� I felt like they didn鈥檛 know how beautiful she really was. They only saw the physical beauty,鈥� says Mensah.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 rely on how you look to sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and your people,鈥� is the Lupita Nyong鈥檕 quote he chose for the opening lines.

Gbowee鈥檚 advice to her son during his college years? 鈥淲ork hard鈥nd focus. Focus, that鈥檚 the one word I try to remember,鈥� says Mensah.

Focus鈥� and a strong dose of optimism and wonder. 鈥淟ife is so crazy. God is so mysterious. He鈥檚 wonderful,鈥� says Mensah. 鈥淲hen I think about how my life is unfolding, it鈥檚 motivation to keep moving forward, to think positive for the future.鈥�

Working in teams among 24 competitors, including many experienced 鈥渟erial entrepreneurs,鈥� the two 黑料正能量 (黑料正能量) juniors each pitched projects to help students connect online. Mensah won second prize for his plan in the 54-hour marathon competition, held at (JMU) on April 5. The group-encouragement idea that Greene pitched didn鈥檛 win an award, but it did garner attention from JMU students for its creativity.

鈥淛osh and George were so well-received. They really knocked the socks off the jury,鈥� said 黑料正能量 professor , PhD, who teaches both students in his business topics course and served as a coach/mentor in the event.

Twelve days later, Mensah was named 黑料正能量鈥檚 nominee for the to be held May 2, 2013, in Richmond, Va. A panel of five independent judges convened by 黑料正能量鈥檚 department of business and economics chose Mensah鈥檚 business plan as the one 鈥渕ost likely to grow/succeed in 90 days,鈥� an honor that came with $1,000 in prize money.

At Startup Weekend, underwritten by , participants suggested ideas, then formed six teams around the most popular suggestions. Each team had to turn their idea into a full-fledged business plan, and pitch it in five minutes to a panel of judges 鈥� a model employed at similar events in 3,500 communities globally, Smith noted.

Mensah, who is from Liberia, proposed a mobile app for students called 鈥淰ite-Us.鈥� It could keep classmates informed of events, ranging from parties to performances to chapel services, he said.

Newcomers to campus find 鈥渋t鈥檚 hard to keep up with what鈥檚 happening,鈥� he added. His proposal would allow posting of all types of activities, on or off campus. Just-arrived first-year students might follow the site鈥檚 link to a campus map and reach their first 鈥渂arbecue on the hill.鈥�

After tying in an early round with more experienced competitors, Mensah considered dropping out until Dale Strickler, who belonged to a team heading to the sidelines, linked forces with Mensah, identified as one of the potential finalists. In previous years, Strickler had developed software for Rosetta Stone, a leading company for language-learning software. He is now pursuing an executive MBA at . The duo divided up their work this way: Mensah provided creativity in graphics and vision for the business plan, while Strickler focused on its financial aspects and provided mobile app software expertise.

When teams fanned out on the JMU campus to survey students, they found enthusiasm for their Vite-Us pitch, even among visitors from high schools. 鈥淲e put it on a Facebook page, and [soon] had 50 hits,鈥� Mensah said.

鈥淎nybody could post鈥� on Vite-Us, Mensah suggested. Revenue sources, he said, might include charging students $2 or less to get the program on their iPhones. Businesses could pay to post events. Google ads could be solicited.

The two 黑料正能量 students, Mensah and Greene, already operate a business, Dub Life LLC, matching classmates with printers and tailors for custom-made clothing. The plan presented at JMU by Greene, of Richmond, was for the formation of groups that would circulate as grassroots initiators of positive reinforcement, giving cheers and high fives, as part of 鈥渟tepping up and being the Local Growl.鈥�

黑料正能量鈥檚 business topics class has centered around developing business plans, experiencing not only the dream of entrepreneurship but the background work, said junior Kate Steury, another student in Anthony Smith鈥檚 class. Steury, a , won $550 as 鈥渕ost promising entrepreneur鈥� for her “Express Lane Deliveries, LLC” project in 黑料正能量鈥檚 business-plan competition.

鈥檚 journey to becoming a Nobel Peace laureate began, ironically enough, because she was angry.

Angry about the way women鈥檚 roles were reduced to little more than cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. Angry about rampant rape and domestic abuse throughout her native Liberia. And angry about the country鈥檚 鈥渟enseless鈥� civil war.

At James Madison University Saturday, Gbowee, a joint recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, told those gathered for the 2012 International Student Leadership Conference how important that anger was 鈥� and even more significantly, how she channeled it into a constructive plan of action.

鈥淵ou must be angry,鈥� said Gbowee, who mobilized women into an influential peacebuilding movement in Liberia. 鈥淸But] when you鈥檙e angry, there should be no talks of revenge.鈥�

Gbowee鈥檚 anger, instead, led her to create the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement. The non-violent organization 鈥� some 2,500 women strong 鈥� helped bring the second Liberian civil war to an end in 2003 after four years of conflict.

鈥淭he need for people to answer 鈥榶es鈥� to lead change is so great,鈥� said Gbowee, who has been in the United States since Feb. 26 speaking on average at two events per day. 鈥淚n order to see the change you want to see, you cannot [contribute to a movement]. You have to lead.鈥�

Gbowee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemeni women鈥檚 rights activist Tawakkul Karman.

Local Ties

The weekend-long leadership conference, sponsored annually by JMU and 黑料正能量, brought together about 200 international students and advisers from higher education institutions across the nation. Gbowee gave the event鈥檚 keynote address at JMU鈥檚 Festival Conference and Student Center Saturday morning, marking the second time she has visited the area since winning the Nobel. Even before her recent visits, Gbowee was no stranger to the central Valley. The 39-year-old earned a from 黑料正能量鈥檚 in 2007. And Gbowee鈥檚 son, Joshua Mensa, is currently an 黑料正能量 sophomore.

Gbowee is also the co-founder of the and supported the creation of the . Her movements helped get Sirleaf elected the first female president of an African nation. Her work also was influential in creating a lawful definition for rape in Liberia, which previously did not have one. The west African country now has one of the strongest rape laws in the world, said Gbowee.

鈥淚 describe the world as upside down,鈥� she said. 鈥淕ood is seen as evil, evil is seen as good. People like yourself and myself [are] trying to tilt it upright through the tiny actions we do.鈥�

Giving advice to college-aged leaders, Gbowee told them to be persistent, bold and selfless and to have focused goals.

鈥淭here is no way you can lead a change if it is all about you,鈥� said Gbowee. 鈥淵ou cannot lead a change if you are not passionate about your issues because it is that passion that will wake you up when your knees are aching鈥� when there鈥檚 no money in the bank account鈥� [it will] keep your adrenaline pumping when you think about your work.鈥�

As Gbowee regaled the audience with personal stories and advice, some audience members had barely noticed that 90 minutes had flown by.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel time,鈥� Lynchburg College freshman Karen Figueroa said with a look of awe on her face. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the most inspiring thing I鈥檝e ever heard in my life.鈥�

As the event drew to a close, host Salorne McDonald asked students to 鈥渞emember the words emblazoned on the back of your shirts.鈥�

The words were a quote from Gbowee advising: 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for a Gandhi, don鈥檛 wait for a King, don鈥檛 wait for a Mandela,鈥� referring to a trio who are arguably best known peace activists of the 20th century.聽 鈥淵ou are your own Mandela, you are your own Gandhi, you are your own King.鈥�

“I don’t want to paint cityscapes, I’m not interested in a lot of non-nature related things, so it really evolves out of the landscape,” said McCagg.

McCagg’s work, “Place. Prose. Protest.,” will open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. in 黑料正能量’s (黑料正能量) Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery. The show will feature paintings, drawings, stone carvings and media.

In an interview with Erica Garber, a student in Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) at 黑料正能量, McCagg said the natural landscape 鈥攚oods, nature, water and wind鈥� informs him.

“All the color we want is out there and that’s why a lot of my paintings are about color, I don’t want to paint in shades of gray,” McCagg said.

“As a painter, the excitement lies in the deeper level of observation,” said McCagg.

The show will run through Feb. 19.

For more information contact Paulette Moore at 540-432-4163 or email paulette.moore@emu.edu.

of the show edited by Garber and produced by VaCA students Gabriel Brunk, Joshua Mensah and Shandell Taylor.

Gbowee created the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement, working to end the rape and other violence that erupted during the second Liberian civil war in 2003. She is sharing this year鈥檚 peace prize with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni women鈥檚 rights activist.

鈥淓verything I鈥檝e done and continue to do is not because I expected an award. I see my work as a calling from God,鈥� Gbowee told the Daily News-Record in October.

Gbowee, now 39, earned a master鈥檚 degree in conflict transformation from 黑料正能量鈥檚 Center for Justice and Peacebuilding in 2007.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time for 黑料正能量 and obviously for Leymah,鈥� Swartzendruber said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to claim her as one of our alums. Certainly, her work on the ground as a relatively young person really mobilized both Christian and Muslim women.鈥�

Gbowee鈥檚 son, Joshua Mensah, an 黑料正能量 sophomore, and Swartzendruber plan to attend the presentation ceremony, which is set for Saturday afternoon at Oslo City Hall.

Gbowee and Mensah were traveling Wednesday afternoon and were not immediately available for further comment, said Maria Hoover, a spokeswoman for 黑料正能量鈥檚 peacebuilding center.

鈥淲e鈥檙e obviously very, very pleased for the recognition for Leymah,鈥� said Lynn Roth, the center鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淚鈥檓 personally pleased that she got [the award] with two other women because that exemplifies that peacebuilding is obviously an important movement.鈥�

Forty-three women overall have been awarded a Nobel Prize in science, medicine, literature or peace since the honors were first given in 1901, according to nobelprize.org.

Article courtesy Daily News Record, Dec. 9, 2011