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Graduates from page A I includes full tuition cover age and a semester of study abroad. "I don't know what it was about Salem but I fell in love with it," Frimpong said. "1 just felt comfortable there. I just felt like I belonged there, like I had been called there." Though she was not ini tially enthusiastic about the idea of attending a women's college, Frimpong, who spent all four of her years on campus working in the admissions office, said the all-female environment has stimulated her growth beyond her own imagining. "Most of us go not really knowing the benefits of a women's college and not really knowing that, four years later, we'll come out so empowered and ready to take on the world," she declared. "You get so used to being a powerful woman on campus thai when you leave campus it's still there with you." During her time on cam pus, Frimpong, who is a member of several honor societies, became a student Photo courtesy of Sulcm College A ma Frimpong ( center ) poses with fellow grads Sarah Fowler ( left ) and Flizabeth Ganshaw . leader and activist, railing against indignities she says she and other minority stu dents faced from time to time there. She stayed in close contact with school administrators, keeping them in the loop of what was going on on campus. Frimpong, who will start law school at Wake Forest University in the fall, believes Salem is becoming more intentionally inclusive and she, in turn, is becom ing more confident as an agent of change. "Salem really helped me to find myself. It really was at Salem that I learned that I had a voice," she declared. "I had to leam to fight. I learned just how much power I had." Uisenyi, Kwanda-native Swenson had just completed her sophomore year at St. Fidel College when the hor rific genocides broke out in her native land. Two of her brothers were killed. Swenson, the seventh of eight children, says no one in the nation was spared from the crushing grief that accompanied the conflict. "I lost only two broth ers," she related. "There were whole families that were completely wiped out so I consider myself lucky." Swenson and several of her surviving siblings spent a year in a refugee camp in the Congo. Swenson describes the experience as "Horrible. I feel like it's one year wiped out of my life," she stated. "That's what it feels like." In 1996, Swenson and another Rwandan girl were sent to live with a pastor in Raleigh. The pastor helped Swenson and her comrade find jobs and get on their feet. Swenson worked briefly as a cashier and took some computer courses at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh. It was there that she met her hus band, Ryan, an IBM employ ee. The two married and Swenson gave birth to a son, Eric and a daughter, Kayla. For several years, -Swenson was content to pour all of her time and energy into the thing the Rwandan genocide had taught her was most important: family. When Kayla started kindergarten. Swenson 's thoughts turned again to her education. "My father used to tell us the only one gift you can give yourself is your educa tion and no one can take it away from you," she coi merited. "I aJways knew was going to get my colle education." Swenson found Sale College's Fleer Center I Adult Education, where s majored in economics a was able to complete I: degree in less than thr years. She hopes to be at to go on to graduate schoc but before she does anythii else, Swenson says she h to take care of her first pric ity. For the first time evi she is taking her young fai ily to spend a month wi her mother in Rwanda. Afl years of hard work, it will a triumphant homegoing t Swenson. "This is a big accoi plishment," she said obtaining her college degr at long last. "I've wanted for a long time and finally can say I'm done." The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest 1 Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published evei Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., 61 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem. N.C. 27101. Periodica postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. Annual subscription prii is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636 You can t take a princess to just any hospital. As you may have noticed, children are not adults. That's why they need care designed just for them. The completely new state of-the-art Emergency Department at Brenner Children's Hospital has been built entirely around the unique needs of children. It's the only Emergency Department in this area that treats children exclusively. Brenner is the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the state and is strengthened by the research and advocacy of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. When it comes to your child's health, trust the specialists who understand that being small is a big deal. Visit BrennerChildrens.org/ED to take a virtual tour of our new Emergency Department. And to schedule an appointment with one of our physicians, call 336-7 16-WAKE. 336-716-WAKE I 888-716-WAKE I BRENNERCHILDRENS.ORG/ED Wake Forest* Baptist Health Brenner Children's Hospital
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