Ahmed Sirleaf '05

Life After Hamline

"It's a competitive world out there. I would not have been able to accomplish what I have without my Hamline education. No other place would have prepared me as well." 

A legal studies major and conflict studies minor, Ahmed Sirleaf came to Hamline already knowing how he would apply his knowledge. A native of Liberia, Sirleaf fled the country because of violence and civil war. At Hamline he was determined to learn the skills necessary to help his people.

Today Sirleaf, who earned a master's degree from the United Nations University for Peace, helps people around the world as a program associate for the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, implementing justice initiatives in societies that have experienced severe violence. He immediately became involved in the Liberian conflict, working with the Liberian Reconciliation Truth Commission to encourage Liberians living outside the country to participate in an investigation of human rights abuses during the war.

"University for Peace was extremely intense," says Sirleaf. "I interacted with members of the U.N. and took classes with people from all over the wold and from top schools-- Harvard, Yale, and others. Many students had to drop out, but I found I was a tough competitor. Hamline prepared me with a solid undergraduate education."