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News and Events : News 03-04
Press Release
October 13, 2003
Gift of Goat Brings Ugandan Student to NMH
NORTHFIELD , Mass. --Thanks to the gift of a dairy goat, Ugandan native
Beatrice Biira is a student at Northfield Mount Hermon School .
Biira grew up in poverty in Kisinga Village , Uganda , in a family with
six children. In 1995 her mother received a goat from Heifer Project
International, a charitable organization that provides livestock to poor
communities worldwide. Income from the goat allowed then-9-year-old Biira
to attend school for the first time.
Biira was subsequently featured in a Heifer Project video and became the
subject of a best-selling children’s book, Beatrice’s Goat, published in
2001. She went on a U.S. book tour and spoke on national radio and
television. Biira has appeared on such programs as Good Morning America
and the Oprah Show.
In 2003 she graduated from a prestigious girls high school in Uganda .
Having learned through the Heifer Project about NMH’s Transition-Year
Program, which funds postgraduate study for minority and international
students, she applied to the program and was given a full scholarship to
NMH. She hopes to attend an American college next year, and her
postgraduate study will help prepare her for higher education. Biira’s
dream is to become a veterinarian and use her skills to help Heifer
Project International, for which she continues to be a spokesperson.
Northfield Mount Hermon School is an independent, coeducational college
preparatory school in western Massachusetts . NMH enrolls up to 900
boarding and 200 day students in grades 9 to 12 and postgraduate, and is
known for its diverse and talented students, innovative academic programs,
tradition of putting values into action, and innumerable opportunities for
growth.
Contact: Mary Seymour, 413-498-3247
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