WE INVITE YOU TO WATCH THIS SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT BY ANNE WELSH MCNULTY

In alphabetical order our four finalists are:

Download Press Release (PDF)

Ashesi University
Accra, Ghana

Patrick Awuah
Henry Crown Fellow

After studying at Swarthmore and making his fortune at Microsoft, Patrick returned to his native Ghana and audaciously founded the first liberal arts college in Ghana - Ashesi University, dedicated to educating a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders. Five years after its inception, Ashesi has grown from 30 to 400 students and has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and quality education in Africa. Ashesi educates students to be confident, critical thinkers, aware of the need to give back to their community – individuals with the preparation and skills necessary to fight poverty, war, and misunderstanding and the desire to transform the continent of Africa.

Website: Ashesi University

  Video:Click here to view Ashesi University’s video submission.

High Resolves Initiative
Sydney, Australia

Mehrdad Baghai
Henry Crown Fellow

A venture capital entrepreneur and author, Mehrdad has created a hands-on educational initiative to teach high school students about leadership, resolving conflicts, justice, and about becoming purposeful global citizens. Through a creative mix of interactive simulations, role-playing exercises and small group discussions, the High Resolves Initiative seeks nothing less than to transform the way kids see their place in the world and imagines a community in the future where a critical mass of its leaders are trained to think and act in the collective interest. To date, High Resolves Initiative has engaged over 5000 students in high schools in Sydney, Australia and is still expanding.

Website: High Resolves Initiative

  Video:Click here to view High Resolves Initiative's video submission.

Hope Community Credit Union
Mississippi Delta Region, US

William Bynum
Henry Crown Fellow

Bill founded Hope Community Credit Union to serve the "unbanked" of the Mississippi Delta Region and has helped thousands to get the resources they need to rebuild their lives and homes following hurricane Katrina. Hope offers access to affordable financial tools including commercial loans, mortgages, and rebuilding assistance to the nations poorest region and currently has over 9600 members, 75% from low-income communities. Its success in strengthening communities, building assets and improving lives over the last decade has made Hope one of the nation's leading community development organizations.

Website: Hope Community Credit Union

  Video: Click here to view Hope Community Credit Union's video submission.

Switch
Guatemala City, Guatemala

Sylvia Gereda
Central America Leadership Initiative

Sylvia Gereda is a courageous journalist and founder of the first independent newspaper in Guatemala - elPeriodico. Cultivating and empowering leadership among the youth of Guatemala is the principle objective of Sylvia's project Switch, a magazine designed and edited by and for young people; it succeeds first in its editorial council - a select group of aspiring young journalists committed to social change, who in turn, through the publication of weekly profiles, bring the extraordinary accomplishments of young leaders in academics, arts, sports and community work to the nationwide attention of their peers. To date, Switch has featured over 125 such cover stories and continues to inspire the young people of Guatemala with positive role models and expand its message of hope.

Website: Coming Soon

  Video:Click here to view Switch's video submission.