An Emporia State alumna will share her journey to escape repression in Burma and find academic freedom in the United States during a lecture on campus Thursday, March 29.
Dr. Nang Rives was born in Hsipaw, Shan State, Burma, after the close of World War II. She was educated in her native country and became a teacher for 16 years. In 1986, she came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Kansas.
After a huge student revolt in Burma in 1988, Rives was called by the Burmese government to return home without completing her degree. She refused to return home and continued to study at KU. Eventually becoming a U.S. citizen, Rives completed two Ph.D. programs at KU and earned a master of library science degree from Emporia State University.
In her lecture — “Determination and Grace: From Harsh Repression to Academic Excellence!” — she will share her full story and the lessons she has learned.
Presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at Sauder Alumni Center, 1500 Highland St., the lecture is co-sponsored by ESU’s School of Library and Information Management at the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The event is free and open to the public.