Siriki Diabate is a senior political science major with a concentration in international studies who is a passionate advocate for increasing the cultural diversity on Shepherd’s campus.
Diabate is a native of the Côte d’Ivoire on the west coast of Africa where he taught French in a private school and also worked as a freelance journalist. Due to political turmoil in Côte d’Ivoire, he came to the United States in 2007 through the help of government-sponsored resettlement programs.
Soon after arriving in the United States, Diabate began taking classes at Hagerstown Community College (HCC). While there he became involved in a variety of leadership and cultural organizations. At HCC he was a member of the Student Government Association, the Multi-Cultural Committee, and was the president of the International Club.
After receiving his Associates degree from HCC, Diabate brought his strong leadership skills and passion for cultural awareness to Shepherd. He is presently an active member of TRiO Student Support Services program, the Student Conduct Board, the Student Life Council, and serves as president of the International Student Union.
Rachel Krantz, associate professor of French, described Diabate’s dedication which carries over into the classroom. “The first thing that comes to mind about Siriki is his diligence. He is always there, always participating and always enthusiastic.”
Last year Diabate was selected to represent Shepherd University at the West Virginia Legislature Frassure-Singleton Internship program. This program allowed him the opportunity to closely observe the state legislative process and work with elected officials.
Diabate discussed his passion for promoting cultural awareness within the Shepherd community. “In the era of globalization, I think it is important for American students to realize that there is another world out there,” said Diabate. “Cultural diversity is very important. It will help you integrate into a community. It will help you talk to people. It will help you move forward.”
With this goal in mind, Diabate worked to organize a visit for guest speaker Daouda Diabate, the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. Siriki said that the process of planning this event took about six months, and that he was excited by the opportunity to share his culture with the Shepherd community.
At the end of this school year Diabate will be passing the role of president of the International Student Union to Pierre Phillippe Gwet Luck, a nursing student from Cameroon.
Diabate plans to remain involved in promoting cultural diversity on campus, and he is hoping that the Ambassador of Cameroon will be a guest speaker next year. Diabate wants to continue this work in the hope “that Shepherd University can open up on the international scale and become one of the great universities.”
Diabate’s future goals include earning an MBA from Shepherd which he has already began to work toward. He also plans to work for an international organization that would allow him to continue to advocate for cultural diversity and promote human rights.
Leave a Reply