SAN MARINO – ChristineE. Shu of San Marino was one of 509 seniors who graduated from Colby CollegeMay 24, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree at the outdoor commencement inWaterville, Maine. For many notable reasons, Shu stood out from the crowd,being a member of the Dean’s List, Phi Beta Kappa and earning Summa Cum Lauderecognition.

Earlierthis spring, Shu was among 58 Colby seniors inducted into Phil Beta Kappa, thenation’s oldest national academic honor society. Shu also was named to theDean’s List for outstanding academic achievement during the spring 2009semester.

Greg Mortenson, coauthor of the bestseller”Three Cups of Tea”, was the commencement speaker and emphasized therole of education in solving problems in Central Asia, where he works. Seniorclass speaker Qiamuddin Amiry, who came to Colby from Afghanistan, urged hisclassmates to use their education to “provide a spark” to those lessfortunate. Colby President William D. Adams handed a diploma to Shu and each ofthe graduates.

Shu is the daughter of Jia Shu and Sally Newman ofSan Marino.

Mortenson, who has created approximately 80 schools,mostly for girls, through the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, encouragedgraduates to make the most of failures. In Afghanistan, he said, “There’sa very beautiful Persian proverb that says, ‘When it is dark, you can see thestars.’ I think that’s a good thing to hold onto.”

Though the Taliban has destroyed more than 800schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last two years, Morenson said thatsince 2000 the number of children being educated in Afghanistan has grown from800,000 to 7.6 million. Calling it the greatest increase in enrollment in anycountry in modern history, he said, “That’s the candle, that’s the lightof hope for a country like Afghanistan.”

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