Scholar Hamissou Samari came to the U.S. from Togo speaking little English, and enrolled at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). He graduated with honors from BMCC with a degree in liberal arts. A 2009 graduate from the honors program at American University (AU), Hamissou now holds a degree in international affairs. He plans to pursue a career that focuses on conflict resolution in the developing world. He hopes his work will make education more accessible to impoverished young people and ultimately diminish the incidence of war. Hamissou spent the summer of 2008 studying in South Africa and participating in a graduate school preparatory program at the University of Michigan. His successful completion of the program at Michigan, offered by the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship Program, has made him eligible for a graduate fellowship in international affairs. He is now working as an AmeriCorp volunteer working with a non-profit organization in the South Bronx dedicated to improving the "economic and social well-being of low income individuals, families and communities." Hamissou is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and has interned with the White House Commission on Remembrance.