News Archives - 2007

Her name may be difficult to figure out at first glance, but at Augsburg, everybody seems to know her name.

In fact, the fact that professors know how to pronounce her name has made a huge impact on this senior public accounting and finance double major from Minnetonka, Minn.

Nechia (pronounced Nee-sha) Agate (pronounced just like it looks), says, “I went to a huge high school and loved it, but I knew I’d be lost at a huge university. I wanted my teachers to know who I was… Here, they know how to say my name, and they know me.”

Agate serves as wrestling manager, Pan-Afrikan Student Union treasurer, a student computing help desk worker, and, most recently, creator of “Dessert and Dialog,” a group formed to discuss race relations. “I wanted to create an open space where people could speak their mind.” She was named the 2006 Recipient of the Dean’s Award for Student Leadership.

“I also saw a lot of potential with its location, too, because I knew that when it came time to have internships or jobs, being in the heart of downtown would be really convenient.” Her internships paid off, for in December she was offered a position with KPMG, one of the top four accounting firms in the nation, which she will begin in the fall. “It’s amazing how much these professors care about what I want to do with my life, and they go the extra step to see that it happens.”

Agate hopes that events sponsored by PASU attract underclassmen to the group. Upcoming events include a lunch on Monday, Feb. 12 where student Blow Appleton will talk about his home country of Liberia, and the Fashion Show on Friday, February 16, which features both contemporary American and traditional African clothing. B96 deejay Ms. Shannon will emcee, and PASU students will model.

For more information about Augsburg’s Pan-Afrikan Center, or the Pan-Afrikan Student Union, call 612-330-1022 or visit www.augsburg.edu/pan-afrikan/.