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Northwestern College Announces 2014 Commencement Speaker: Buihe Madu - Author, Social Entrepreneur & Founder of The HEROmanity Project

[Bridgeview-Chicago-Rosemont, IL] Northwestern College President Lawrence Schumacher announced today that the 2014 Commencement Speaker for Northwestern College’s June 13th Ceremony will be Buihe Madu, an author, speaker, social enterprise marketing consultant, as well as Founder and Executive Director of the HEROmanity Project here in Chicago.  Madu has been a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Business, the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program and a consultant to local non-profits and entrepreneurs.  His inspirational message and experience training and coaching hundreds of people as a collegiate counselor and thought leader in personal and business development promises to yield motivating thoughts and action for the 2014 graduates.

This year’s Northwestern College Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 13th at The Arie Crown Theater in Chicago at McCormick Place, located at 2301 South Lake Shore Drive. The Ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. and include approximately 300 graduates. In the past, commencement ceremonies have yielded nearly 5,000 attendees in support of the graduation class. 

Madu, 36, currently resides in Chicago but is a New York City (Spanish Harlem) native and first generation immigrant of Nigerian parents who came to the US in the 1970’s.  The eldest of four boys, Madu took the initiative to set an example for his brothers by securing a scholarship to one of New York’s leading progressive private high schools, the Calhoun School.  He graduated Cum Laude and went on to complete a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering followed by a Masters in Urban Planning, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is also a father of two daughters, ages 5 and 7.

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Since graduating, Madu has spent a decade developing his civil engineering, urban planning and entrepreneurial career by building a project portfolio of over $100 million in non-profit and private sector projects.  Alongside his career endeavors as a highly trained project engineer, Madu also has an extensive background in leadership training, marketing, and human potential development.  He is frequently sought out for his personal coaching and training workshops, making him an in-demand personal and business development resource.

Among his most notable accomplishments, Madu is the Author of HEROmanity: 24 Hours to a HEROic Life, a book inspired by the heart transplant his father received seven years before his passing in 2010.  The experience also led to his recent involvement with the Illinois Life Goes On initiative as well as the Be a HERO campaign which assists local organizations and institutions to encourage donors to register as candidates for the state’s organ and tissue banks.  Pivoting off the success of his best-selling book, in 2011 Madu founded The HEROmanity Project, providing him a platform as its Executive Director to inspire creativity, courage, compassion and applied innovation among social entrepreneurs looking for alternative funding models online.  Currently, the project’s primary objective is assisting clients in creating sustainable and scalable revenue generating projects using online marketing tools and strategies, thus adding Madu’s offerings as an international social enterprise marketing consultant to his list of credits.

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Madu has further impacted the Chicagoland area via the West Humboldt Park Micro Market Commercial Corridor Study which he completed in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Business and the West Humboldt Park Development Council in 2012.  In addition, he has been a repeat guest speaker and trainer on modern life heroism for Mather Lifeways Café – a Chicago based non-profit created to inspire seniors 55 and over to thrive through social engagement. 

Northwestern College has over a century of history in the Chicagoland area, having been established in 1902. The College was purchased by the Schumacher Family in 1958 and has grown from one campus in Chicago serving a handful of students in accounting and stenography, to two campuses (Bridgeview and Chicago-Jefferson Park) in addition to NC Online, serving approximately 1,500 students and maintaining several dozen areas of study.  In 2010 Northwestern College opened its Violet L. Schumacher School of Nursing, named for President Lawrence Schumacher’s mother who purchased the College in 1958.

“We are excited that Buihe Madu has agreed to provide the Commencement Address to our Class of 2014,” commented President Schumacher.  “His story of overcoming the personal challenges of growing up in New York as a first generation immigrant and becoming a social entrepreneur is sure to inspire our graduates as they celebrate their own personal accomplishments while looking to the future.”

 

About Northwestern College:

Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, http://www.ncahlc.org. The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available. More information can be found at www.northwesterncollege.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.

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