Nadeem to speak on life as a young woman in Iraq

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

First Lt. Alea A. Nadeem will speak on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m., in the Missouri Recital Hall of the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts at Cottey College.

Nadeem's topic is "Becoming a Woman Leader-After My Life as a Young Woman in Iraq." Imagine you're an American child born and living in Toledo, Ohio, who is taken from your home at the age of eight and forced to live secretly in Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein and the first Persian Gulf War. Imagine you gain a rare chance to plead to occupying U.S. soldiers to take you home to America, only to be ignored because they don't believe you are anything but an Iraqi school girl. That's the story of 1st Lt. Alea A. Nadeem of the U.S. Air Force, who witnessed and experienced life that "no child" should, but for whom life would be forever changed.

Her life in Iraq, both good and bad, dramatically influenced her decision to serve as a USAF officer in special investigations in tribute to the agents of the USAF's Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Intelligence who rescued her from Iraq at the age of 12.

Nadeem is currently training at the 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas, as an Intelligence Officer in the collection, analysis, and application of all-source intelligence to plan and execute combat operations.

Nadeem is the final presenter in the Distinguished Speaker Series sponsored by the Institute for Women's Leadership and Social Responsibility. The Institute, established in the fall of 2010, supports Cottey College's mission to "educate women" so they may realize their full potential as "learners, leaders, and citizens."

As its mission evolves, the Institute also will serve as Cottey's external programming entity to provide continuing education to women of all ages and walks of life with opportunities to remain actively engaged as life-long learners, accomplished leaders, and socially-conscious citizens of uncompromising character.

The Center for the Arts is on the northeast corner of Austin and Tower Streets in Nevada.

A reception will follow the address at 8:15 in the foyer of the Center for the Arts.

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