Knocking on Opportunity's Door

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Simi Sanni Nwogugu '97 Teaches Businesses to Teach Children

When Simi Sanni Nwogugu '97, a native of Nigeria, looks around her, she sees nothing but opportunities. After Mount Holyoke, she worked at Goldman Sachs, where she became involved in Junior Achievement (JA), a program teaching children in the New York City public schools about finance and economics. She thought, "This is a great program. I wish I could take it to Nigeria."

And she did.

Armed with her Goldman Sachs business card, Nwogugu approached executives at major Nigerian companies with her plan. Soon she had a board in place, chaired by the head of one of the country's largest banks. JA of Nigeria was a reality. By 2002, 13,000 students from 40 schools had joined.
 
Nwogugu eventually returned to the U.S., where she earned an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School. She still serves on JA of Nigeria's board, and recently joined MTV Networks, directing a group that develops business strategies for Nickelodeon. "I like the idea of using entertainment to inspire kids. Nickelodeon is also very big on social issues."

Nwogugu attributes her can-do attitude to Mount Holyoke, where she helped start the African and Caribbean Students Association. Off campus, with help from the Career Development Center, she landed several challenging internships, including one at Essence magazine and another at New York governor Mario Cuomo's office.

"I see Mount Holyoke as my eye-opener," she says. "It showed me this world that I didn't know existed, the world of me. It was holding a mirror to me and saying, 'If you care enough, you can do it, no matter what anybody else says.'"