Graduates: Kangbai Konaté, Ph.D.

Dr. Konaté on SisterMentors:

When I joined SisterMentors I was doing very little work on my dissertation and was trying to find new inspiration that would help me get back on track. Not only did the group help me finish but it also made me aware of the need to make sacrifices in order to reach my goal. Thus, time management became crucial to finishing the last few chapters of the dissertation. The program also helped me set realistic short- and long-term goals toward completing the dissertation.

Mentoring girls of color was one of the most important activities I did, not only as a member of SisterMentors, but also as an individual. Through mentoring, SisterMentors, as a group, is significantly impacting the lives of young girls of color who are at-risk of dropping out of school.. . . more

Bio

Dr. Kangbai Konaté received her doctorate with highest honors in Sociology in 2002 from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. Her dissertation, "The Use and Place of Africa in the African American Process of Self-identification: Interpretative Discourse and Cultural Negotiation," analyzes the manner in which Africa, as a constructive element of African Americans' alterity, enters the American social, political and cultural scene through a process of self-identification.

Dr. Konaté holds a post-Master's degree in African History from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, a Master's degree in Economics from Grenoble University in Grenoble, France, and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She has been working in the area of education for 13 years, first as an educational supervisor and advisor in Paris, France, then as an international consultant in human development, specializing in women and girls' education. She has worked with international organizations such as Care International and the Africa Region of the World Bank Group. As advised by her dissertation chair, she intends to publish her dissertation as a book in both French and English.