Ndao grew up in Zambia, where both of his parents are pastors with the Church of God. It wasn’t until after the accident, though, that Ndao truly gave his life to Christ. “My mother said something profound to me that has stayed with me up to now. She quoted Jeremiah 29:11,” reflects Ndao. “She said, ‘Oscar, God has saved you for a purpose and it’s now up to you to find out what that purpose is.’”

He began thinking about his mother’s words. “What if I had died in that accident? It was a real turning point in my life,” he says. Now, as a student leader at Anderson University, Ndao is in pursuit of that purpose.

[PHOTO: Oscar Ndao and his sister spent Christmas break in Maryland. During their trip east, they enjoyed a visit to the nation’s capital.]

It was his mother’s connection with the Church of God that brought him to AU. In 2005 she came to speak at a conference where she met people interested in sponsoring Ndao’s education. Education for college students in Zambia is different than in the United States. While the grade school system works well, universities are rare and not dependable.

“Growing up, I really had a dream of wanting to study outside of Zambia,” says Ndao. “Back home when you hear of people going to study outside of the country, it’s usually reserved for people of higher status and my family was just middle class. So when the opportunity arrived for me to be here I just had to accept it.”

[PHOTO: Oscar Ndao and friends celebrate their differences in culture and heritage during the 2008 International Student Association International Dinner.]

A year later, Ndao left Zambia behind and came to campus for international student orientation. The International Student Association (ISA) helps international students through the transition process and gives them a chance to learn about other cultures.

Some of the most common issues among international students are culture shock and the sudden status of being a minority. He appreciates the important role ISA plays in making international students feel more comfortable.

“The first day [of classes] was a big shock,” remembers Ndao. “A professor actually encouraged students to call her by her fist name. Back home it’s considered rude to call somebody older by their first name.” During his freshman year Ndao had to learn a lot about American culture but was pretty well acclimated by the time he was a sophomore. Now, as a junior business management major, he’s still learning. “It’s a process,” he says with a smile, “but I’m getting there.”

This year Ndao serves as president of the ISA. He meets with the leadership council weekly to organize and plan campus events. Their main purpose is to get rid of the misconception that ISA is only for international students, because everyone is welcome. Ndao is also student coordinator of Anam Cara, where he mentors with individuals.

[PHOTO: Oscar Ndao performs at the 2009 “Spring Into Dance” performance at Anderson University.]

Ndao’s advice for student leaders is to look at leadership not as a position but as a service. “Too often we get caught up in the position and we forget why we are in that position,” he said. “I think if you are a leader you really have to focus on why you are there. If you make that your goal you will have a great experience in leadership.”

— Rebekah Shirar is a student writer for 5th Street Communications at Anderson University.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The 2009 exams – you must pass two to become certified – are now live, and Assistant Professor in the Anderson University Falls School of Business, Emmett Dulaney assisted in the writing of the three books to help those who are studying for these exams. The core book, CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide (ISBN: 978-0-470-48649-8) was co-written by Quentin Docter and Toby Skandier, both of whom Dulaney has written with in the past. This tome, which is approximately 1100 pages and sells for $59.99, broke the Amazon 1000 several days before it was released and is currently in the top 50 computer and Internet titles on that site. A first printing of 10,000 copies sold out before all orders could be filled.

Flanking the core book is the CompTIA A+ Complete Review Guide (ISBN: 978-0-470-48650-4) written solely by Dulaney. This book is slightly under half the size of the Study Guide and sells for only $29.99. According to Dulaney, “Not everyone wanting the certification is new to technology and many only want to know what they need to pass the exams. This book skips the handholding, the exercises and labs, and focuses strictly on what CompTIA expects you to know in order to be able to pass these two knowledge-based exams.”

On the other side of the core book is the CompTIA Complete Study Guide, Deluxe Edition (ISBN: 978-0470486481). Priced at $79.99, it includes a hardcover, more study questions, and a CD of instructional videos showing how to work with software and hardware that the candidate will be tested on. Ancillary materials consisting of PowerPoint slides, syllabi, and additional questions are available for this title (as well as the standard Study Guide) for instructors who want to adopt the text for classroom use.

All three titles are published by Sybex, a division of Wiley Publishing, Inc. and can be found online as well as in larger bookstores. A PDF of the first chapter of the Study Guide can be found at http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/9X/04704864/047048649X-1.pdf and more information on the A+ exams themselves can be found at http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/a.aspx.

Tara Roberts led the Ravens with 17 assists, 11 digs, 11 service points, five kills and two service aces.

Kate McCollum had 13 kills, 15 digs, seven service points, two blocks, two service aces and Caitlin Morency had 19 digs, 10 service points and two service aces.

Carol Weatherford had 14 kills, three blocks and Taylor Cox added 20 assists and nine digs. Stephanie Weinmann and Sydnie Garber chipped in with five kills and four blocks, respectively.

AU (16-14, 4-4 HCAC) will travel to Bluffton on Saturday for the HCAC post-season tournament.

The Pioneers outshot the Ravens 15-4 in the game and had a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Jake Savage had four saves in goal for the visitors.

Matt Young led the Ravens with two shots and Austin Fridley and David Droeger added a shot each.

AU finishes the season 8-11-1 overall and 5-3 in the HCAC.

Andrew Jones led the Ravens with 17 points and Ty Riddle had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals, including three 3-pointers. Gabe Miller also reached double figures with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Phil Hogan added seven points, four rebounds, four assists and Kyle Morgan chipped in four points and five rebounds off the bench.

IUPUI had a 42-36 advantage on the boards, including an 13-11 edge on the offensive glass. The Jaguars also had the lead in points in the paint (56-18), assists (27-12), turnovers (12-23), points off turnovers (25-9), blocks (8-1) and steals (13-6).

The Ravens shot 36 percent from the field compared to 52 percent for the Jaguars. AU made 7-of-17 shots from 3-point range while IUPUI was 10-of-27 from behind the arc.

The Jaguars led 47-30 at the half and 84-60 with a minute left in the game as both teams emptied their benches. IUPUI scored the final 11 points of the contest.

AU opens the regular season on Nov. 17 at Alma.

All four Raven touchdowns were scored by defensive players and the visitors held the Beavers to 105 total yards of offense and a field goal. AU tallied 307 total yards, including a season-high 194 on the ground.

The three points allowed were the fewest by an AU defense since they defeated DePauw 35-3 in 1993.

Starting middle linebacker Ryan Hildenbrand scored on three 1-yard TD runs in the second half - all from the AU offense’s “heavy” formation on the goalline. The final score came on a 14-yard fumble return by defensive end Jathan Wilsey (pictured at left). Hildenbrand finished with six yards on five carries on offense and added eight tackles on defense, including four for a loss.

John Sims led the ground game with a career-high 103 yards on 28 carries. Quarterback Jacob Walker added 35 yards on seven carries, including a key 35-yard run on the first possession of the second half to set up the first score of the game for either team.

Walker finished 7-of-15 for 113 yards in the game, including completing his final six pass attempts.

Free safety Nic Jackson was the leading receiver with three catches for 71 yards, including a key 57-yard reception to set up the Ravens second touchdown. Jackson also returned a punt and kickoff and added a tackle on special teams.

The Ravens also converted 9-of-15 third downs in the game compared to just 1-of-15 for the Beavers.

Luke Hurst led the defense with 11 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss as the Ravens recorded a season-high 15 behind the line of scrimmage. Leonard Wells finished with seven tackles, a blocked punt and a sack and Charlie Holcomb and Todd Taylor added six stops each from their linebacker positions.

AU (1-7, 1-4 HCAC) hosts Rose-Hulman on Saturday at Macholtz Stadium for Senior Day. The game will be carried live on the internet broadcast at 1:30 p.m.

Austin Fridley scored the first goal and David Droeger scored the second for the Ravens as they led 2-0 at the half. Matt Robinson had an assist on the first goal and Kingsley Kantande and Caleb Nickel each had an assist on Droeger’s goal.

Bluffton outshot AU 19-15 in the game, but the Ravens had a 10-4 edge in corner kicks. Jake Savage had four saves in goal for the Ravens.

Droeger and Matt Young led the Ravens with three shots and Fridley and Nickel added two shots each.

AU (8-10-1, 5-3 HCAC) will be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and travel to No. 2 Transylvania for the post-season tournament semifinal on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.

The Ravens defeated Augustana in five games (25-20, 25-15, 19-25, 24-26, 15-8), but lost to Wartburg in five games (20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 16-14) on Friday night and defeated Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday in five games (20-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 15-10), but lost to Chicago in three games (25-19, 27-25, 25-18).

Carol Weatherford was named to the All-Tournament team, leading the Ravens with 43 kills, 26 blocks and 16 service points.

Kate McCollum had 35 kills, 36 service points, 57 digs, three service aces and Tara Roberts had 38 kills, 24 service points, 91 assists, eight blocks and four service aces. Caitlin Morency had 114 digs, 38 service points, four service aces and Taylor Cox added 95 assists and 49 digs.

Allee Donaghy added 50 digs, 16 service points and Molly DiRuzza and Sydnie Garber chipped in with five blocks each.

AU (15-14, 3-4 HCAC) travels to Manchester on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the regular season finale.

Kirk Saunders led the Ravens with a seventh place finish in a time of 26:58 and was named the Freshman of the Year as well as to the All-Conference team.

Taylor Holmes (8th, 27:03), Bill Digman (9th, 27:03) and Jake Wyatt (10th, 27:15) were also named All-Conference and Jeff Vibbert (20th, 28:22) was named HM All-Conference.

Other AU finishers were Eric Linn (22nd, 28:27), Andrew Abbott (27th, 28:46), Matt Dougherty (33rd, 28:56), Emby Duncan (34th, 29:01), Drew Beaty (36th, 29:14), Matt St. Amour (38th, 29:22), Marc St. Amour (47th, 29:41), Kyle Schmidt (56th, 30:18) and Dan Malloy (62nd, 30:50).

Manchester won the meet with 21 points, followed by Anderson (53), Franklin (74), Rose-Hulman (79), Defiance (147), Hanover (183), Mt. St. Joe (inc.), Bluffton (inc.) and Transyvlania (inc.).

For complete meet results go to: http://www.runningtime.net/Races/XCHeartland2009/MenOver.htm

Erica Moffitt led the Ravens with an eighth place finish in a time of 24:43 and was named All-Conference. Ashley Bordner was named HM All-Conference after finishing 17th in a time of 25:16.

Other AU finishers were Candace DeLong (24th, 26:07), Courtney Clevenger (33rd, 26:56), Ashley Casterline (38th, 27:11), Kristen Reiff (39th, 27:21), Kayla Miller (50th, 27:58) and Laura Sussman (67th, 30:07).

Manchester won the championship with 38 points, followed by Franklin (44), Rose-Hulman (70), Hanover (114), Anderson (117), Defiance (155), Transylvania (161), Bluffton (219) and Mt. St. Joseph 274).

For complete meet results go to:  http://www.runningtime.net/Races/XCHeartland2009/WomenOver.htm