George S. Kamanda, a third-year law student at Case Western Reserve University, was named the recipient of the 2021 Wong Moss Outstanding Alumni Award by his undergraduate alma mater, Delaware County Community College. He has been asked to deliver the commencement keynote address for the college’s class of 2021 virtual ceremony. A $1,000 scholarship is also being offered to a Delaware County Community College student in Kamanda’s honor to celebrate his award and inspire others to follow his lead.
Kamanda is the founder of The Necessity Firm, an organization based in Sierra Leone that aims to create “whole citizens” who are engaged with civic service and nation-building. He is the author of three published works, having recently published his third book, Citizenship Reimagined: The Case for Responsible Whole Citizenry in Sierra Leone (Palmetto Publishing, October 2020).
Kamanda earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at Saint Joseph’s University and a Certificate in International Human Rights at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He enrolled at CWRU’s School of Law in 2018 but is currently on a break, earning a master’s degree in diplomatic studies from Oxford University in the meantime. He will return to complete his law degree in fall 2021, following a summer internship with Human Rights Watch.