By Javier Chagoya
 
Mali Army Maj. Diawoye "Joey" Sangare, right, chats with fellow students during a break on his first day of class in the university's Graduate School of Business and Public Policy, Jan. 4. Sangare is the first Malian officer to attend NPS.
 
"I'm very excited about having the opportunity to attend NPS and of course I take the responsibility of having to do well in my studies as the most important endeavor," said Sangare.
 
No stranger to NPS, Sangare recently completed the Defense Resources Management Institute's four-week course in Resources Management.
 
Sangare's performance through his 16 years of service, including recent work as a Planning and Operations Staff Officer for Mali's armed forces, didn't go unnoticed. His commanding officer at the Mali Military Headquarters approved Sangare to continue his education at NPS making him relatively unique among his peers. Sangare is just one of a select small group of officers chosen for continuing higher education outside of Mali.
 
"I look forward to returning to my country fully prepared to work on our military's reform initiatives," added Sangare.