Skip to main content

Global Soap Project founder Derreck Kayongo to be SLCC Commencement Speaker

Derreck Kayongo, founder of the Global Soap Project, will provide the Commencement address for Salt Lake Community College’s graduation ceremony. Commencement 2013 will take place on May 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the Maverik Center, located at 3200  South Decker Lake Drive in West Valley City.

Derreck Kayongo, Global Soap Project, SLCC 2013 Commencement address. Photo credit.
A finalist for CNN’s Hero  award, Kayongo will share his story of moving to the United States and founding an international organization with the College’s graduation class.

“Derreck Kayongo is such an amazing speaker and person. We are delighted that his voice and his story will inspire our graduates,” said Deneece Huftalin, SLCC Student Services vice president. “The work he is doing to improve peoples lives and living conditions—giving so many a chance for better, longer lives—is truly inspirational and offers our students a wonderful example of taking advantage of opportunities to make the world better.”

Derreck Kayongo is an African refugee and philanthropist who founded the Global Soap Project, a non-governmental organization that recycles gently used soaps—mostly from hotels—and distributes them to areas of need.

More than 2.4 million children die each year from hygiene-related illnesses. Diarrhea is the second leading cause of child death in the world today, and the top cause of child mortality in sub-saharan Africa.The Global Soap Project is dedicated to saving lives through soap, awareness, and education.

Kayongo’s organization has distributed new soap in 23 countries to improve health for disaster victims, refugees, and children and mothers living in extreme poverty.

“800 million bars of soap are thrown away by hotels in the U.S. alone each year,” Kayongo said. “I want to put a bar of soap in the hand of every child who can’t afford it.”

Hundreds of thousands of bars of recycled soap have been sent to countries like Malawi and Haiti because of Kayongo’s program. The organization was named a regional winner in the Health and Wellness Category of the Annual CLASSY Awards. The CLASSY Awards recognizes outstanding philanthropic achievement and is the country’s largest philanthropic awards ceremony.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rev Up Your Future at SLCC Annuals Hop into College

SLCC West Valley Center will be opening its doors on Friday, August 2, from 6-9 pm for their annual lowrider event that celebrates the automotive culture and welcomes current, past, and future Bruins into the SLCC community. This unique event allows lowriders to showcase their vehicles and for spectators to witness the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion that goes into a lowrider car. From the sleek custom paint jobs to the impressive hydraulics showcased at the hop-off, attendees get immersed in the vibrant culture created by SLCC West Valley’s community. Beyond the car show, Hop into College provides prospective students and their families the opportunity to explore SLCC, engage with their future peers, staff and faculty and obtain valuable insight into the degrees and programs offered. Furthermore, the community is provided with countless beneficial resources not only as an SLCC student but as a community member. Whether interested in learning more about the lowrider community o...

SLCC Alumnus and U.S. Diplomat to Speak at 2025 Commencement

Salt Lake Community College’s 2025 Commencement speaker Branigan Knowlton will share his perspectives drawn from a 12-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In serving his country, Knowlton has honed his foreign relations and diplomacy skills in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. Knowlton is also a proud Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) alumnus (2002).     Knowlton currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Before reporting to the embassy, he was detailed to the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as part of the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship program. In Bogotá, Knowlton worked for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and in Hermosillo, Mexico, he worked for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. His first assignment abroad was in Hong Kong, where he worked for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.     "I've actively sought opportunities that push me into the unfamiliar, even when ...

Recognizing SLCC's 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering

The Distinguished Faculty Lecturer is a recognition of quality work by one of Salt Lake Community College’s full-time faculty and a charge to develop that work over an academic year into a public presentation. A committee chosen by the Associate Provost for Learning Advancement selects the faculty lecturer each year. The lecture takes place in the spring. Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Andrew Vogt, PhD Associate Professor, Engineering Dr. Andrew Vogt’s teaching philosophy is guided by two principles, curiosity and efficiency.  “Curiosity leads us to study a topic and allows us to really understand the ins and outs of research, while efficiency is all about sustainability,” he says. Andrew describes curiosity as a pure, open-minded impulse to explore, such as the ease with which children learn new concepts with virtually no instruction. Efficiency adds maturity to that childlike impulse, creating structures and pathways for accomplishment.  Andrew’s work has alwa...