Mikhail Gorbachev

Volume 13, Number 2 | January 2012

Share This Story:

Hannah Olsen was thrilled to simply have the opportunity to hear former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev speak at the University of Wyoming.

The chance to meet him was the “most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.”

Olsen was among eight UW students whose questions were selected to be asked during Gorbachev’s October presentation inside the Arena-Auditorium. As part of their reward, the students dined with Gorbachev following an event that drew about 6,500 people.

She says inviting Gorbachev on campus speaks volumes about the quality of education afforded UW students.

“It also demonstrates how important the university is in connecting the state of Wyoming with the rest of the world and global politics,” says Olsen, of Thermopolis. “I think the university should continue to invite dignitaries to speak on campus so future generations of students can have the opportunity to learn about and be engaged in the affairs of the world.”

Other students who were selected to ask questions were Shaun Harris, Rock Hill, S.C.; Ainagul Khamitkaliyevna Holland, Denver, Colo.; Anton Sergeyevich Kim, Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Justin Klein, Gillette; Kendall Laws, Blanding, Utah; and Brian Schueler, Buffalo.

To view Gorbachev’s talk at UW, go to uwyo.edu/profiles/extras/mikhail-gorbachev.html.