MC international student and legislative intern recognized with Senate resolution
Maryville College junior Betty Asha ’24 received not one — but two — standing ovations from members of the Tennessee State Senate on April 27, following the reading of a resolution recognizing her years-long journey from war-torn South Sudan to Maryville College to Nashville as a legislative intern.
“Oftentimes in the Senate, we honor our interns for their service during the legislative session but I – and we – are here to honor my intern, Betty Asha, for her work and her service prior to getting to the General Assembly,” said Sen. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis in introducing Senate Resolution 152. Through the legislative internship program, Asha was paired with Akbari, a proponent of education, human rights and business, for the 112th General Assembly.
Asha enrolled at Maryville College in 2019 with the help of a scholarship and support from numerous East Tennesseans, several of whom are members of First United Methodist Church of Maryville. Her connection was made through Chris Hurley, a church member and local businessman who traveled to South Sudan as part of a mission team more than a decade ago.
Hurley, whom Asha considers her adoptive father, was present for the April 27 honor, along with Steve and Sherry Hillis, who also mentor Asha and are part of the South Sudanese woman’s extended American family. The Hillises have worked with Hurley to navigate visa regulations for Asha and to establish a 501(c)(3) foundation, American Support for Humanitarian African Children’s Foundation, to provide funding for the education of young children, especially young girls. Karen Beaty Eldridge ’94 and Dr. Jay Clark represented Maryville College.
Dr. Jeff McCord, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, also stood with Asha and her supporters on the Senate floor, as he and Hurley were part of the initial eight-person mission team that met Betty in South Sudan.
The resolution, read to senators and guests by Chief Clerk of the Senate Russell Humphrey, included several details about Asha’s childhood and adolescence — her refusal to become a child bride, which led to torture and exile by tribal leaders; her heroic work to move almost 2,300 South Sudanese people from war to safety in Uganda; and her persistence to earn a high school degree despite limited opportunities for education at any level.
“Members, I think you see why Betty is such a worthy person to be honored by the State Senate,” Akbari said following the reading of the resolution. “There’s a gospel song that says, ‘I don’t look like my story,’ and I think that Betty exemplifies that because she comes to the General Assembly every day with a positive attitude, with a smile on her face. She’s brilliant and she works hard, and she’s kind above all else.”
Hurley told the assembly that it was “rare in life” to get to meet someone like Asha.
“I’m thankful for all of you taking her in, nurturing her and helping her along the way. More than a decade ago, I was privileged to be on a mission trip to South Sudan … we met Betty in her home village, and she had been tortured and beaten and abused and cast out, and it didn’t look like life was very good for her, and she has risen above all expectations,” he said. “One of the greatest blessings in my life is to be associated with someone as incredible as Betty Asha. Thank you for recognizing her.”
An international business and political science double-major at Maryville College, Asha hopes to continue her education in graduate school or law school. Ultimately, she wants to return to her homeland and serve in its government.
Taking an opportunity to address the Senate on April 27, she thanked legislators for the honor and the opportunity to see the workings of state government up close.
“I am really happy that I got to be part of this,” she said. “I learned so much, and I had an incredible experience.”
Sen. Art Swann of Blount County asked that he and his fellow senators be added as co-sponsors of the resolution.
