For More information:
Bob Edwards
Public Relations Department Assistant
Glenville State College
Glenville, West Virginia
(304) 462-7361 ext. 7610

Glenville, WV—When Amanda Mortelette graduated from Glenville State College in 2004, she was hoping that her Bachelor’s Degree in

Special Education would take her a long way; it did, all the way to Africa.

After teaching for a couple of years in the States, Mortelette has taken her skills across the ocean to Bamako, Mali, the largest country in Western Africa. Amanda moved to Africa to teach fourth grade at an American International school. Her brother and his wife have both been teaching at this school for two years, and she says everything just kind of fell in place for her to join them. The school has just one hundred and thirty students in pre-k-12, Mortelette’s class has only nine students.

Mali is a very poor country, and life there is very different from the United States. “The people here are very friendly and everything is at a much slower pace,” said Mortelette. She continues, “The food is very different and takes the stomach some getting used to.” Amanda plans on teaching in Bamako for at least a year. Prior to relocating to Africa, Mortelette taught in North Carolina, and most recently in Martinsburg, West Virginia where she was a Special Education Teacher and Assistant Basketball Coach.

Mortelette chose Glenville State College to finish her degree and play basketball, after completing two years at Mowhawk Valley College in Utica, New York. “It seemed like the best fit, both academically and athletically. When I came on my recruiting visit, playing with the girls who were in the program just felt right,” said Mortelette. Amanda was a two-year starter on the highly successful Lady Pioneer teams in 2001-2003. She played on the GSC team that travels to the NCAA

Division II Elite Eight in Rochester Minnesota where she made an impression for her intensity and effort. “Amanda worked extremely hard to make herself a better player. She would practice in the gym with no lights on to improve her shooting,” said GSC Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Dennis Fitzpatrick.

Mortelette still enjoys playing basketball. She has found enough people in Africa to play some three-on-three games. “Basketball has been and always will be my passion. I can apply so much of my experience playing basketball to my life; it teaches you dedication, hard work, and how to work with others in the pursuit of a common goal. There are always going to be ups and downs, but you just have to keep on playing,” said Mortelette.

Amanda is the daughter of Gerda and Jeff Mortelette of Waterville, New York. Glenville, West Virginia is about a nine hour drive from Waterville, but the trip became very familiar for the Mortelettes during their daughter’s two years with the Lady Pioneers.

When she returns from Africa, Mortelette plans to teach Special Education and coach basketball. She also intends to get her Masters

Degree. Dennis Fitzpatrick knows that Mortelette will be successful in life. “She is a very special person with a great big future ahead of her. Amanda is like a daughter to me and my wife, and we are very proud of what she has accomplished," he said.

To find out more about the school in Mali, Africa that Mortelette is teaching at, go to www.aisbmali.org.