Vivian Norris de Montaigu

In this globalizing world, there are those who operate in the spotlight, and those who work diligently to make it a better place, receiving next to no recognition. I work for a man, who for over thirty years, was known mostly to the poorest of the poor, and those who work to help them help themselves out of poverty. Then, at last, after ten years of being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he won it ... and ended up on the front page of virtually every major newspaper in the world. Muhammad Yunus' work with microcredit, and now social business, has been replicated in over a hundred countries, and, according to the UN, has helped over a hundred million people out of abject poverty.

Obama's mother worked with microcredit long before it was fashionable. She also was ahead of her time in terms of encompassing what it means to be a truly global citizen. She traveled, loved and lived a life which myself, and many of my expat friends (or "family" as we think of one another, living so far from "home"). She gave a precious gift to her son, one that I feel very lucky to be able to offer to my child, the life of both an American, but also that of human being who feels at home in many different counties, and many different languages. My daughter, like Obama, has attended both local public schools, and private international ones, in cities far from U.S. shores, and, like