Making a difference: Wendy Harper-Olesky ’91

When financial management major Wendy Harper-Oleksy graduated from Clemson, she didn’t expect that volunteering for a nonprofit group would become a large part of her future.
Wendy and her husband, Ed, adopted two sons from Ethiopia — Wodajo and Telda. What began as a group of mostly adoptive families with an idea to bring water to their children’s villages grew into an organization working alongside locals to identify needs in the Ethiopian villages.
Last November, Harper-Oleksy traveled to Ethiopia with WEEMA International, www.weema.org, whose mission is to provide comprehensive support to underserved communities. She serves on the board of directors for the organization.
Harper-Oleksy has made new Clemson connections after moving to Winston-Salem, N.C. She became close friends with Kim Murph Fansler ’92; their 10-year-old sons Wodajo and Ty are best friends and hope to room together at Clemson in 2021. In addition, the boys are in the same class in school, and are taught by Kelly Hahne, who attended Clemson.