SILLIMAN U ALUMNA BECOMES FIRST FILIPINO COUNCILOR IN NORWAY

By Arturo Belano

AN ALUMNA of the Silliman University made history when she became the first Filipino to serve as Councillor of the Sandnes Municipal Council in Norway.

Marianne Oropel Klengsen, a graduate of SU’s College of Business Administration, secured one of the 49 seats in the Council during the election held earlier this month.

Klengsen is the Council’s ninth Progress Party Representative. She will serve for four years.

Klengsen said that she will focus on issues and policies related to immigration.

“I have been very lucky, and my public service is my way of giving back. I will look at policies that will help immigrants’ seamless integration into Norwegian society,” Klengsen said.

She also credited her training at SU for her success in Norway.

“SU molded me to believe in me. Sometimes I think if I could have reached what I have achieved so far had I been enrolled in a different institution,” she added.

She was appointed Leader of the Sandes Immigration Council, Member of the Committee on Schools and Children Development, and Deputy Member of the Committee on Urban Development.

Currently, Klengsen is the Implementation Lead and Acting Payroll Head for Norway of Ernst & Young, a multinational company considered to be one of the largest professional services networks in the world.