For Dr. Renee Volny Darko and her husband Dr. Nii-Daako Darko, KCU’s Centennial Homecoming is something special.
The couple met here as first year students, managed to mix med school with romance and eventually found time to get married.
They now live in Altoona, PA. Nii-Daako is a trauma surgeon. Renee is an OBGYN.
The Centennial celebration marks the 10th anniversary of their graduation and the first time they have returned to Kansas City since 2006.
“It’s a really good feeling for me to be back, said Nii-Dakko. “It’s where we met; where we discovered and fulfilled our dreams.”
The Darko’s are among more than 500 alumni and their family members welcomed to campus in celebration of KCU’s founding in 1916. Marc B. Hahn, DO, President and CEO has a message for each of them.
“We sincerely appreciate the many contributions of our alumni and recognize that our University could not continue to grow and advance our mission without you.” Hahn said at the Alumni Heritage Society Recognition breakfast.
Homecoming week includes a three-day conference for continuing education credits areas that include autism, diabetes, pain management, immunology, cardiology and mental health disorders such as anxiety and ADHD.
Outside of the conference alumni will have the chance to catch up with former colleagues and friends at several Class Reunion dinners.
The festivities culminate Saturday, October 22 with a sold-out Gala at Kansas City’s historic Union Station where more than one thousand alumni, faculty and Kansas City community leaders will gather to celebrate.
The Darkos plan to spend time visiting the city they fondly remember and getting reacquainted with a campus that has changed and since they left.
“This is very nostalgic,” said Renee. “I loved our time here. And the campus has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s really good to know that we are in a place that continues to grow and give their students the best of the best.”
