Mindy Budgor
Mindy Budgor is a 2012 graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She started her first company while an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin, and now lives and works in New York City. At age 27 she went to Kenya to build a clinic at the Masai Mara National Reserve.[1] While there she decided to train to become the first female Maasai warrior, which women had traditionally not been allowed to do.[2] Budgor published a memoir about her quest, titled Warrior Princess: My Quest to Become the First Female Maasai Warrior (2013) and claims to donate 25 percent of her proceeds to organizations that empower girls and preserve Maasai culture, and provide one school meal through the FEED foundation for every book sold.[3]
Controversy
Mindy Budgor has received criticism[4] for her claim to have become the first female Maasai warrior. The critics write that her book simplifies the Maasai culture and trivializes the process of becoming a Maasai warrior.[5][6] Becoming a Maasai warrior is a process that takes an average of 15 years, but Mindy Budgor writes that she completed the process in 3 months.[7]
References
- ^ "Mindy Budgor, California woman, trains to become Masai warrior". Now.msn.com. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ Genevieve Roth (2013). "Meet Mindy Budgor, the World's First Female Maasai Warrior: Inspired". glamour.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ Genevieve Roth (2013). "Meet Mindy Budgor, the World's First Female Maasai Warrior: Inspired". glamour.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "The #Bullshit Files: Mindy Budgor, 'the first female Maasai warrior'". africasacountry.com. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Heather Switzer (2013). "Maasai Speak Out, But Mindy Budgor Doesn't Seem to be Listening". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Sitinga Kachipande (2013). "Mindy's Masai Mara adventure is an insult to us all". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ Esianoi Pashile (2013-09-25). "Will the Real Female Maasai Warriors Please Stand Up?". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.