Attendees of the Class of 2010's graduation will see a familiar face on The Simpsons in October.
Muhammad Yunus's spot on the popular television show will focus on the Grameen Bank, which he founded to fight poverty, and microcredit, according to the BBC. Yunus, who spoke served as the commencement speaker in May, is considered the father of microfinance—a technique used to assist the poor by providing individuals who wouldn't otherwise be extended credit with small loans. In 2006, Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Yeardley Smith, who performs the voice of Lisa Simpson, is a long-time admirer of Yunus, according to the BBC. Yeardley recently spent a week in Bangladesh, where the bank was founded, and has observed the bank's microcredit programs in a number of locations worldwide, including Haiti.
At graduation, Yunus urged graduates to use the tools available to them to make a difference in the world:
“Technology is like a vessel, it is like a car. It is the driver who decides where you want to take it,” said Yunus, who received an honorary degree at Sunday’s ceremonies. “If you want to use this technology to make money, it will take you to make money. If you want to take this technology to change the world, to make a better world, definitely it will take you there. It is your choice what you want to do with it.”In his speech, Yunus discussed how he established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh because he believed in empowering the poor. Yunus and Grameen Bank went on to jointly receive the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for their bottom-up approach to banking. Yunus added that he did not know much about banking when he unexpectedly entered the field, which ended up helping him.
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