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Special film screening reflects Karen and Tom Mulvaney's commitment to investing in students and global Changemaking

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the University of San Diego will host a special screening of Between the Mountain and the Sky at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre.

The award-winning documentary follows Maggie Doyne, founder of the BlinkNow Foundation, who built a children's home, women's center and school in Surkhet, Nepal. Her story highlights how one person's compassion can ripple across communities to change lives.

For Chris Nayve, Associate Vice President for Community Engagement and Anchor Initiatives, the film's presence at USD carries personal meaning given its deep connection to Tom and Karen Mulvaney, co-founders of USD's Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action.

"Karen and Tom have been talking about Maggie's story for almost as long as I've known them," Nayve reflected. "I feel like Maggie is a long-lost cousin. Showing the film here at USD feels like a full-circle moment."

The screening also reflects the mission of USD's Mulvaney Center, which fosters reciprocal community-based learning and empowers students to create positive change. USD's Micah Fellows program - now with ten cohorts of students - has long drawn inspiration from Maggie's example.

"Maggie's story asks a powerful question - how do you go out and make your mark in the world?" Nayve said. "One of her core tenets is leading with love, and that's a value that runs deeply through our mission here."

For Nayve, the event is inseparable from the vision and generosity of Karen and Tom Mulvaney.

"The final connection is who Karen and Tom are as people," he shared. "They really believe in investing in students, and this screening is another way their vision continues to create opportunities for learning and transformation."

By bringing Maggie's story to USD, the Mulvaneys are once again strengthening the university's mission of preparing students to be changemakers - leaders committed to building a more just and humane world.

• Event Details
  Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025
  Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre, University of San Diego
  Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The film begins at 5 p.m.
  Free and open to the USD community and guests. You can RSVP for the screening here .

- USD News Center