newsId: 9301BAFB-A3ED-6C95-DA038E7A0B14F561
Title: New Program Pairs Alumni with First-Year Classes
Author: Skye Witley
Subtitle: More than 30 alumni are serving as guest lecturers and more this fall.
Abstract: From Silicon Valley to New Zealand, alumni have answered the call for guest speakers for AU’s signature Complex Problems program.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 10/19/2020
Content:

The AU Alumni Association, in partnership with the provost’s office, recently issued a call for guest speakers to its closest alumni volunteers, including current and former Alumni Board members, affinity and young alumni volunteers. 

“It’s been such a wonderful opportunity to have so many alumni experts volunteer their time to speak with first-year students in the Complex Problems program. The conversations add a richness and sense of connection for our students that brings some really complex topics into a real-life experience,” said Richard Duncan, program manager for the University College. “Especially during these challenging times, the alumni are offering students a real chance to connect to AU.” 

More than 30 volunteers responded enthusiastically and are contributing in various ways; from offering field-specific career advice to participating as guest lecturers and panelists, alumni are a unique boon to current students during an atypical year. 

John Morada, CAS/BS ’00, recalled how his senior computer science professor and faculty advisor, Dr. Tim Bergin, altered his perspective about what it meant to give back to his alma mater. After transferring from Virginia Tech to AU as an undergraduate, Morada found a mentor in Bergin, who pushed him to excel. 

“The lessons he taught me because he was so involved in my career through AU, that’s why I give back,” Morada said. “Now I take his enthusiasm, I take his dedication and I try to bring it back to the alma mater that helped me become what I am today.”

Since graduating from AU, Morada has enjoyed a successful career in Silicon Valley, currently managing enterprise systems for Ellie Mae, the leading cloud-based platform provider for the mortgage industry. He has maintained strong ties to American in many forms, including as an Alumni Board member and leader of the San Francisco chapter of the Alumni Association. 

On October 13, Morada gave a presentation to students regarding successful and unsuccessful companies in Silicon Valley to students in the “Competitive Advantage in Business” course. He imparted lessons learned first-hand about the fast-paced lifestyle of Silicon Valley in hopes that he could better prepare his students of the day for the unforgiving real world.

Daniel Leon-Davis, SIS/BA ’13, will participate in the seminar “Immigrant America” on October 23. Leon-Davis is a successful creative strategist who co-founded The Soze Agency and now works as a consultant through his own design studio, Hard Reset Studios. In class, he will speak about his personal journey as an undocumented immigrant, his current work, and what the community can do to help lift up the stories of immigrants around the nation. Leon-Davis, who was a first-generation college student, credits AU with his success and claims that without AU, he wouldn’t be who he is today.

“I hope that, through this conversation, [students] will think differently about the work they will do in the future and how they can utilize everything they know to tell the stories of others,” he says.

Some AU alumni are even calling into classes from across the globe. Tighe Wall, Kogod/MBA ’11, a digital strategist who recently lived and worked in both London and Germany, will speak to students in the  “Welcome to the Anthropocene” course from his current home in New Zealand. He will discuss the importance of decarbonization and how technology enables it. He also will lead a case study comparing the approaches of Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, all countries in which he has lived and worked.

Alumni also are hosting students as part of an Election Campaign Coffee Talk series. Danielle Vogel, WCL/JD ’07, hopes that her experience will give students a deeper understanding of current events as they finalize their decisions ahead of this year’s presidential election. After developing climate change policy on Capitol Hill for a decade, Vogel opened a sustainable grocery store—Glen’s Garden Market in DC’s Dupont Circle—with the goal of more directly benefiting the environment. She also will teach a social impact course next semester focused on encouraging students to identify their dream jobs and setting them up to land it after graduation. 

“My favorite part of going to AU was the access that we had to interesting opportunities to engage with policymakers,” Vogel said. “I wanted to take the opportunity to give [students] a bit of the Washington touch, even if they aren’t in Washington this semester.”

Alumni offering their time and expertise are bonded by a common appreciation for the university and a drive to give back to the community. These alumni seek to open new doors of learning and opportunity for students who’ve had other doors closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“AU has an amazing community, and I know that our alumni community will only continue to grow and get stronger as more people get involved. To get involved, you don’t have to give a lot of time,” Leon-Davis said. “You can have coffee with a current student, donate, or if you do have more time, you can serve in a leadership capacity on the Alumni Board or for identity-based alliances.” 

Tags: Alumni,College of Arts and Sciences,Kogod School of Business,School of International Service,Washington College of Law
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Title: AU Celebrates Fulbright Scholars
Author:
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Abstract: The highly competitive Fulbright US Scholars Program honored 11 American University alumni and one PhD student with awards to carry out self-designed research projects or teach English during the 2020–2021 academic year.
Topic: Achievements
Publication Date: 09/28/2020
Content:

The highly competitive Fulbright US Scholars Program honored 11 American University alumni and one PhD student with awards to carry out self-designed research projects or teach English during the 2020–2021 academic year.

Hana Manadath, SIS/BA ’20, and Kimberly Tower, an SIS doctoral student, are slated to conduct yearlong research projects in Jordan and France, respectively, with their Fulbright Study/Research Awards. 

The alumni awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships and their posting countries are Karanina Bhattacharjee, SIS/BA ’20, Malaysia; Skylar Coleman, SIS/BA ’18, Russia; Daisyarelli Martin, SPA/BA ’20 and Shay Sullivan, CAS/BA ’20, Germany; Aaron Mohabbat, SIS/BA ’20, Tajikistan; Kenya Roy, SPA/BA ’19 and Ana Santos, SIS/BA ’14, Brazil; and Henry Summ, CAS, CAS-SIS/BA ’18, Kazakhstan. Two finalists wish to remain anonymous. 

Funded through the US State Department and named after Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright, the program has been promoting international good will with student exchanges in the fields of education, culture, and science since its inception after World War II. The Fulbright program named AU a Top Producing Institution for 2019-20 among doctoral institutions in February, a distinction it has held six times since 2012-2013.  AU had 10 Fulbright scholars last year.

Forty students and alumni applied for 2020–2021 Fulbright awards, and Fulbright chose half as  finalists, alternates, or semifinalists. The Office of Merit Awards in the AU Career Center supported each candidate through the first two phases of the application process, and each had multiple faculty and staff mentors. 

Mandath credits the Office of Merit Awards team for helping her become a finalist.  “The entire office is so experienced in helping students showcase themselves in the best light possible. I wouldn’t be there without them, to be honest,” she says.   

The students selected for the Fulbright were superbly well qualified for their awards to study and teach in the more than 140 countries the program offers, says Paula Warrick, senior director of the Office of Merit Awards.  

“All of our scholars have outstanding foreign language skills and cross-cultural expertise,” Warrick says. “The English teaching assistants have an impressive level of teaching experience, and the study/research recipients have strong research experience and have forged interesting connections with scholars and practitioners in their proposed host country. It is also notable how diverse our new cohort of scholars is.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fulbright program suspended disbursement of the 2020–2021 awards until at least January 1, 2021. Each AU finalist has the option to reapply for a 2021–2022 award, and many are doing so. All are considered Fulbright Scholars, a distinction that can remain on their résumés, whether they are able to complete their postings, Warrick says.
 
And what a distinction it is: “The Fulbright is one of the most well-known scholarships in the country,” says Warrick. “I think it’s a real honor to receive it.”
 
Of the uncertain times, Santos says she knows how to adapt and will work on her application for the 2021-2022 Fulbright awards. “Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and there’s no end in sight, my goal is just to survive and be ready for the post-pandemic world, whatever that looks like,” she says.
 
Though their plans are currently in limbo, each shared their objectives for their year as a Fulbright Scholar: 

•  Bhattacharjee, who is set on a diplomacy career, will prepare for graduate studies in international relations emphasizing East Asia, international development, and foreign policy. “As someone who is multiracial, I want to represent the multicultural part of America abroad,” she says.  

•  Coleman, who will pursue a career in international service after she earns her master’s degree in international relations with a focus on media and communications, says she wants to represent the Black experience during her time in Russia. “I’m excited to bring a greater experience of what it means to be an American to the Fulbright program,” she says. 

•  Mandath, an aspiring journalist, will explore how Syrian refugees in Jordan consume media, with a focus on the news sources they have access to and how that information informs their decision-making about whether to remain in Jordan, return to Syria, or move to a third country. 

•  Martin, who majored in Arabic and justice and law, plans to pursue a career in the US Foreign Service. A Mexican American with immigrant parents, she speaks Spanish, English, German, and Arabic. Martin taught Iraqi refugees English while a Boren Scholar in Jordan and was a resident assistant at an Arabic languages camp in Vermont and an afterschool educator at a DC elementary school.  

•  Mohabbat, a future international jurist, wants to teach English as a tool for people to better their lives. The son of a former Afghan ambassador to the US, his mother is ethnically Tajik, and he has intermediate proficiency in the language. With near-native proficiency in Dari, Mohabbat interned as a caseworker for the International Refugee Committee, where he interpreted for Afghan families. 

•  Roy aspires to explore education equity in an international context while in Brazil and will research ways “to help disadvantaged people forge new pathways out” of their situations. “Being a black woman in the United States, I saw a lot of similarities between the US and Brazil in terms of race and inequality,” she says. 

•  Santos, who has interned with or worked for several media organizations since graduation, plans to work in a university setting in Brazil with future English as a Foreign Language teachers. A first-generation Portuguese American who speaks fluent Portuguese, she interned at the US Embassy in Brasilia and earned her TEFL certificate while overseas as a Peace Corps volunteer. 

•  Sullivan is interested in the intersection of literature, German language and culture, and anthropology. She was a German language coach for AU’s Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition, and Research and previously spent two years in Germany as a Gilman Scholar and a Rotary Youth Exchange ambassador.   

•  Summ, an Eagle Scout who was a Peace Corps Scholar while at AU, became interested in Kazakhstan’s trilingual language policy (Kazakh, Russian, and English) after a visit to Almaty. “I’m looking forward to supporting English learning in a new academic environment and using my Scouting experience to organize cross-cultural programs in my community,” Summ says. 

•  Tower will conduct fieldwork for her dissertation, Campaigning for Kebabs: Measuring the Effect of Imagery and Symbols in the International System. She will investigate the connection between ethnic businesses and voter registration, capturing the symbolic effect via ethnography, participant observation, and informal interviews. 

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences,Office of Merit Awards,School of International Service,School of Public Affairs
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Title: Fellowship Created for Studying History of Slavery in Washington, D.C.
Author: University Communications
Subtitle:
Abstract: Mia Owens is the inaugural fellow for a new, two-year Public History Graduate Fellowship in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, D.C.
Topic: Humanities
Publication Date: 09/21/2020
Content:

For American University graduate student Mia Owens, engaging in public history projects is a way to collaborate with and be of service to people. Owens is the inaugural fellow for a new, two-year Public History Graduate Fellowship in the History of Slavery and Its Legacies in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is a partnership between The White House Historical Association and AU’s Antiracist Research & Policy Center. The Antiracism Center is a collaboration between the School of International Service and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Owens, who is pursuing a master’s in public history in AU’s Public History Program, will spend two academic years researching and developing interpretive material around the history and legacy of slavery throughout the city, and researching and writing for the association’s Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood initiative. The first year of the fellowship will be spent under the supervision of the White House Historical Association, while the second year will be spent in residence at the Antiracism Center.

“The creation of this fellowship is an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of slavery’s enduring legacy in our nation’s capital,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association. “The protests that have erupted this summer over issues of racial injustice are a stark reminder of how important this work is. We’re thrilled that Mia will join us as the first fellow to take on this historically vital work.”

Owens is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and most recently served as an AmeriCorps Local History member for the Ohio History Service Corps. Previously, as part of her undergraduate studies, Owens conducted oral history research in the predominantly African American Rosedale neighborhood of Homewood, Alabama, documenting stories and artifacts from a community deeply connected to the Civil Rights Movement.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in public history, and I’m looking forward to working with The White House Historical Association, and getting to know the community at AU and exploring how public history can be part of the work at AU around diversity and inclusion,” Owens said.

During the 2020-21 academic year, Owens will conduct research and create public-facing content and be assigned a regular mentor from The David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at Decatur House. The following year, she will work with the Antiracism Center under the direction of Managing Director Christine Platt and a faculty supervisor. Fellowship duties will focus on historical research, interpretation, and public engagement in connection with the history and influence of slavery at AU, applying skills learned from the WHHA and building upon work done by the Working Group on the Influence of Slavery at American University.

“The Antiracist Research and Policy Center welcomes Mia and is excited to partner with WHHA on this inaugural fellowship that will examine the history and lasting implications of slavery in Washington, D.C,” Platt said. “Mia’s research will help fill the gaps in historical knowledge and the legacies for AU’s campus and the surrounding neighborhoods.”

 

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Title: SIS Professor Named to White House Commission
Author: Christine Slattery
Subtitle: A Q&A with Arturo Porzecanski, newly appointed presidential advisor on economic and educational issues that impact Hispanic Americans
Abstract: Dr. Arturo Porzecanski, distinguished economist in residence at American University’s School of International Service and Hurst senior professorial lecturer, has been appointed to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Hispanic Prosperity.
Topic: Achievements
Publication Date: 09/18/2020
Content:

“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness,” is a favorite saying of Dr. Arturo Porzecanski, distinguished economist in residence at American University’s School of International Service and Hurst senior professorial lecturer.

Porzecanski has a history of lighting candles; seeing the potential in the young people he mentored during three decades as an economist on Wall Street, and imparting the fire of knowledge to his students at Columbia University, New York University, and, here, at AU since 2005. 

Now, he is helping others light their own candles as part of the newly established Presidential Advisory Commission on Hispanic Prosperity. Appointed in July, Porzecanski will advise the president through the secretary of the US Department of Education on government policy initiatives to deliver educational and economic opportunity for Hispanic Americans. 

Born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay, to parents who escaped the Holocaust, Porzecanski scraped enough funding for one year of college in the United States. What he found, however, was “a land of opportunity,” and by winning scholarships and working several campus jobs, he managed to fund his bachelor’s in economics from Whittier College and his master’s and doctorate in economics from the University of Pittsburgh. Overwhelmed by the generosity of donors and the kindness of professors, he set out to return that generosity and kindness during his two successful careers. 

“That’s America, you know?” he said.  “And I want others to learn that, too.”
While on Wall Street Porzecanski championed diversity, hiring Hispanics and other minorities as much as he could and sharing his knowledge and advice. And now, it seems, one of the candles he lit long ago has shed light on this new opportunity to give back—a young man he mentored works in the White House and suggested Porzecanski’s name for the new commission. 

Porzecanski recently answered some questions about his new role and how he hopes to help the Hispanic community in the US and empower others to light candles of their own.

What is the commission’s main objective, and in what ways do you hope to contribute to its deliberations and recommendations?
We are tasked with suggesting how best to improve government policies affecting the educational and economic opportunities facing Hispanics. Since so far I’m the only commissioner who is a professional educator, and also the only one who is a veteran economist, I believe that my insider’s knowledge and long experience in both fields of endeavor will prove useful to the commission’s work and provide a good complement to my colleagues, who come mostly from the business world.

How would you characterize the significance of Hispanics in American society right now?
When I came to the United States in the late 1960s, there were fewer than 10 million Hispanics, and we represented about 7 percent of the total population. It is estimated that by now we have surpassed the 60 million mark and account for almost 19 percent of the country’s population. This makes Hispanics the single largest racial or ethnic minority group in the United States. And the more than 30 million of us estimated to be eligible to vote in the November elections could cast at least 13 percent of the total ballots. Consequently, beyond our many cultural, economic, demographic, and service contributions to American society, we are now a political constituency to be reckoned with.

Why are additional policy initiatives needed to deliver educational and economic opportunity for Hispanic Americans?
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Hispanics particularly hard, there was an educational and economic deficit that warranted constructive government initiatives. A fifth of Hispanic households do not speak English fluently, limiting their social integration and economic potential. Hispanics are also the least likely ethnic or racial group to finish high school—never mind complete a college education. An estimated 28 percent of Hispanics over age 25 never finished high school; the comparable figure for non-Hispanic whites is just 6 percent. Hispanic adults are half as likely to hold a college degree as non-Hispanic white adults. And merely 4 percent of Hispanics hold a master’s degree, whereas 11 percent of non-Hispanic whites do. This wide educational gap means that Hispanics as a group are not as productive, and thus not as prosperous, as they could be.

What are some of the approaches to expanded educational opportunities that are supported by Hispanics?
There is a desire among Hispanics that federal and state governments should do more to improve educational opportunities by, for example, supporting alternatives to traditional public schools funded by local property taxes. Hispanics resent being condemned to getting an inferior primary and secondary education simply because many of them reside in low-income districts where public school teachers are resource-constrained–and worse, they are not held accountable for poor performance. Surveys show that Hispanics overwhelmingly support educational choice in all its forms: district, private, religious, charter, and virtual schools, as well as home schooling. And they favor vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and education savings accounts to help underwrite the cost of these educational alternatives.

What about the economic challenges facing Hispanics?
The educational deficit of Hispanics is inextricably linked to their earnings deficit. For example, in the second quarter of 2020, full-time US workers aged 25 and over without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $630, compared with $790 for high school graduates and $1,300 for college graduates. It is no wonder, therefore, that median weekly earnings of Hispanics ($785) working at full-time jobs were lower than those of all other groups–especially whites ($1,020) and Asians ($1,340). In 2018, the median income of Hispanic households was $51,450, which was $19,200, or 27 percent, less than for non-Hispanic whites ($70,650). In that year, more than twice as many Hispanics (17.6 percent of total) were living below the US poverty line as were non-Hispanic whites (8.1 percent).

How has the Covid-19 pandemic altered the situation?
It has made matters much worse; it has been a double-whammy, in fact. First, Hispanics are heavily represented in industries directly affected by the historic economic contraction, like restaurants, construction, hotels, leisure, daycare, and home and office services, such that many have lost either their jobs or their businesses. And second, Hispanics became disproportionally exposed to the virus because many of them are employed in industries deemed essential, performing functions that cannot be done remotely. For instance, Hispanics work in meatpacking and other food-processing plants; in retail, stocking shelves and at checkout counters in grocery stores; in transportation, sorting and delivering packages for shipping companies; and in health services, taking care of the sick, elderly and disabled in nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities. The commission can do little to help matters during this emergency, but we can help lay the basis for a more vigorous and inclusive economic recovery once the pandemic is brought under control. One example is by continuing to dismantle the outdated rules and regulations that were put on the books during prior administrations, which constitute obstacles to new businesses and job creation.
 

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Title: 75 Years On, Does the UN Still Matter?
Author: SIS Faculty
Subtitle:
Abstract: 2020 marks the 75th anniversary year of the United Nations. We asked SIS faculty if the UN still matters today, and why.
Topic: International
Publication Date: 09/04/2020
Content:

2020 marks the 75th anniversary year of the United Nations (UN). On September 21, the organization will commemorate its anniversary with a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, and the theme of the meeting is “The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism.” Ahead of this meeting, we asked SIS faculty if the UN still matters today, and why.

Amitav Acharya

The world we live in today is vastly different from the time when the UN was established. India has overtaken the GDP of France and Britain—its former colonial master—yet these two still hang on to their veto privilege in the UN Security Council. The question is not whether the UN still matters but whether it can matter much more if it reflected the actual shifts of power and ideas that have occurred since its creation in 1945.

Susanna Campbell

The UN matters, perhaps more than ever, because we are faced with a global pandemic, the consolidation of poverty and violence in fragile and conflict-affected countries, growing transnational security threats, and many other crises that no single state can address on its own. The question, for me, is not whether the UN still matters but how it can address these challenges at a time when the UN Security Council—the UN's governing body in charge of maintaining international peace and security—is unable to make important peace and security policy decisions because of disintegrating diplomatic relations between the US, China, and Russia.

Ken Conca

With the COVID-19 crisis and the battering of the world economy, we are seeing the consequences of inadequate capacity to manage risks, respond to crises, and coordinate actions among governments. The UN is critical to all of the above, and nowhere is this clearer than on the environment. We’re flirting with a future in which nations scramble to compete for breathable air and drinkable water, as they now compete for protective gear and hospital equipment. Closing borders and gutting global governance arrangements won’t protect us from climate change any more than it has shielded us from disease. We should be strengthening the UN, not undermining it.

Caroline Croft

The UN was founded to embody diplomacy at its highest levels. Working on and resolving issues with other nations in a universal body lends itself to constructive humanity for all. The various committees that are a part of the UN structure provide aid to women, children, development, the environment, human rights advocacy, sustainable growth, cultural preservation, and health and reflect the highest standards for the globe. The world is fortunate to have the United Nations.

Johanna Mendelson Forman

Among the organizations formed in the wake of World War II, the United Nations has been more welcoming to nations than most institutions, imposing little responsibility or criteria on its members. Both tyrants and democrats have had a place at the table. And it is precisely because the UN was conceived as a community of nations rather than a community of democracies that it has endured.

As the organization celebrates 75 years as the principal forum for resolving global challenges, it is caught at a moment when faith in its capacity to lead is threatened. A global pandemic is the backdrop for this commemoration of the institution that kept the peace and lifted millions out of poverty. It now faces its own existential crisis unless the United States steps up to the task of reviving the principles of multilateralism to address the most urgent threats we face: climate change, nuclear proliferation, and mitigation of conflicts driven by food insecurity and drought.

While there are many plans to envision a new United Nations, at the end of the day, we must work with the institution that we have. Moreover, it is important to remember that the different agencies of the UN have often been greater than its governing mechanism, the General Assembly and the Security Council. In fighting a pandemic or addressing ongoing human migration, food insecurity, or the global conflicts that require peacekeepers, the organization remains an effective operation that must continue its mission of security and development worldwide.

Susan Rice

The challenges of the 21st century are not ones that a single nation can tackle alone. Climate change, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, refugee flows, and global pandemics do not respect national borders. While the UN is imperfect, it remains one of the most effective and legitimate instruments to marshal our collective will and resources to face these challenges. The difficult work that UN agencies do every day to advance peace, human security, development, and universal rights across the world is invaluable to all of humanity.

Michael Schroeder

Despite the need for an organization like the UN to coordinate national responses to a dizzying array of transnational threats and challenges, today’s geopolitical realities should temper our expectations. Still, the UN has a critical role to play. As tensions between the world’s big powers intensify, they will need a forum like the Security Council to keep them talking. Because when talks breaks down, one or more sides is going to feel the pressure to escalate the conflict. In addition, the Member States still need operational UN agencies like the World Health Organization or UNHCR to manage complex emergencies and alleviate at least some suffering.

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Title: Empowering Educators: A Critically Important Racial Equity Convening
Author: Patty Housman
Subtitle: AU Antiracist Research and Policy Center hosts virtual racial equity in education event
Abstract: Thousands of educators joined award-winning author Jason Reynolds and AU’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center last week to discuss the critically important issue of teaching children about race and social justice.
Topic: Education
Publication Date: 08/27/2020
Content:

Last week, American University's Antiracist Research and Policy Center (ARPC) hosted Empowering Educators: A Convening on Racial Equity in Education, sponsored by First Book and Pizza Hut. More than 13,000 educators, librarians, and parents registered for the virtual event, which was designed to support teaching professionals in having effective, courageous conversations with their students about race and social justice.

The convening was really three events in one, beginning with a discussion and announcement of the release of the Empowering Educator Guidebook for teachers, the first in a series of resources informed by leading anti-bias and antiracism experts including Tiffany Jewell, Britt Hawthorne, Liz Kleinrock, Cornelius Minor, and Christine Platt, interim managing director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. The ARPC is a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service.  

The keynote speaker was Jason Reynolds, award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The convening ended with a conversation between AU scholars Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy and Amanda Taylor about the importance of antiracist teaching and the hard work of dismantling institutional racism.

Malini Ranganathan, ARPC's interim faculty director, said that one highlight of the event was when Reynolds spoke about the need for courage and honesty, no matter how difficult the conversation; he said that we need to be "more accountable to our futures than to our feelings." This was poignant for Ranganathan, who also applauded Reynolds for referring to librarians as "rebels" and "revolutionaries" because librarians know, more than anyone else, that people don't have to agree with books calling for antiracism for them to exist. 

An Empowering Partnership

The Empowering Educators series idea originated from a 2019 survey of educators registered with First Book, a non-profit organization that has distributed more than 185 million books since 1992 to schools serving children from low-income communities. The survey revealed that more than half of all educators wanted to learn more about how to proactively engage their students in conversations about racial equity.

First Book responded by teaming up with Pizza Hut to create the Empowering Educator resources to help teachers have these discussions in the most knowledgeable, courageous ways. The free, downloadable guidebook is just the first in a comprehensive set of resources that will include instructional teaching videos, other pedagogical materials, and low-cost companion books for students.

Practical and Actionable Guidance

In the first session, Platt sat down with Julye Williams, founder of Project 2043 and Liz Kleinrock, the winner of Teaching Tolerance's 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching. They discussed the guidebook, the integration of antiracist and anti-bias content into curricula, and the “inner work” of understanding one own’s personal biases before having discussions about racism and social justice. “When you are talking about race, especially when you're talking to students about race, it’s incredibly important to take the time to reflect on your own experience with race before you do,” said Williams.

The fifty-page guidebook leads with the inner work, guiding users through the process of understanding the history of race and racism, as well as their own biases. History is critical to students’ understanding of how we got to where we are today, says Williams, and how we can take different steps going forward.

The second part of the guidebook focuses on the outer work of creating inquiry-based lesson plans, creating an inclusive classroom culture, and using literature to guide classroom conversation and give students an opportunity to “see” into the lives of others.

Keynote: Teaching Humanity with Jason Reynolds

Platt and Reynolds then “sat down” for a lively virtual conversation about children and how they can (and should) learn about race and history. Reynolds writes novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. He is the New York Times best-selling author of All American Boys, the Track series, Long Way Down, For Everyone, and Miles Morales-Spiderman. His novel Ghost was a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, and As Brave As You was the winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award.

Platt is a prolific and award-winning author known for using storytelling as a tool for social change. She has written more than two dozen books that center on educating readers on the history of race and racism and eradicating injustices through the power of literature.

Their conversation began by recognizing how educators have unique opportunities (and responsibilities) to impact student lives. Reynolds called for honest conversations with children about race. “If we’re going to talk about the Civil War, let’s really talk about the Civil War,” he said. “All I'm asking is for educators to make sure they're equipped with the information to unpack it and to actually give it true life. You know, Alfred Hitchcock has a famous quote that says a face is not a face if I don't put light on it. You have to change and expose the true face of who we are as a country. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Reynolds agreed about doing the “inner work” before talking to children, but also noted that educators themselves should be learning from their students all the time. “Education is a conversation,” he said. “You are teaching, but also learning about students, their stories, their backgrounds. Every student in a classroom has a different story that you know nothing about. You can be learning every time.”

Platt pointed out the importance of teaching children about race when they are young—before “lots of unlearning” needs to be done. Reynolds agreed, saying that we must teach children about things that make many people uncomfortable, like race and sex. “We don’t teach them and give them the tools early. We don’t give them the information they need—like they are just supposed to understand all of this.”

Finally, Reynolds acknowledged that talking about race can be very uncomfortable. But it’s necessary. “Lead with children in mind. Throw yourself into the fire every day,” he said.

Amanda Taylor and Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy

The event ended with a conversation between School of Education Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy and Amanda Taylor, assistant director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Holcomb-McCoy and Taylor, who both worked in classrooms early in their careers, focused the talk on their current work at AU to develop institutional strategies, policies, and structures surrounding racial equity, so that the weight of this work doesn't fall exclusively on classroom teachers.

“We know how powerful classroom teachers are,” Taylor said. “I think the magic happens in the classroom…How do we recognize there's all kinds of structures,policies, practices that are informing the classroom context, and how do we work at all of those levels to make sure that we're really kind of doing systematic work? That's another way that we're trying to move at AU through a broader plan.”

Holcomb-McCoy described antiracism as a mind shift, a completely different way of looking at the world. Under her leadership, AU’s School of Education has stopped to listen to its students — our nation’s future educators — and in doing so, has shifted its thinking about training teachers. One example is that the school is moving away from focusing the curriculum on “whiteness” and instead is working to center it around authors who are talking about critical race theory and Afro-centric pedagogy.

“It takes institutional will from our faculty, our staff, and the School of Ed to see that shift,” she said. “It's changing how we think about our work and our practice.”

Taylor and Holcomb-McCoy acknowledged the challenges of the work ahead, in confronting the personal biases and systematic policies that reward some students and constrain others. They also spoke about antiracist teachers who are ready to move forward in antiracist work, but may not have the support of school leaders. We must do the hard work to change this at a system-wide level, they said.

“It's really exciting work,” said Holcomb-McCoy. “And although this summer has been tough, I'm really hopeful that we're in a different place in education where we are bringing more people to the table. I think I was telling Christine [Platt], like, a thousand or so people are ready to have a talk about antiracism when you said 20 years ago it might have been perceived as negative. And now here we are having a conversation. And we can say black lives matter and people are coming to the table to talk about it. I'm encouraged but there's a lot of work to do.”

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newsId: 564252E0-067D-E28E-73C8F9AA581F5C4C
Title: A Convocation for Extraordinary Times
Author: Christine Slattery
Subtitle: Distinguished officials welcome the Class of 2024 via video
Abstract: This year’s unique convocation featured class officers and distinguished officials welcoming the Class of 2024 via video, while some members of the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion shared their hopes for—and advice to—the class of 2024.
Topic: Achievements
Publication Date: 08/24/2020
Content:

The hallowed tradition of convocation got a COVID-19 inspired twist this year, as AU dignitaries spoke remotely in a convocation video.

“This is not the convocation we planned,” noted Dr. Fanta Aw, vice president of campus life and inclusive excellence, “but, as Eagles, we know how to adapt and embrace change.”

As part of this year’s unique convocation, Schanelle Saldanha, student body vice president; Peter Starr, acting provost and chief academic officer; and Rob Johnson, president of the AU Alumni Association appeared remotely with words of welcome and encouragement. Amitav Acharya, Scholar-Teacher of the Year, spoke about the perseverance of John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, and his own father, who survived the smallpox pandemic in Southeast Asia, then called upon AU’s newest students to “make our world safer for diversity.”

President Sylvia M. Burwell welcomed the Class of 2024, whom she described as “active, informed, and engaged,” noting that each and every one of them was selected for their “unique purpose and passion.” Burwell spoke about what it means to be an Eagle: “We never stop learning, listening, and growing—together.” She declared that this incoming cohort of Eagles is “the class that is going to change our world for the better.”

Aside from the video, some members of the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion shared their hopes for the class of 2024 and offered useful advice. 

“You are here because we believe in you and in your potential to overcome adversity, to reach higher, and to build a better world,” said Ximena Varela, director of the CAS arts management program,  while SIS professor Malini Ranganathan reminded incoming students to “be bold with your thinking and ideas for how to reshape the world so that it is more humane, antiracist, and livable.” 

“Learn to know people that are not like you,” suggested SOC professor Leena Jayaswal.“Find friends, groups, take risks that put you out of your comfort zone to understand the experiences of someone who may not look like you.”   
Students and alumni on the council joined in, with Tamir Harper, BA/SOC ’22, reminding the Class of 2024 to “come prepared to not only talk to the talk but walk the walk.”

Melanie Brown, CAS/BA ’02, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, asked students to give back. “We all know our AU rallying cry, ‘once an eagle, always an eagle,’” Brown said, “But a rallying cry is more than a word or a phrase. It requires action. It requires us to rally, to come together, to act.” 

To send your welcoming wishes to the Class of 2024, use the hashtag #AUWelcome on social media.
 

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newsId: 785B8A45-9CAB-582E-5D20A33774F50124
Title: Diversity in Diplomacy
Author: Christine Slattery
Subtitle: AU’s Payne and Rangel Fellows Explore Careers in Foreign Service
Abstract: Highly competitive fellowships honor outstanding young people bound for foreign service careers, reward excellence, and encourage underrepresented groups.
Topic: Achievements
Publication Date: 08/10/2020
Content:

A rising senior and two alumni intent on US Foreign Service careers are one step closer with their selections to the US State Department’s Charles B. Rangel International Affairs and USAID Donald M. Payne International Graduate Fellowship programs.

Janelle Gray, SIS/BA ’21, beat out 1,092 applicants to win one of 15 spots for the Rangel Summer Enrichment Program, a six-week overview of the current issues, trends, career opportunities in international affairs. Tiffany King, SIS/BA ’16, has been selected for the Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program, and Mariam Khorenyan, SPA/BA ’17, will join the Payne Graduate Fellowship Program. 

Rangel and Payne were members of Congress from New York and New Jersey, respectively, who were known for their service and leadership in global affairs. The programs named for them promote excellence and diversity in the US Foreign Service, and encourage members of minority groups to apply. Each program funds two years of graduate study, internships, and professional development activities, and if completed, leads to appointment in the Foreign Service.

“The purpose of these leadership development awards is to encourage students to enter these careers,” says Paula Warrick, director of the Office of Merit Awards, which advises students and alumni as they apply for these and other highly-competitive awards. “They still have to pass the oral portion of the foreign service exam to be inducted, but they’ll receive all sorts of special mentoring in skills that will help determine whether they will be able to meet other benchmarks down the road.”

Gray’s interest in the world stems from being part of an immigrant family—her mother is from Jamaica. “If you don’t have that experience of coming from an immigrant family,” Gray says, “you don’t necessarily know how big the world is and how much more there is to learn about it. I wanted to know more.”

She also learned a great deal from her host mother when she was a Gilman Scholar in Kenya. “She was kind of the leader of her community. A widowed single mother in her thirties who had a coffee farm, a tea farm, a business—she was an entrepreneur, providing jobs to a lot of women in her community,” recalls Gray. “She didn’t let us sit down: we picked tea, milked cows. She wanted us to be involved, and it was incredible to see that.”

Gray says becoming a US diplomat means representing all US citizens, and therefore developing foreign service leadership that reflects the nation’s diversity is important. “Representation really matters. Brown and black people like me need to be considered as part of these very important conversations,” she says. 

King, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Barbados and Guyana, has dreamed of a foreign service career since she was in high school. She’s headed to Georgetown University to earn a master’s degree in the Global Human Development program. 

King Tiffany King, SIS/BA ’16    

“I know not every American has a passport, but since I was a girl I always had one, and traveling from a young age is what got me interested in the world,” says King, who has spoken both English and Spanish from an early age and has studied Japanese and Chinese. 

King has spent time in East Asia, and she thinks China and Japan need a more realistic representation of what the United States actually looks like. “These are homogenous societies,” she observed. “In China I was stared at because I wasn’t white and blonde like a lot of my colleagues. In Asia it’s predominantly white and Asian, and this lack of diversity means they don’t understand that America is a culture of immigrants, and that every nation that is out there we have, represented, here,” King explains. 

Khorenyan, who was born in Armenia and emigrated to the US when she was 13, will attend New York University to earn her master’s degree in global affairs with a specialty in transnational security.  A former Peace Corps volunteer, Khorenyan says she thought about a career in the foreign service as an undergraduate, “but it never seemed like a possibility because I never saw someone who looked like me speaking about this possibility.” 

Khorenyan Mariam Khorenyan, SPA/BA ’17  

Khorenyan wants to help change that. “The fellowships all have the same mission in mind: to bring diversity and new voices to the foreign service. So, I want to use my voice, my experience as an immigrant, and my service in the Peace Corps.”

Like Gray and King, Khorenyan says public service has been a recurring theme in her college and adult life. “I want to give back, because I feel I have been given so much—so many incredible opportunities,” Khorenyan says. 

These opportunities include—for all three scholars—the chance to show the next generation that a diplomat can look just like they do.

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newsId: DAB827C4-DD98-8F0F-FD61EB7F13085749
Title: Wildness Unleashed
Author: Kay Summers
Subtitle: Paul Wapner on Embracing Wildness, Coming to Terms with Rattlesnakes, and Writing a Book He Needs to Read
Abstract: A conversation with SIS professor Paul Wapner about his new book, "Is Wildness Over?"
Topic: International
Publication Date: 08/07/2020
Content:

SIS professor Paul Wapner has long been a proponent both of the human side of environmental protection and the equal importance of protecting biodiversity. Basically, life in all its forms is his focus, and in his new book, Is Wildness Over?, he writes at length about the “more-than-human world” to describe everything that people might have been taught to think of as less-than-human.

The book is fairly short, and its potential audience is broad. In it, he is clear about the role people, especially those in the Global North, have played in environmental harm. He writes: “People throw environmental harm onto the lives of others rather than deal with it themselves. They toss it across space, time, and species. They send it to other communities, the future, and into the lives of other creatures. In each case, some benefit while others suffer. Too many ignore those on the receiving end. They turn a deaf ear to the vulnerable and politically weak, whether human or nonhuman. In this sense, climate change and mass extinction represent more than technical problems. They are atmospheric and terrestrial expressions of injustice.”

I reached him by phone in New Mexico, where he is riding out the pandemic, to discuss his ideas on wildness. During our conversation, I had the chance to ask him about numerous themes in the book, including environmental ethics and the role of technology. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.

Q: Your book is about wildness; very briefly, what is the basic idea of wildness?

Wildness is that element of life that escapes our control. It is what we experience when we encounter unforeseen circumstances. The word stems etymologically from “self-willed”—the idea that there are things operating independently of human interest, human design, human power. 

Most environmentalists write about wilderness, and there is a connection between wildness and wilderness. The latter is a place, usually far from human habitation, where one can come into contact with and be vulnerable to predatory animals, falling trees, unpredictable weather, and other uncertainties. Wildness, in contrast, is broader than wilderness in that it is not simply a place but a state of mind. As such, one can experience wildness both in the woods and the city. Wildness involves encountering unpredictability, uncertainty, and the capriciousness of nature and other people. 

In the book, I explore how humans have long felt agitated and uncomfortable in experiencing wildness. I also examine how people have thus tried, for millennia, to tame or otherwise control wildness. 

Q: I liked how you wrote about wildness in terms of outside and inside—that “inside” doesn't necessarily have to be indoors. It's more about the way that we've parceled out the land. You write about the centuries since the Agricultural Revolution and how people have cordoned off and tamed wildness as a means to control and contain danger and increase the convenience and ease of their own lives. But then you take it a step further, and you say, in doing that, humans have unleashed a different type of wildness—the uncontrollable wildness of climate change. Will you explain that? Because it almost sounds like “nature's revenge” when I put it that way. What do you mean by the type of wildness that humans have unleashed?

Basically, what we've done is we've pushed wildness out of our immediate experience; so many of us live in air-conditioned houses, we have heating, we have microwaves, we have cars. There are all these gadgets that are the expression of our pushing uncomfortableness—and even some danger—out of our immediate lives. But what I suggest is that wildness is like energy; it can't be created or destroyed, so that when we push it out of our immediate lives, it doesn't just disappear and evaporate, but actually, we push it in two directions.

First, we push it horizontally, to people downstream, people who are less advantaged than us. Toxic waste: no one wants to live with toxic waste in their lives. It's pretty wild. It's unpredictable in how it affects human health and community and is downright dangerous. But one of the things we—and I mean us, the privileged—do is we shove it into the lives of other people, so they have to deal with it. This is what I mean by displacing wildness horizontally. If you think about it, if we take almost any environmental problem, we say, "Well, have humans solved it?" We rarely solve a problem. We generally displace it. We push it across time, to future generations.

Nuclear waste, for example. We haven’t solved the problem. We just say, "Oh, we'll bury it in canisters that won't last as long as the waste itself. And good luck, future generations." Or we can displace it across space. A lot of our e-waste, we ship to India, and little kids dismantle our computers and so forth, so that we, the privileged, don't have to interact with something that is dangerous and has its own toxicity. And finally, we displace it across species, so that we throw this stuff into the more-than-human world. That's what I meant by horizontal.

We also push wildness vertically in the sense that we catapult unpredictability and danger up to the global level—creating “global wildness.” Indeed, one of the main themes of the book is to explore the mechanics and quality of global wildness. Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and other global environmental dilemmas represent the consequences of displacing wildness out of our immediate lives and having it accumulate at the planetary level. Thus, we have global environmental challenges, not simply local ones anymore.

Q: How does this idea of pushing wildness horizontally align with the ideas underpinning the movement for climate justice? Is that essentially the same thing—the idea that we are causing harm to others simply because we can?

Yes. Well, look at the extraction of fossil fuels. Who extracts them? Where are these things extracted? And where's fracking taking place? Where is coal mining taking place? Where are pipelines being built? It's not the executives who are suffering, but it's people who have to live near those facilities and often are doing those wild, dangerous jobs.

And then when we talk about burning fossil fuels, who's on the front lines of climate suffering? It's often those people who live in substandard housing, so that when floods and weather events happen, they suffer. The same people often lack the resources to recover after such disasters. This is a long way of saying that I do see, absolutely, a conjunction between what I was writing about—this horizontal displacement—and climate justice.

Are we, the privileged, willing to accept a little more wildness in our lives as a way to take our foot off the gas pedal that's pushing wildness into other people's lives and up to the planet? That's where that rewilding part of the book comes in. It's saying: are we willing to cut that deal with ourselves? I argue that I think it's a good deal and that I think we could live more satisfied lives if we did. I'm not asking for us to go eschew electricity and comfort completely, but I do argue that I think there's space for us to experience a little more discomfort and a little less scratching every itch we have by turning to fossil fuels and sanitizing our world. And every animal that sort of bothers us, we'll just either wipe it out or push it away from us. I think that's at the root of the problem.

Paul Wapner's book Is Wildness Over? with green shrub in background

Q: You wrote a chapter about technological solutions. In reading the book, I come away with the impression that you have a dim, or at least a somewhat skeptical, view of technological solutions like Solar Radiation Management, Carbon Capture and Storage, and Direct Air Capture. You talk about using these solutions to pretty much manage the entire planet as part of the same controlling impulse that has not gotten us where we want to be. How do you view technological solutions? Do you think that technology can be additive to your idea of wildness, or are the two concepts fundamentally at odds?

Yes, I definitely take issue with geoengineering. I've done a lot of work with [SIS professor] Simon [Nicholson], and I respect the effort to think along those lines, but to me, the idea of trying to control the entire planet—the atmosphere, evolution, carbon cycle, and so forth—is ludicrous. The impulse to do so uses the same orientation that got us into climate change and loss of biological diversity in the first place. Geoengineering is putting that impulse on steroids. That very much worries me, to put it mildly. But my discomfort is not a blanket critique of technology per se. There can be sensitive technologies—technologies that don't just try to control the world but actually address it in ways that we can live meaningfully, and in place, and at a scale that it makes sense.

Take, for example, solar sources of energy. To be sure, solar power is a technology—with all the trappings of material engineering and ingenuity. But the difference is that solar technologies lend themselves to a kind of decentralized infrastructure that works against colonizing forms of control. They enable virtually anyone to utilize the sun’s rays rather than trying to capture and control energy in a centralized way and, further, aim to manage energy production rather than extending human reach to planetary infrastructure itself. Like wind, hydroelectric, and other so-called “soft energy” paths, solar doesn’t take on the planet as a whole and command global capture. Rather, it is a technology that aims to harmonize ourselves with the world. We're not digging into the crust of the earth and grabbing material, and lifting it up, and burning it, and therefore appropriating the world. When we use solar, we're not stealing the sun. We're not depleting the sun, but we are in relationship to the sun.

As you can tell, I certainly don’t eschew technology per se. I'm talking on an iPhone now, and I certainly don’t think that all technologies are bad. It's that some promise a scale of control by humans that, to me, is problematic.

Q: I thought it was also interesting that you wrote something like, 'I'm writing this in a room, and I'm alone. And the fact that I'm able to be alone in this space, with this environment exactly the way that I want it, on a planet with 7.7 billion people, is remarkable in itself.' But we don't think about that. We, in the privileged space that we're in, just assume that we will always be able to have that.

To me, one of the main themes of the book is the idea that, especially in the Western world, we have this illusion of control, but when you talk about pushing it horizontally, we have pushed that uncontrolled wildness to areas where people don't have the ability to have climate control whenever they want it. It's definitely a thought exercise to think, "What would it be like if I couldn't just shut the door and keep my room at a perfect 72 degrees while I think these deep thoughts?"

Right now, people in parts of Asia and the Middle East have seen summer temperatures approaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Think about that number. How can people work outside or simply get through their days in such heat? It is mind-boggling and incredibly horrifying and unfair. This represents the displacement of wildness insofar as those living on the frontlines are not the ones sitting in private rooms, shutting a door, and turning up the air conditioner. 

Q: You write about the Anthropocene era and the idea that, at this point, everything on Earth has a human signature on it. But there are 7.7 billion humans on Earth, and they aren't all equally responsible for that signature. When we talk about the human signature, who's responsible for the biggest part of it? How disproportionately is this human influence distributed currently? Who causes the most environmental harm, and who suffers the most?

The Anthropocene: it's a very adaptable word a lot of environmentalists use these days to describe this moment. And it does speak of our species' signature on the planet. Human influence on the earth’s ecosystems is now so deep and extensive that it makes sense to see our time as a new geological era. But as I say in the book, to me, the Anthropocene is not the “Age of Humans,” as it is conventionally defined, but, more accurately, the age of some humans. Some of us definitely have a disproportional influence on the planet. I think those of us who are plugged into affluence and technology and a culture of consumer entitlement, we have a disproportional effect.

But the other thing about the Anthropocene, which my book tries to critique, is that the concept of the Anthropocene also suggests that everything is humanized—that humans are now not simply running the planetary ecological show but controlling and steering ecological destiny. This seems to me to be going too far. It seems to over-inflate human importance and bleach out the more-than-human world. There is wildness in the world that escapes human control. There are other critters. There are wind patterns. There's solar gain. There are ecological forces that, while imprinted with a human signature, still operate partly on their own. Right now, with climate change, anywhere you stand there's a human influence, but this doesn’t blot out otherness. Other beings and forces move not only to a human beat. 

I feel like it's really important for us to respect that otherness, certainly in other people, so we'll stop sending our harm always elsewhere into other people’s lives and into the other-than-human world. I think we become more alive as human beings as we practice such respect and as we stop trying to grab the world around us as if we own and can control everything at our fingertips. 

Q: That’s a great transition to rewilding. Toward the end of the book, you write about rewilding, and you frame it as “coming home.” What does it look like if people approach their relationship with nature in a fundamentally different way?

I must admit that I write books that I need to read. I say this because, while I whole-heartedly encourage cultivating a more sensitive relationship to the more-than-human world and recommend specifically rewilding our lives, I’m far from mastering the practice of rewilding myself. I have much work to do. However, I have been experimenting.

For example, for the past few years, I’ve consciously worked to feel the temperature around me rather than instinctively turn up the heater in the winter or air conditioner in the summer every time I feel a hint of discomfort. I’m trying to be aware of every time I turn to fossil fuels to scratch a material itch. I’m also trying to eat more in harmony with the seasons and more locally grown food. I’m trying, in other words, to stop enforcing my desires and extending my controlling hand onto the world. I’m trying to resist making my environment a mirror image of everything that I want.

My wife and I are currently living in New Mexico. We have rattlesnakes on our land, which, I must say, worry me. But I've been trying to play with my discomfort in an effort to take seriously rewilding. On the one hand, I’m thankful for the rattlers; they tell me that the land is healthy—it can support all kinds of critters. We also have coyotes, rabbits, lizards, and occasionally bears and elk on the land. We are blessed with radical otherness in our midst. On the other hand, I’m terrified of being bitten by a rattlesnake. A snake’s indifference to me and my designs scares me. I’m working on living with the dual dimensions of wildness. It sounds crazy, but doing so is making me more awake to the world and my life and thus, while challenging, I actually invite the chance to rewild my life by making room for others. 

We talked about what I wanted. If I could be prescriptive, I would love people to interact with the world beyond them with more sensitivity to how other things operate. To not see how other people and other things operate as a threat to brace against but as an opportunity to grow more human and more responsible to injustice. My hope would be that people see otherness as that quality of wildness in the world that is inherent to life itself. We squander that quality, the experience of interacting with that element, when we simply try to control it.

 

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Title: Antiracism Center to Host “Empowering Educators: A Convening on Racial Equity in Education”
Author: University Communications
Subtitle:
Abstract: Award-winning YA author Jason Reynolds to join August 19 panel discussion.
Topic: Announcement
Publication Date: 07/29/2020
Content:

As more schools plan to incorporate antiracist teaching and cultural responsiveness in their classrooms, American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center is partnering with Pizza Hut and First Book on a free event for PreK-12 grade educators on August 19. Called “Empowering Educators: A Convening on Racial Equity in Education,” the event will provide educators with guidance and actionable resources to help them prepare for conversations on race and racism.

“At a time when antiracism is front-and-center in a national movement to achieve equity and social justice, this event will provide educators much-needed resources and actionable, practical guidance in creating antiracist curricula and engaging in dialogue,” said Christine Platt, AU Antiracism Center’s interim managing director. The center is a collaboration between the School of International Service and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Headlining the convening are Jason Reynolds, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and award-winning young adult author; award-winning educator Liz Kleinrock; and AU scholars Amanda Taylor and Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy.

“I’m always excited to get the chance to talk to educators, who, to me, are the most important of the civil servants,” said Reynolds. “And though they teach formulas and structures that will someday lead our young people to gainful employment, one of their greatest responsibilities is to teach humanity.”
 

Empowering Educators convening
Empowering Educators convening
 

During the event, Kleinrock, winner of Teaching Tolerance's 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching, will lead educators in a training on topics including how to integrate antiracist and anti-bias content into curricula, how to use literature to support student engagement, and how to disrupt white supremacist culture; Reynolds will discuss with Platt how to have conversations with young people about race and racism; and AU scholars who center antiracism in their work, Amanda Taylor, assistant vice president of inclusive excellence at AU, and School of Education Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, will discuss the importance of antiracist teaching.

Empowering Educators convening schedule:

Welcome | 11AM

Session One | Practical and Actionable Guidance for Educators | 11:15AM

Keynote | Teaching Humanity with Jason Reynolds | 12:30PM

Session Two | The Importance of Antiracist Teaching | 1:30PM

Closing Remarks | 2:45PM

Additionally, the Empowering Educators convening will serve as the launch pad for a robust series of educator resources that First Book and Pizza Hut will unveil on August 19.

Educators who are eligible for First Book membership will receive access to free and discounted books and resources courtesy of Pizza Hut.  

With over 35 years supporting literacy through the BOOK IT! Program, Pizza Hut has long prioritized providing educators with relevant, accessible, and inspiring resources to support and encourage their students.

Empowering Educators registration: https://bit.ly/EEConvening

 

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newsId: D4AFBC67-5056-AF26-BEB05C1EA74843E3
Title: SIS Alumna Spends Free Time Advocating for Women
Author: Stephanie Block
Subtitle: Shayna McCready, SIS/MA '14 shares with the Alumni Association her experiences as an ambassador and founding member of the DC committee for Ladies Get Paid
Abstract: Shayna McCready, SIS/MA '14 shares with the Alumni Association her experiences as an ambassador and founding member of the DC committee for Ladies Get Paid.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 03/08/2017
Content:

While her day job is spent as a federal contractor for the US Department of State, Shayna McCready, SIS/MA '14, stays plenty busy and passionate outside of work as an Ambassador and founding member of the Washington, D.C., committee for Ladies Get Paid (LGP).

The educational and community-based organization provides tools and resources to help women advocate for their value in the workplace, which hopefully leads to increased recognition and rewards.

"When I am not managing U.S. funding for diplomacy and development, training for a race, or volunteering at my local Yoga studio and the Washington English Center as an ESL tutor, I am organizing and bringing women together across the DMV," Shayna says. "Since launching LGP in New York in 2016, we've hosted seven town halls with over 700 attendees. Our community is global with over 3,000 members."

Shayna feels the momentum LGP is building will evolve into a global women's movement. She credits her American University School of International Service (SIS) graduate program experience as well as her career in global diplomacy and peacebuilding for her passion in building networks to expand female expectations.

The AU experience provided Shayna with opportunities to engage in various fieldwork experiences. She completed a Graduate Practicum researching factors influencing economic resilience in Rwanda with Global Communities as well as an Alternative Study Abroad (also in Rwanda) and volunteered for needs assessment research in Haiti.

"I wanted to attend SIS to have the opportunities to engage directly with the leadership shaping the world of international diplomacy and development," Shayna expresses. "Washington, D.C. is a unique place to study in that you can read and study a topic in a book and then physically head over to dialogue with individuals working in the US federal agencies, working groups, and forums where the topics you read about are being discussed in real-time."

During her studies, she recalls working under Professor Loubna Skalli Hanna, which provided her the unique chance to explore research on the intersection of development, politics, gender, youth, culture and communication.

"In many places around the world including the US, when women's rights are threatened and systems of equality are undermined, everyone suffers the collateral damage," Shayna says. "No society is immune from backlashes, especially in relation to gender and equality. There is a continuous need for vigilance for women's and girls' full enjoyment of their social, political, and economic rights."

Read more about LGP.

Tags: School of International Service,SIS Career
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Title: Making the most of the SIS network
Author: Erin Kelly, SIS/MA & SIS Alumni Relations Program Assistant
Subtitle:
Abstract: SIS graduate student Erin Kelly shares how spending time with alumni at annual SIS events eased her networking nerves.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 03/06/2017
Content:

Like any graduate student, I was skeptical about the role networking would play in my academic schedule at American University. But, at the student-alumni events I attended my first semester, I learned that true networking is about the personal connections you make. So forget the fancy reception rooms and high-powered lunches, real AU wonks can network anywhere: including next to the giant panda habitat at the National Zoo.

One event I attended to build my networking skills was the annual SIS Deans Reception, which brought 21 graduate students, staff, and faculty together with 19 alumni for a casual evening of cocktails and a tour of ZooLights, the National Zoo’s holiday light display, hosted by Dean James Goldgeier. Between appetizers, ice breakers, and a speech about the new SIS Office of Career Development, students and alumni alike felt the strength of the AU connection—as we all say: "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle."

While networking can be tough, I found that the informal setting and lighted pathways of the National Zoo allowed graduate students and alumni to truly come together. At the reception, I saw my fellow students meet alumni who worked throughout DC. Most students are only aware of a handful of career options, and meeting alumni who have paved unique career paths broadens our horizons.

 

Several of the alumni I chatted with began discussing SIS. Between recommendations about classes to take and professors to meet, I learned which skills alumni had learned at AU have served them best in the workplace. Perhaps the most important moment of networking for me was hearing about the job searching process from alumni who had been in the position I am in now. Listening to the tips they had picked up and the careers they have now made me more confident about finding my next step after AU.

 

Events like the Dean's Reception not only expose students to new possibilities, but keep alumni close to the university community as well. AU's office of alumni relations puts on a variety of events that bring students and alumni together. Students who are nervous about learning to network can use the SIS Office of Career Development to broaden their skills. Once you have your business cards, check out which upcoming alumni events are right for you!

 

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Title: AU Launches Crowdfunding Platform
Author: Joanna Platt
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Abstract: UFUND is a platform the AU community can use to directly fund projects and initiatives.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 12/15/2016
Content:

American University's Office of Development and Alumni Relations recently launched UFUND, a crowdfunding platform just for the AU community. This is a new way for alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the university to directly fund the projects and initiatives they care about most.

AU faculty, staff, and students are planning ventures to shape the future of the community, nation, and world. By making a gift, donors support the development and success of these projects.

Currently, UFUND features five initiatives – The Eagle Innovation Fund, the DC-Area High School Ethics Bowl, an Alternative Break in Cuba, the Skills for Success Career Seminar, and production of the documentary In The Executioner's Shadow.

Members of the AU community are invited to submit new projects to be featured on UFUND.


 

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Title: Jorhena Thomas, SIS/MA ’04: From AU to Homeland Security
Author: Patricia C. Rabb
Subtitle:
Abstract: Jorhena Thomas is an AU Alumni Board member and homeland security expert.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 09/09/2015
Content:

"With my MA from SIS in hand, I was very competitive in the field I wanted to go into," says Jorhena Thomas, SIS/MA '04, while describing the benefits of receiving a master's degree from the School of International Service. "My coursework at AU forced me to think critically, which has served me well in my career progression," she adds.

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Jorhena describes herself as "a Midwestern girl through and through." She earned a bachelor of arts in international studies from Oakwood College in 1998 and a master of arts in international affairs from AU in 2004. Jorhena formerly worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an intelligence analyst for eight years. During this time, she spent five years focused on international terrorism investigations at the Washington Field Office and three years in the International Operations Division as the intelligence program manager for the FBI's 11 Legal Attaché offices in the Americas region.

Jorhena is now deputy director and operations manager for the Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center, which is a division of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. In this role, Jorhena ensures that relevant intelligence information and analysis products get to the right people at the local, state, and federal levels, with a particular emphasis on public safety issues in the District. "I can only do this through a wonderful and dedicated team of analysts, liaisons from partner agencies, and interns," she exclaims. WRTAC focuses on all public safety issues—including terrorism, law enforcement, emergency management, and critical infrastructure protection.

During her time at AU, Jorhena remembers watching the buildup to the Iraq war while taking a class with Dr. Clovis Maksoud. She recalls him providing "incredible insight and perspective" as events developed over the course of several months in that region. Jorhena also joined a "wonderful array of dedicated and passionate fellow students" as a member of the Student Organization for African Studies while on campus. 

As an alumna, Jorhena enjoys giving back as a member of the AU Alumni Board and as a SIS alumni-student mentor. The experience of being a mentor to a current AU student is something she finds extremely rewarding. "I've learned as much from my mentee as she's learned from me," she says.

In her spare time, Jorhena enjoys reading biographies, getting great deals in thrift stores, and traveling to exciting destinations with her two children: an 11-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. One recent highlight was taking her children on their first international trip. The family traveled to Guatemala where they enjoyed time with a host family, learning how to harvest fruit from trees, wash laundry by hand, and hand-grind coffee. "It was eye opening, humbling, and fun," she says.    

Although she is undoubtedly busy with both work and family, Jorhena is impassioned about volunteering. "I volunteer at AU because I think it is a great institution and I want to continue to be a part of what makes it great," she says.

Tags: Alumni,Alumni Board,Alumni Relations,Alumni Update,School of International Service,Mentor
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Title: SIS Alumna Helps to Raise Funds for Small Nonprofits in NYC
Author: Stephanie Block
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Abstract: Dana Williams, SIS/MA '86 wears two hats as a real estate professional and nonprofit fundraiser.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 05/14/2015
Content:

Having the unique privilege to meet and work with people from around the world with fascinating lives is the best aspect of her work, says Dana Williams, SIS/BA '86.

When the economy declined a few years ago, the real estate professional sought other sources of income and experience. Through her search, Dana discovered The Funding Network USA (TFN) New York and enthusiastically approached the organization on various occasions to serve on their team.

Beyond the hardships that came as a result of the economic downturn were glimmers of sunshine, Dana says. "I realized how drawn I am to supporting grassroots projects with positive, sustainable solutions to complex problems," she adds. She serves as project director for TFN NY in addition to maintaining a successful real estate career with Sotheby's International Reality and acting as vice chair of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's Brokers Partnership.

TFN is a global organization that hosts live crowdfunding events on behalf of grassroots, social impact non-profit organizations. The first organization to benefit from TFN's fundraising work is Harlem Grown, a small non-profit with a mission to inspire youth in Harlem, N.Y. to live healthier and more ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition.

Dana has also served as a board member for Habitat for Humanity NYC, as gala co-chair and mentor for Children's Aid Society and volunteered at the 1st Tribeca Film Festival.

Dana was attracted to AU's School of International Service mostly because of her lifelong intrigue with Keyna. "SIS encouraged a study experience abroad, so I chose to study in Kenya for a semester," she explains. "Going to school in Washington, DC was an exceptional opportunity that I never took for granted."

Dana's memories of her undergraduate experience are certainly fond. "I remember a small group of us meeting at the Tavern after Professor Duncan Clarke's energetic and inspiring lectures to simply talk about the world," she shares. "Some of my activities included mentoring and interning on Capitol Hill with an organization that lobbied for U.S. sanctions against the South African government."

From showcasing an apartment with a balcony overlooking Central Park to traveling to Harlem Grown to coordinate TFN's summer event which they will host in its garden, no two days are ever the same for Dana.

Regardless of how busy her days get, Dana says always has time to stay connected with friends from AU. "I made the most valuable and lifelong friendships at AU," she says. "I have a core group of close friends from AU that live in Australia, California and nearby."

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Title: From Undocumented to Unstoppable
Author: Rebecca Vander Linde
Subtitle:
Abstract: Daniel Alejandro Leon Davis achieved his college dreams, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 06/13/2014
Content:

At age six, Daniel Alejandro Leon Davis, SIS/BA ’13, came to the United States from Venezuela with his mother to visit siblings in Miami. Instead of returning home, Daniel and his mother stayed in the U.S. permanently, though they were undocumented. Despite what seemed to be insurmountable odds, Daniel persevered. He received AU’s prestigious Abdul Aziz Said Phi Epsilon Pi Scholarship, graduated Magna Cum Laude, and won the Fletcher Scholar Award for exemplifying integrity and selflessness in citizenship while achieving academically.

As an AU student, Daniel was the first undocumented intern for the Clinton Global Initiative, part of President Bill Clinton's philanthropic foundation. Now, he is chief of staff to Michael Skolnik who is a civil rights activist, political director to hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons, and president of GlobalGrind.com.

“My mother lived the American dream,” Daniel says. Although his mother can’t speak English, she put on a brave face and gave her children everything she could, working as many as three jobs and eventually becoming the top interior designer for Mercedes Homes.

It is clear Daniel’s mother is his inspiration and champion. Looking back at his childhood, he recognizes the signs that she struggled because they were undocumented. He remembers nights when his mother would go without food; her constant apprehension around police officers (even mall security guards) for fear of deportation; and frequent visits to her lawyer’s office. Undocumented immigrants often live in such secrecy and fear, it is not uncommon for them to hide their status from their children, which is why Daniel did not learn he was undocumented until his senior year of high school.

Daniel dreamed of attending an Ivy League school, but the country's economic crisis derailed those plans. His mother could no longer afford the tuition, and his undocumented status disqualified him from financial aid and scholarships, so he enrolled at Seminole State College and earned his associate’s degree. Many prestigious four-year schools accepted Daniel’s transfer application but would not allow him to attend because he was undocumented.

When he called American University and revealed his status, his admissions counselor said, “Oh, you’re a dreamer! We have a way of putting you into the system,” and enrolled him despite his being undocumented. Although he again faced financial obstacles, he would not be deterred this time.

"I gave up on my dream once. I'm not giving up on my dream again. I don't care what I have to do. I'm going to American University," Daniel told himself. He called 95 scholarship organizations and asked if any of them would accept an application from an undocumented student; only three said yes: the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Coca Cola, and Phi Theta Kappa.

At his graduation ceremony, the president of Seminole State announced to Daniel, his mother, and the entire school that Daniel won all three scholarships he applied for, which totaled more than $160,000. He says, "That's the day my life changed. That's the day that everything was worth it, the day that I live for every single day."

Still, life was not easy. The scholarships did not take effect until after his first semester at AU, so Daniel couldn’t afford housing and stayed with friends instead. In October 2011, he “came out” as undocumented by wearing a sign announcing his status on LGBTQ National Coming Out Day. He told his story at an event that evening. After that, he says, “Strangers would come up to me on campus and say, ‘Hey, did you eat today? Do you want me to swipe you in to TDR?’ I felt what community truly meant at AU and that people really stand for what they believe in there.”

Unlike other students preparing for graduation, Daniel knew he wouldn’t be able to find a paying job because he was undocumented. Still, he wanted to use his personal experience and success in creating social change on a larger scale. “I introduced myself to Michael Skolnik [at an event] using the networking skills I learned in one of my classes at American,” Daniel says. Through a friend, he got a meeting with Michael and worked on some projects for him. Michael was so impressed with Daniel’s work that he immediately hired him as his chief of staff.

It was a shock. “I figured I’d be an intern,” Daniel says. Instead of interning, Daniel runs a team charged with harnessing celebrity power, especially on social media, to create social change. He has worked with Alicia Keys, P. Diddy, Common, and countless others.

Daniel also finds time to give back to the American University community as a volunteer with the Latino Alumni Alliance and as a social media ambassador. He volunteers because, “AU gave me a lot, a lot, a lot! From Dr. [Fanta] Aw making sure I had housing, to people making sure I had scholarships, professors spending so much time with me and caring for me. … My service is a way to pay back all the ways people helped me at AU. And if I can help that next undocumented student who goes to AU, or help that next Latino student, I want to do that. For me, volunteering means knowing I get to be a part of a community that lasts forever outside of campus.”

Daniel is now married and is an applicant for permanent residency in the U.S.; the Washington College of Law legal clinic is assisting him with his application process.

Daniel's AU education was possible thanks in large part to donor-funded scholarships including the Barbara Bohn Wright Memorial Scholarship, the Annette Langdon Scholar-Activist Award, and the Abdul Aziz Said Phi Epsilon Pi Scholarship. Learn more about how donations to AU make a difference in students' lives.

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Title: SIS Alumna Writes to Showcase Modern Challenges in U.S. Identity
Author: Karli Kloss
Subtitle:
Abstract: Carla Seaquist, SIS / BA ’67 strives to give space to many of the complicated, and at times, ephemeral social and political issues facing our country.
Topic: Alumni Profile
Publication Date: 05/08/2014
Content:

As a writer and playwright, Carla Seaquist, SIS/BA ’67, strives to give space to the complicated political, cultural, and ethical-moral issues facing our country. She began her career in civil rights activism, helping to organize the women’s caucus at the Brookings Institution from 1972 to 1976.

She then moved to San Diego where she served as the city’s equal opportunity officer from 1977 to 1983, successfully moving women and minorities into nontraditional jobs. For this work she was awarded NOW’s Susan B. Anthony award “for courage and hard work on behalf of women and minorities.”

The shift from civil rights to writing was a logical progression, Seaquist says. She began working as a freelance writer until she moved on to playwriting.

During the siege of Sarajevo, Seaquist reached out to the manager of a Bosnian radio station. They built a unique relationship over the phone. She turned their conversations into a play, Who Cares?: The Washington-Sarajevo Talks, a universal drama about the saving power of human connection in chaos. This play has had three productions, including at Washington’s Studio Theatre. Seaquist has written three other plays.

The shift from playwriting to more direct commentary happened on September 11, when she witnessed the Pentagon on fire. As a result, Seaquist became a contributing writer for The Christian Science Monitor and, now, The Huffington Post.

Seaquist published her first book of commentary, Manufacturing Hope: Post-9/11 Notes on Politics, Culture, Torture, and the American Character, in 2009. Her forthcoming book is titled Can America Save Itself from Decline?: Politics, Culture, Morality. She also published Two Plays of Life and Death.

“I have found the SIS take-away tool–the need to develop a conceptual framework–very useful,” Seaquist states. “International relations made me a world citizen, providing me with an outlook that’s global, not parochial, and a keen interest in history and other cultures–all very helpful in writing commentary.”

Seaquist lives in Washington state with her husband Larry, a state legislator, and is working on a play titled Prodigal.

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Title: First Generation SIS Alumna Inspired by Parents’ Work Ethic, Family Values
Author: Stephanie Block
Subtitle:
Abstract: Gloria González-Micklin, SIS/BA ’80, immigrated to America in 1972. Her parents made extreme sacrifices to provide a better life for their six children.
Topic: Alumni Profile
Publication Date: 03/13/2014
Content:

Gloria González-Micklin, SIS/BA ’80, born in Bello, Colombia, immigrated with her family to New Holland, Pa. in 1972. Her parents, textile factory workers, made extreme sacrifices to provide a better life for their six children. Without their guidance and sacrifice, González-Micklin says, she would not have achieved the professional and academic milestones in her life.

“Who would have known that the daughter of two working class immigrants would be the individual charged with arranging major events requiring high security protocol for China’s leadership and their U.S. cabinet counterparts,” González-Micklin says. 

As Director of Programs for the US-China Business Council (USCBC), a non-partisan, non-profit organization of American companies involved in trade and investment with China, Gonzalez-Micklin executes major meetings and high security events for key stakeholders in U.S.-China relations, including China’s ranking officials, their American counterparts, senior U.S. business executives, and scholars during their visits to Washington, D.C. and New York City. In addition, González-Micklin manages her department and annual gala fundraiser. 

“I launched the USCBC Gala in 1998 to mark the Council’s 25th anniversary,” González-Micklin says. “This past December, as we celebrated our 40th anniversary, we honored Dr. Henry Kissinger for his many contributions to contemporary U.S.-China relations over the past four decades.” 

González-Micklin earned her master’s degree at the University of Texas, Austin and lived in China from 1992 to 1996 accumulating experiences and memories to last a lifetime but also gaining cross-cultural skills that proved invaluable in her subsequent career in Washington, DC. 

She has had the privilege of meeting every Chinese leader (President and Premier) since Zhu Rongji, including current leader Xi Jinping. 

Her work on key events for visiting Chinese officials regularly puts her in direct contact with China's most senior diplomatic representatives, and with key figures in the U.S. Congress, the State, Commerce, Treasury departments, and other agencies engaged in US-China bilateral relations. “It has been fascinating to be part of these historic events, which must be flawlessly executed,” González-Micklin says. “It is also rewarding to know that, in a small way, I am contributing to the ongoing and expanding dialogue between the two largest economies in the world.”

González-Micklin holds a special place in her heart for American University and the School of International Service. “I give of my time by participating in SIS alumni chapter events here in Washington as well as helping the next generation of international relations leaders by advising and mentoring students.” In 2001, she received a recognition for her contributions to the AU community at large. She is also active with the Hopkins-Nanjing Center where she established the Jim Townsend and Sandy Perry Memorial Endowment Fellowship in 2003.

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Title: Alumna Creates Cause-Based Marketing Firm to Promote Do-Gooders
Author: Kristena Wright
Subtitle:
Abstract: Alexa Loken, SIS/BA ’10, launches Loken Creative to aid nonprofits and caused-based organizations
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 10/09/2013
Content:

When alumna Alexa Loken, SIS/BA ’10, found herself on AU's campus, she was intrigued by the steady buzz of motivated young people ready to change the world. With a few dreams of her own, she had no problem fitting in and expressing her interests. It wasn’t until after meeting her now husband Erik, another AU grad, that she was truly able to hone in on her niche.

“He told me I was destined to be a sales person but I knew I didn’t want to sell products. After graduating from AU and NYU, I figured out that I could definitely sell a service, and I knew I was passionate about it.”

Alexa believes her experience at American University is one of the major contributors to her career success thus far. So we asked her more about it.

Alexa says, “This may sound really cheesy but I really wouldn’t be where I am today had I not gone to AU.” An international relations major, she participated in the Washington Mentorship Program, studied abroad in Malaysia and China, was a member of Alpha Phi Omega co-ed community service fraternity, and Eco-Sense. “I was able to meet so many different people through my involvement at AU, which showed me that if you see a need that isn’t being filled, why not go out and fill it yourself if you have the expertise, financial capabilities, and passion to pursue it?” she says.  

Alexa’s resume shows off work all over the country, including New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and an overseas venture to Beijing. Gaining experience in online marketing, search engine optimization, advertising, print marketing, and grant writing are just a few of the things she has done. During her eight-year stint in the environmental world, she fell in love with non-profits and knew that she wanted to embark on a journey that would utilize her expertise to help organizations reach their full potential through creative marketing services.

In 2013 Alexa launched Loken Creative, a marketing agency for cause-based organizations where innovation, idealism, and expertise create opportunities for good. “I always loved the process of working on a project and moving on to the next project so that I could take the organization to the next level piece by piece. Now, I always tell my clients we want to be their niche, we want to be their extended arm. We aren’t looking to take over their world, only to make their world an easier feat to tackle.”

With 12 staff members, seven of whom are also AU graduates, Alexa shares the advice she has for current students:

“Be sure to dabble in as many different internships, classes, and jobs as you can to really figure out what you like and don’t like in regards to a work environment. Find mentors that will give you constructive criticism and ensure that they are from different walks of life to give you the best well-rounded outlook on life. If you're looking to start your own business, be sure to run a pilot program so that you can scale up over time. Lastly, as long as you can make it work financially, do exactly what you want to do. Sometimes you have to work a second job for a while, but finances should never hinder you from following your dreams.”

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Title: SIS Alumnus Nur Ali Followed his Dream and Traveled the Fast Track from SIS to NASCAR
Author: Stephanie Block
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Abstract: Since he was a little boy, Nur Ali, SIS/BA ’98, dreamt of racing cars. His dream became a reality very soon after graduating from American University.
Topic: Alumni
Publication Date: 01/11/2013
Content:

Since he was a little boy, Nur Ali, SIS/BA ’98, dreamt of racing cars. His dream became a reality very soon after graduating from American University.

“Education is so important, and I am glad I had the opportunity to go to such a reputable school,” says Nur. “But racing was what I wanted to do since I was a little kid.”

Nur was born in Pakistan and raised in Germany until the age of eight. His family then relocated to Fort Worth, Tex.

Fluent in German, Urdu/Hindi, and English and raised by parents who were proponents of education and supportive of following one’s dreams, with no prior race car driving experience, Nur went to Ohio to attend the Skip Barber Racing School just after graduating from AU.

After graduating from racing school, Nur went back to Texas, and, in 2005, he received an invitation to serve as the Team Leader for Team Pakistan in the A1Grand Prix – World Cup of Motorsport – an international racing series – making him the first driver of Pakistani descent to race professionally. President Musharraf launched Team Pakistan announcing Nur as the leader at an exclusive, extravagant affair.

Nur raced internationally for a few years with the intention to transition into NASCAR, which he did at the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway in the NASAR Nationwide Series on October 20, 2012. News spread quickly in his home country of Pakistan that Nur had become the first Pakistani-American to race NASCAR.

“I would not be where I am without my education from American University,” Nur says. Outside of racing, he serves the community by mentoring and educating children about the importance of education. “Because I completed my education, I always have something to fall back on.”

In mid-December 2012, Nur attended a three-day practice drive in Daytona Beach, Fla. and is continually striving toward his next goal. “I am either in the gym working with a personal trainer, strategizing with my public relations team on how to secure sponsorships, or serving the community,” he says. He also is working closely with NASCAR to bring more visibility to the sport internationally.

Nur hopes to be either a part- or full-time driver with NASCAR in 2013. He is already scheduled to race a few junior races, including the NASCAR K & N Pro Series and the ARCARacing Series.

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