I am interested in being a Voice of Our Future (VOF) correspondent for World Pulse because of my personal experience as a child refugee, where I witnessed war and ongoing violence, firsthand. Being a refugee of wars where human rights were violated, showed me the value of human rights and opportunities such as education that only peace can provide. My ultimate goal is to make a contribution toward resolving international conflicts and the suffering caused by these conflicts to women throughout the world. The VOF aligns with this goal.
My experience as a refugee led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz. This program focused on social change and social justice. I learned how to assist diverse cross-cultural individuals and organizations through advocacy and how to educate the public in regard to immigration and domestic violence issues. My first encounter working with women’s conflict issues was when I volunteered with a non-profit organization called Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City. Under the umbrella of the Women Domestic Worker project, I supported the media committee, assisted with donor communications, and fund-raising, and participated in various outreach campaigns. Through these experiences, I became committed to resolving conflicts and improving the lives of women. The opportunity to be a part of the VOF would allow me to continue my commitment as an advocate for women.
I continued to help women when I volunteered for two years in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. During that time, I lived in a small village where I designed, implemented and facilitated grass roots projects. These projects included leadership workshops, girls’ soccer teams and women’s health and nutrition classes. Through sport activities, workshops and arts, the women in my village were able to express their emotions and cope with their experiences as victims of violence and sexual abuse. I appreciate the valuable experience I gained and the strong personal relationships I developed with the women’s group in my village. Through these projects, I was able to connect and understand their struggles, pain and sorrows. I am passionate about working and promoting social change and justice for women and children at the international level, which aligns with VOF.
Due to my Peace Corps experiences, I chose to pursue a Global and International Studies Master’s degree at UC Santa Barbara. The program emphasized living and working in a wide variety of cross-cultural contexts and focused on NGOs and using the bottom-up approach to addresses social justice issues globally and domestically. This opportunity provided me the skills and knowledge to confidently work towards conflict resolution. Working with VOF would provide me an opportunity to continue to put my passion and skills into practice.
I am interested in the VOF because I want to share the innocent voices of women who are victims of human rights violation. In the past, I have had the privilege to write about and to share stories of women; it has been rewarding to witness the impact that these stories have on others. I want to use my writing skills and passion to make change in the world by telling their stories and to inspire others to take up peace making efforts. I recognize the value of compelling writing to help people to understand, care, support and get involved in peace making efforts and to improve the rights of women.
Now that I am fortunate enough to be in a position to help others, I would like to continue promoting social change at the international level with an emphasis on women and human rights. Both my own experience as a refugee, along with the opportunities I’ve been so fortunate to have received, have grounded me and helped me understand the importance of giving back. I earnestly want my work to make the world a better place, one life at a time. I believe the VOF would enable me to further develop my communication skills and ability to serve as a voice for those women who are working hard to effect peaceful change in their conflict-ridden environments.
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