Sarah
“Many women are taught that they have to bend to the will of others, never being too loud or too assertive, but I believe that as women, we have to embrace all aspects of ourselves, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes others.”
Sarah is incredibly driven, hard working and fearless. She is a student, a young professional and a traveller who has never let an opportunity pass her by. An inspiration to those around her, her sights are always set on her career goals. Her motivations lie in her desire to see a more equal and just future - for all human beings.
She is not afraid to voice her opinion, but is also always willing to listen. She’s someone to watch, and she’s someone to follow. Meet Sarah, this is her story.
Sarah, at the United Nations Secretariat Building in Geneva (ie. making a difference…her happy place)
P: Please introduce yourself!
S: I am a recent international relations graduate student with a passion for human rights and developing inclusive public policy. I’ve spent years studying how policies affect general citizens, be it in the development or security sector, and hope to affect positive change. I’m also an avid artist and continuously look for ways to expand my skills, either with paint, sculpture, or baking. Despite the chaos of 2020, I have had the opportunity to re-find some of my childhood passions and learn how I can combine then with my professional passions.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
S: I think my favourite thing about myself is my ability to adapt to changing circumstances and understand other people’s perspective. It’s very important to me to be able to understand another person’s perspective, in work and in life, because I want to treat others as I would want to be treated. I am a firm believer that we should all put out the energy that we wish to receive and be understanding of other people’s circumstances. I think that my ability to adapt myself and my skills to new situations, coupled with my desire to understand the circumstance from another perspective, allows me to develop stronger relationships.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
S: While completing my second degree, it was required for students to do an internship between first and second year. Although it’s a promising experience and beneficial, competing against equally talented students across a number of schools proved to be more difficult than I imagined. I knew the field I wanted to work in and I knew the organization I hoped to work for but obtaining even an interview proved to be immensely difficult. I was not only competing with students my own age with little to no work experience but I was also competing with mid-career professionals in my program that had a lot more experience, both domestically and abroad, that could arguably provide more skills than myself. However, throughout this experience I learned how to present my own personal experiences as critical skill building time and really situate myself within the organization alongside the calibre of my colleagues. I grew immensely from this experience and learned valuable career skills that allowed me to land my dream internship and continue pursuing my interest in global affairs.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
S: The piece of advice I would give my younger self would be to follow your passions. Young people, particularly young women, are often dissuaded from pursuing their passions academically if they do follow traditional career paths. However, you will enjoy your schooling, and your future career, so much more if you truly enjoy the work you are doing. If you can find a way to combine your passions into a job, you’ll never work a day in your life. And it may be difficult in the beginning, and many may have a different view on your passion, but in the end, your passions are meaningful to you and that is what truly matters.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
S: Being a woman means something different to everyone. It meant something different to me four years ago and it means something different to me now than it did to me in March. For me currently, being a woman means understanding your worth and knowing that you may have to fight harder for positions and opportunities. Being a woman means understanding that your body does not determine your value or intelligence; it means that you will have different identities as part of you, and each will make your stronger. Be it sister, wife, mother, grandmother, etc., the most important identity you will have as a woman is being yourself, and putting yourself first. Many women are taught that they have to bend to the will of others, never being too loud or too assertive, but I believe that as women, we have to embrace all aspects of ourselves, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes others.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
S: One woman that inspires me is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her rise to Congress in the United States was fraught with difficulty, racism, and misogyny. Following a sexist remark from a fellow Congressman, Ocasio-Cortez gave an impassioned speech about systematic sexism and implored people to think twice about how their behaviour feeds into cyclical gender norms. This passion is not new for her. Since she was a child, she has continuously fought for better immigration and economic policies for everyday citizens and she has continued to campaign to change the connotation surrounding service jobs. Her passion for middle- and lower-income families, as well as her unwavering position on gender-equality, has shown me that no matter how small you perceive yourself to be, you can make a difference.
If she was in front of me now, I would thank her for pushing woman to be unapologetically true to themselves and to continue to fight for gender and economic equality. Although she resides in the United States, the impact of her words and work stretch around the globe and she has become the face of a new generation of women.