I will forever be indebted to my sorority, Chi Omega, for the amazing college experience I had. The friendships I made during my four years at American University are ever-lasting … and I wouldn’t be who I am today without Chi O.
In the 12 years since my graduation, I’m always thrilled to discover that a stranger, a new friend, someone’s second cousin … is a Chi O, a fellow sister.
Which is why today, I’m sharing this article. Continue reading “To Be Womanly Always, Discouraged Never”
I’d love to say we read to Maya every single night before bed, but we do read all the time — just not always right before bed. Anyway, we always let her pick which books she wants to read and the other night she surprised me by choosing one we’d never read: Dr. Seuss’s Oh the Places You’ll Go, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite books.
It was a copy my mom had given me minutes before I boarded the plane for my semester in Buenos Aires my junior year of college (July 1999). As I opened the book and saw my mom’s beautiful handwriting on the inside cover, I couldn’t help but smile — I hadn’t looked at those words in a decade or more. Continue reading “Wise Words”
You might not know this, but my undergraduate degree (from American University in Washington, D.C.) is in international studies with a focus on communications.
It’s not a concrete degree as, say, a business degree or a teaching degree. But it aligned with my interests and gave me a broad perspective on our world, combining my love of foreign policy/international relations, politics and communications. Though I didn’t end up working for the State Department as a foreign service officer (as I often envisioned) I never stopped being passionate about these things. In fact, the older I get, I’ve found myself getting more and more analytical about world affairs and our civilian role in them.
And while I don’t claim to be an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, as an American who has done her fair share of reading in and out of school and watched 9/11 unfold before her eyes while on an Amtrak train, I felt compelled to put some of my thoughts down on paper today. Continue reading “USA! USA!”
This post is also at WeAretheRealDeal and isn’t something I’d typically blog about here but I’m appalled and well, it’s my blog 🙂 — beware, foul language (not mine) to follow in this post.
As an American University alumna, I’m absolutely appalled at this story making the rounds on Jezebel today, “Date Rape is an Incoherent Concept: Blaming the Victim, American U. Edition.”
Located in our nation’s capital, AU is known to be a pretty liberal school. I’m usually so proud to be an alumna of such an open-minded institution — known for its diverse student body and a reputation of producing politically and socially active alumni who do great things all over the globe.
As you can imagine, this is NOT the kind of news you want to share from your alma mater.
But it’s not something I want to see kicked under the rug, either. Continue reading “Appalling Post @ Jezebel Re: College Date Rape”
Let There Be Light 