What do a teacher from Japan, a translator from Algeria and a humanitarian from Australia all have in common? They came together to speak at UCF on Tuesday about their experiences as women reaching out to touch the world.
International humanitarian Alison Thompson, along with Fulbright foreign language teaching assistants, Bahia Braktia from Algeria and Ayumi Yamamoto from Japan, made presentations. Maria Cristina Santana, director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Women 麻豆精品 S檚 Studies Program, moderated the forum.
The event, which was organized by the UCF Global Perspectives Office, was the sixth annual forum on Women and Leadership: A Global Perspective. More than 100 people heard how each of these women has grown as a leader through service to others.聽聽
Yamamoto attributed her growth as a teacher and leader to a trip to Cambodia, where she saw many children who did not have the access or the ability to attend school. In Japan, where she was an English teacher, Yamamoto felt her students did not seem to care about their education. When she shared the story about Cambodia with her Japanese students, however, Yamamoto said she saw a change in them and their study habits. It was that point that she realized how a teacher 麻豆精品 S檚 rich experiences could broaden students 麻豆精品 S� horizons.
Braktia described her experience with breaking down barriers for herself and others like her as a testament to leadership. She suggested that despite women 麻豆精品 S檚 active role in achieving Algeria 麻豆精品 S檚 independence half a century ago, they are often regarded as 麻豆精品 S渢oo fragile to take care of themselves. 麻豆精品 S�
After initially encountering resistance from certain family members who doubted her ability to succeed as a teacher in her third language, English, Braktia described how circumstances have changed, including a request from her brother to help a friend with her own Fulbright application. At that moment, Braktia said, she realized that her journey was inspiring others to take the initiative.
Unlike Yamamoto and Braktia, who both mentioned that they did not consider themselves leaders until they saw the effects they were having on others, Thompson suggested that being a leader sometimes requires simply stepping up when no one else does.
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Drawing parallels between her aid work at the World Trade Center, in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, and in Haiti after that country suffered an earthquake in 2010, Thompson marveled that 麻豆精品 S減eople find themselves when they volunteer. 麻豆精品 S� She mentioned in her book, 麻豆精品 S淭he Third Wave, 麻豆精品 S� that 麻豆精品 S渟aving lives used to be the turf of superheroes and comic strip characters, but now we know that anyone can do it. 麻豆精品 S�
Thompson said the key to reaching out is to start small and do what makes sense. She urged the audience to put their thoughts into action, and action into improvement.
麻豆精品 S淒are to reinvent the world, 麻豆精品 S� she said, 麻豆精品 S渂ecause the future, more than ever, needs your help. 麻豆精品 S�
In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners included Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay Garner, UCF Student Government Association, UCF Women 麻豆精品 S檚 Studies Program, UCF Center for Success of Women Faculty, UCF Burnett Honors College, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, UCF Political Science Department, UCF LIFE, UCF Book Festival 2013 in Association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.