This summer we are catching up with former volunteers and interns of the Bahá’í Chair. Our fifth post comes from Emily Gorey who graduated in 2019.
I left the Baha’i Chair for World Peace nearly two years ago; however, the lessons I took with me continue to shape my daily life. I am now a better listener. I am more thoughtful. I am conscious of the space I occupy and who may not be there as a result. I am an ally.
Since graduating from the University of Maryland, I found myself in advertising. My work is not going to reform broken systems or solve crises of poverty, inequality or climate. It may, however, quietly shape conversations. My work involves listening to people and learning their values and priorities. I can help influence major brands and the dollars they spend. I can guide their priorities to reflect the world we would like to see. The Chair taught me to look for those who may not jump at the opportunity to talk. It showed me that biases pervade everything we do including the data I analyze. The Chair has fundamentally changed how I see myself in the world.
I grew up in the second wealthiest county in the United States, the famously wealthiest country in the world. It took me 18 years to learn this fact and the immense privilege that comes with it. It wasn’t until college that I stumbled upon how different the world looked outside of the only bubble I’d ever known. I was blissfully unaware that the bubble even existed at all. I never noted or attempted to understand why my classmates were predominately white. Or why the kids who came from further out west, the more rural areas, were in less advanced classes, floated in their own circles, and seemed to get in trouble far more often. There was reasoning to the undercurrents of my life. There were connections to be made but I never had the need to draw a line from point A to point B. I was ignorant of the fact that my normal was not normal.
Throughout college, I took 35 classes but only one changed the fundamentals of how I look at the world. I was lucky enough to walk into Dr. Mahmoudi’s honors seminar my first week at the University of Maryland. It was here that I learned how different the world looks outside of Howard County, MD. I heard emotional and personal stories first hand from my peers. I read the science of our unconscious biases. I watched videos showing how deeply people can hate their fellow man. I learned how quietly inequality is ingrained into our systems, thoughts, and environments. But most importantly, I realized I am one of the luckiest people on the earth, and with that, it is my duty to reach out and help those less fortunate.
A year later, I had the opportunity to see the class from the other side. As a TA, I watched a new group of students come to similar realizations as mine. I saw the power of empathy take hold. My role running the Bahai Chair’s social media gave me the opportunity to help its work reach more people. My education exploring the 5 themes also continued as I attended the Chair’s events. Together, with my fellow Terps, we became better listeners, allies, and advocates.
My relationship with the Chair has fundamentally changed me into a more aware, selfless, and thoughtful person. However, I am just one of the countless young adults shaped by the work of Dr. Mahmoudi and Dr. Seaman. Through education and discussion, they are building a more equitable future one young mind at a time.
As for me, I cannot thank the Baha’i Chair for World Peace enough for what they gave me. Thank you.
About the Author:
For two years, Emily Gorey was a Baha’i Chair intern prior to her graduation from the University of Maryland in 2019. While attending UMD, she took and later acted as the Teacher’s Assistant for the Chair’s honor seminar, The Problem of Prejudice: Overcoming Impediments to World Peace. She is currently living in LA and working as a Junior Strategist at the digital agency, Code and Theory