Make History.
That was the theme of this year’s Student Leadership Conference (SLC). Several speakers alluded to how the theme of the conference indicates our own importance: “history,” they said, is literally “his story.” Though as an English major and self-professed word nerd I have to point out that this is factually inaccurate (the word actually derives from the Greek historia which refers to an account or narrative and has no connection with the English pronoun “his”), the spirit of the sentiment remains true (and gender neutral!). History is about all of our stories.
One of the featured presenter sessions I attended was with Alex Sangha, social worker and founder of Sher Vancouver, a support group for gay and lesbian South Asians. He discussed particular issues that he and others in the South Asian community experienced when coming out as gay or lesbian and how he felt there was a lack of support for LGBTQ South Asians, which led him to founding Sher Vancouver. “Sher” means “lion” in Punjabi, he explained, and connotes the courage which is embodied by out and proud LGBTQ South Asians.
Sangha described the uphill battle he experiences as an LGBTQ activist in South Asian communities. Though the group is open to all LGBTQ South Asians and their friends regardless of religious affiliation, Sangha mentioned that when he started Sher Vancouver a clergy person from a local Sikh temple responded saying that there were no gay people in their community. However, just a few years later, a board member from the same temple invited Sangha in to speak to them about LGBTQ issues, a story which indicates just how powerful Sangha’s work is, and how important groups like Sher Vancouver are in truly making meaningful differences.
The other featured presenter session I attended was with Natasha Thom, the Director of Operations for The Lipstick Project, which is an organization that provides spa services to medical patients and their families. Thom spoke to us about the power of caring human touch as opposed to impersonal medical contact that patients in hospitals and other facilities are so accustomed to. She explained that her work at The Lipstick Project was influenced by her own experience with cancer which she was diagnosed with at the age of 18.
While utilizing her own personal and professional story as a backdrop, Thom offered tips for how to find your own purpose or passion. She suggested starting by making a simple list of what makes you happy and comparing it to a list of what you do everyday, and then compare the two lists in an attempt to bring them into alignment. She also mentioned the importance of knowing when to say “no,” emphasizing that a “no” can make way for a “yes.” “You have the right to be picky,” said Thom. “And you are worth saying yes to the things you are passionate about.”
Thom gave each attendee a small puzzle piece as a gift, saying that she always kept one with her as it reminded her of how interconnected we are; how we are all each a part of one another’s “puzzle.”
It seemed to me that this was a particularly salient metaphor in light of our mission to “make history,” and could serve as a reminder that our endeavors, whatever they may be, are never isolated from those of our communities.