Blog 1: For such a time as this

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" – Esther 4:13-14

Ever since I was young I always loved the first day of school. The amount of anticipation and excitement simply overwhelms any presiding emotion of fear or nervousness. To me, the first day meant the start of an unwritten chapter. It encapsulated endless opportunities where simply anything could happen and predictability would be thrown out the window. I still carry that same feeling with me whenever I start something new, and beginning my time here in DC was exactly that.

I knew that this opportunity was a part of God’s plan for my life. The opportunity to become an EYA fell into place so effortlessly. As a science major, this sort of internship experience is slightly different from what is expected but I felt as though there was something that God was calling me to experience this summer that I could not fully see from my limited perspective. So with that understanding, I took a leap of faith and accepted the position and quickly became excited for what's to come.

Being an ethnic young adult is a major part of my identity but it is rarely something that is catered to. I grew up with a great deal of pride in my ethnic heritage and have grown to admire who I am and the privilege that I have to be an Egyptian-Pakistani-American. Being the ethnic minority for me is normal and what I’ve experienced all my life, but as I get older and begin to see the world through a more mature lens, I have begun to feel pain and sadness that comes with this. The ignorance and intolerance that I have witnessed by some people have caused me to think and reflect on what my role is as a minority.

Since being here, I’ve experienced a new sense of pride that comes along with being a part of the greater minority community. Being surrounded by these women and men feels comfortable and easy because, despite the multitude of differences among us, we share this societal role.

Being in D.C. with this beautiful group of people has forced me to think. In this mecca of power and control, I find it hard to see myself. The buildings are adorned with portraits of white men of the past and the seats are filled with white men of the present. These are the people writing the history of my life yet the majority of them will never know what it is like to live with brown skin. I found it sad to notice how excited I was when a congresswoman or person of color would appear because of the scarcity of female representation or racial diversity. Regardless of these emotions, I refuse to believe that things aren’t changing for the better. Especially being surrounded by my fellow interns I feel confident that our generation of ethnic young adults is prepared to take our rightful place in those seats and the portraits on the walls. All in all, I am eager to learn, excited to experience, and grateful to God.

Mariam Zaki
Blog 1
6/14/19