Senior Samantha Hubner recently published her interview with Karen AbuZayd of the Middle East Policy Council Board in Belmont’s Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter Blog. In the post, AbuZayd discusses her career and expertise of the Syrian refugee crisis.
After AbuZayd was featured as a Leading Woman spotlight in February by Kappa Alpha Theta Headquarters, Hubner wanted to learn more and contacted her with little hope of getting through. To her surprise, AbuZayd was willing to chat and did so that same afternoon.
“Her career and experience is just so timely with the heightened tensions of the resettlement controversy in America, making her story one I feel is increasingly important to tell. She fully embodies the values that Theta instills within its members, so I thought her story of becoming a strong leader in the international community could inspire my sisters,” said Hubner. “But I also felt that her story was one that was accessible enough to reach beyond my sorority chapter. Diversity is a hot topic both on Belmont’s campus and in universities across the nation, so it was my hope that in introducing the perspective of an established professional of the UN, Belmont students could continue to conceptualize what it means to truly fight for diversity.”
Hubner is looking to pursue the fields of diplomacy and foreign policy after graduation. She said any opportunity to encourage her peers away from being apathetic about what is happening outside the United States is a chance to build a more engaged and informed population.
“Foreign affairs can be intimidating, so I think that when people start to demonstrate an interest, it’s the responsibility of people who study or work in the field to help contribute resources to help it make more sense,” she said. “While this refugee crisis has been an ongoing issue for many years now, it recently seems to have caught the interest and attention of more than just your average foreign policy enthusiast. I’m seeing more and more of my friends wanting to not only understand what’s going on overseas, but find ways to help. That’s why I made sure to talk about how state governments (specifically referencing legislature in Tennessee) are reacting to the federal government’s mandates on resettlement in an attempt to help bring the issue closer to home.”
