Somehow it's already May and I only have two more months here at World Faiths Development Dialogue... How did that happen?! It wasn't that long ago that I was drinking egg nog with my co-workers at our holiday party and fighting to beat the DC traffic to Union Station in order to make it home for Christmas, and now it's... almost over!
These past few months have been full of activity here at Georgetown University. Our Board of Trustees meeting was a highlight, which gathered ten or so religious leaders, scholars, and development actors to discuss the future of this "small, but robust NGO," as our executive director says. I was stunned (almost literally) to have the opportunity to meet and casually chat with Lord George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (aka the principal leader of the Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion), as well as with Akbar Ahmed at dinner, considered by many to be the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam. Part of me felt like I was too naive and uneducated to appreciate fully the amazing company I was keeping over that week. I am so grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to work here at WFDD, as I daily learn more and more about how the worlds of faith and international development can and should find common ground to address some of the world's biggest challenges surrounding poverty.
We also convened several conferences: one on Women, Religion, and Peacebuilding at United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on the Mall, another on Faith and Immunizations here in our offices, and the most recent on Faith and Global Health, featuring Ian Linden, Director of Policy at Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Although the work that goes into organizing and facilitating these events can be somewhat stressful, I always look forward to them because it's a glowing reminder to me of why I sought a Princeton Alumnicorps position in the first place, over a year ago: an opportunity to learn, engage with others, and enrich my understanding of what a civic leader is and embodies.
As much as I've appreciated and valued my time in the office, the beauty of the P55 year is that the 9 to 5 schedule affords me the time and flexibility to engage the community here in DC in other ways, too. Coming as more of a surprise to me than anyone, I have mentored and led a group of fifteen 11th grade girls through my church. It requires a bi-weekly commitment of youth group meetings, in addition to several, fun retreats they organize for the kids (we just got back from Ocean City, MD a few days ago!) and as many one-on-one meetings we can fit into our schedule, in order to get a little deeper with each of the girls. The time that I have spent with these girls has been some of the more intense learning experiences I've ever had. Even though it was only 6-7 years ago that I was in their shoes, I had forgotten how hard it is to grow up, insecure in who you are, and unsure of what you want out of life and who you can really count on to guide you along the way. These sweet girls are dealing with broken families and homes, the highs and lows of high school, the approaching anxieties of college applications and decisions, leftover hurts from middle school, pains of divorce, bullying, eating disorders, depression, heartbreak over friendships and relationships, and pressures of all kinds. And yet they exhibit so much joy, eager to share their stories with each other and encourage one another. I've been blown away by that incredible and distinctive quality of kids everywhere: the ability to love freely, innocently, and whole-heartedly. Spending time with them has inspired me to reflect on how I am loving the people in my life, whether they are friends, family, co-workers, the cashier at Trader Joe's, or the homeless man, Mickey, who stands outside CVS. And while it may seem like I'm going off on a random existential tangent, isn't that what Princeton and P55 is all about? Isn't it love that enables us to be in the nation's service and the service of all nations? Isn't it love that motivates the faith leaders and development actors that work together to address development and poverty-related challenges? I would like to think so. It's the unexpectedness of lessons like this that have made this past year in DC such a great time in my life, and I am so excited for what's in store for me and all of us next year.
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