Transcriber: Dee Allen Reviewer: Denise RQ
I was actually attending my very first Biostatistics class,
and the professor was trying to get to know everyone.
So he was asking about our names, and our academic backgrounds.
And basically, almost everyone in class had a scientific background
of either medicine, chemistry, nutrition,
and then it was my turn.
And with a huge smile I said:
"Hi, my name is Marya and I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature."
And I could... Hey, literature fans!
Woo! (Applause)
And I could see it on his face, he said it, my professor,
"Wow, major shift."
For a second, I felt like I was in the wrong place.
I just wanted to run and hide.
But I did not.
Because what it felt like a major shift to my dear professor,
felt very natural to me.
And so today, I am inviting you all,
to [give] this major, but natural shifts, a chance.
Because in them lies the most wonderful and beautiful experiences
that you would not read about in any book, or do any Google search on.
And these experiences will definitely take you on never ending journeys.
I believe my personal journey and learning to accept these major shifts,
started when I was as young as 6 months.
Well!
I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture,
but back then I was blonde; I had straight hair and bright green eyes.
And you know, from the expression, you can say that I was saying,
"Yes! Blondes have more fun."
And then, a major shift.
I grew up to be a brunette, dark eyes,
but I still have a lot of fun.
I also grew up to have a passion for books.
For reading them, smelling them, and just being around them.
(Applause)
Hey! OK!
And I actually blame it on my father bless his soul,
who used to make sure
that all my summer vacations were filled with books about great adventures.
I think I used to do that to be able to compensate
for the harsh times we used to have during the Civil War,
where we had to end up in shelters sometimes
and for him, books became an escape.
And I definitely agree.
Well, basically, after many, many summer vacations,
it was time to decide on a major for University.
And after long and long discussions with my father,
who wanted me to become a chemist,
I finally agreed, and we finally agreed together actually,
that I would pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature,
followed by a teaching diploma,
and teaching of English as a foreign language.
And because I was also very interested in student life on campus,
I decided to join some clubs.
I was never interested in politics.
I know it's difficult because politics is everything,
and even in the food we eat, here in Lebanon.
So I decided to join a club,
that represented an organization that was never interested in taking sides,
but actually was only interested in creating a positive impact in society.
I decided to join the Red Cross.
(Applause)
Yeah!
And so, basically, after I graduated, I started teaching,
and for a while, it was actually great.
And I was still very much dedicated to my life as a volunteer,
and it became quite interesting
when I joined a specific committee in the Red Cross
that was dedicated to educating young people on HIV-AIDS.
I remember I was watching an episode of a show here on a local TV station
that actually was hosting a person living with AIDS here in Lebanon.
And I remember that I thought he was very, very brave
because he decided not to hide his face or change his voice,
and talked about the discrimination he faced every day
because he was living with AIDS in Lebanon.
I will never forget his face.
And actually, a few weeks after watching this interview on TV,
I happened to be passing by the national AIDS program
to take some brochures with me.
And as I entered the reception, he was there.
He was very kind enough to stand up, and he wanted to shake my hand.
And I couldn't shake his hand.
I was very afraid.
I was sure that if I shook his hand, I would definitely get the virus.
I was very wrong.
But I did not know very much about HIV/AIDS back then.
And I vowed, at that moment,
that I would want to go and I want to learn about the virus.
I want to learn about its transmission and prevention.
And I want to basically transmit this information
to my friends, and to my family, and to young people my age.
I tell his story every time I give a session on HIV/AIDS and discrimination
because he has really inspired me to do this.
And so, basically, I've decided to hold the red ribbon very close to my heart.
And this red ribbon that you sometimes see on world AIDS day, December 1,
is actually a symbol that represents solidarity with people living with HIV
and on awareness as well.
The beautiful volunteers here at the event have actually placed
red ribbons in your bags,
and it would be great if you want to pin them close to your heart as well.
Just like mine.
All right.
So basically, I decided to become a peer educator,
and educate my fellow Red Cross volunteers on HIV/AIDS.
And then, it hit me:
you cannot really talk about HIV/AIDS without talking about prevention.
And you cannot really talk about prevention without talking about safe sex.
And you cannot talk about safe sex without talking about sex, right?
Problem.
And so, when we dedicated only 30 minutes for a session on HIV/AIDS,
it started getting longer and longer,
because young people were interested to ask about sex
without being judged and without feeling ashamed to actually ask those questions.
As you know, sex education in Lebanon is still going under great debate.
A lot of debate.
Some [pro], a lot against,
and those against always say
that sex education encourages young people to have sex sooner.
Do you agree?
No! It's not true.
And research actually backs me when I say that.
Sex education teaches young people about their bodies.
It was really shocking when we used to talk about, when young people actually,
when I learned that young people don't really know their own bodies.
They don't know their own anatomy.
Sex education teaches young people about their bodies.
Sex education teaches young people how to respect their bodies.
And sex education teaches young people
how to take healthy decisions about their bodies.
This is what sex education is really about.
And I think it's a very, very [big] misconception here in Lebanon.
And hopefully, we're actually working on trying to erase these misconceptions.
And so, this is what I wanted to do: I wanted to talk about sex.
All the time. Sex education, of course.
And actually create a safe space,
a safe and friendly space for young people to talk about sex without feeling judged.
And just when I thought about that, an opportunity came to me.
I'm a firm believer in Rumi saying: "What you seek, is seeking you."
And it actually did.
I was given the opportunity to go to Norway
and worked with the Norwegian Red Cross,
the Youth Department, and learned more about their programming, especially--
Oh yeah, it's very, very cold in Norway.
Very cold!
And so, basically, I learned a lot about their programming related to HIV/AIDS
and helped design projects, creative projects,
that actually approach young people and talk to them about HIV/AIDS,
and also about safe sex, and about their bodies.
It was very, very inspiring.
And when I came back home,
I was definitely ready to dive into the social development world.
I felt that the shift had happened.
I quit my teaching job back then,
and now I was ready, to dive into this world.
Since 2007, I've been working in several international organizations,
local organizations and UN agencies on communication health.
And basically, I'm always pushing to include sexual health
in all community projects.
And in 2010, I decided to pursue a Masters in Public Health
- i.e. the Biostatistics class -
and although it was a struggle,
kind of trying to juggle a career and being a student again,
I'm very, very happy to be graduating in less than 10 days.
So this is a big achievement for me.
(Applause)
So yes, a literature student can actually pursue a Masters in Public Health.
You can do it.
Basically, I am now the Country Director of an international organization
here in Lebanon called Heartland Alliance.
Do you know Heartland Alliance?
OK, wow, that's cool. Alright!
And, basically, what we do
is that we kind of respond to vulnerable populations,
especially under protection and mental health.
And especially now, the refugees and the current refugee crisis.
What we do is that we use different ways to actually reach out to young refugees.
We use the arts, for example,
we use theater, music, writing, literature,
to help them express themselves.
I've actually realized that, for example, using theater helps young people
to actually cope with their situation and share stories,
so that they feel less isolated.
And finally, I've come to realize
that once you give yourself the chance to kind of accept and take a chance,
and accept those major shifts,
you actually open up to an endless sea of knowledge and experiences,
that eventually will blend in a very, very magical way.
You will use all of these experiences to benefit yourself and others,
and it's such a beautiful experience.
I miss that girl, she's very beautiful.
And today, I would like to end
with a picture that I took in Paul's hometown.
Tyre [Sour]
It's a lighthouse.
Actually, this lighthouse stopped functioning years and years ago,
but we still call it a lighthouse.
It's really amazing that we still do
because its internal light is definitely eternal.
And your internal light is definitely eternal.
I'm inviting you today to actually listen to that little voice
that tells you to take a chance.
To be able to feel that light inside of you,
and when you shine, you will shine forever.
Thank you very much for listening.
(Applause)