Inclusion
Sara Elmiaari
She/Her听
Designer/Page Editor
Talk about a place where you can be yourself.
I find myself between the trees often. Specifically, there鈥檚 a wetland park near where I live, which is meant to be a conservancy for many animals and the nature that presides there. I feel most comfortable being myself when I鈥檓 surrounded by nature, soaking in all that the earth has provided.
What has been your biggest teachable or meaningful moment?
A moment I always look back on as meaningful is when I was an English teacher in China. There was a group of brand new three- to four-year-old children at our school who had yet to speak a word of English. I鈥檇 walk in to teach them, and initially, they would just try to parrot what I鈥檇 tell them. I鈥檇 say, 鈥淗ello, my name is Sara,鈥 and they would repeat, 鈥淗ello, my name is Sara.鈥 After weeks of trying to teach them their own names and getting them to understand what they were saying, I walked into class and went to each student to say, 鈥淗ello, what鈥檚 your name?鈥 They were all able to say the phrase and their name. I cried. They looked at me in confusion, but it meant a lot to me to be contributing to their future understanding of a new language.
What would be your theme song or walk-up music if you were to win an award and why?
My theme song or walk-up music if I were to win an award would be 鈥淥ut There鈥 by Lupe Fiasco. It鈥檚 an empowering song while keeping you humble. There鈥檚 always going to be something else to achieve and learn about.
If you could talk about something for 30 minutes without preparation, what would it be?
If I could talk about something for 30 minutes without preparation, it would probably be anything animal related. Music is also up there with things I find myself talking about often.
What makes you excited about the work you do?
What makes me excited about the work I do is the opportunity to share important information with people across the U.S. Some may not have explored it yet, but it all comes down to accepting, understanding, and learning.
