The Value and Freedom of Education

American universities, especially public ones, have been experiencing increased pressure to provide skill-specific, career-ready degrees. Rigorous majors such as engineering or nursing often plunge students right into a set academic plan, leaving little time for students to explore other courses. A classic liberal arts education, in contrast, offers a wide range of understanding interdisciplinary classes. The overarching message is "never stop learning".

Featured Expert:

Trudi Hays is a former homeschooling mom who has worked in a variety of disciplines. She has two children, one a junior at UVA and the other a junior in high school. After graduating from a liberal arts college, she worked as a receptionist on Capitol Hill for two years, then I went to law school. She took positions as a legislative assistant for a Virginia delegate, a lawyer at a law firm, an assistant prosecutor, and a lawyer at the criminal position for the Department of Justice. Hays discovered that there is always more to learn, dedicating herself to being a lifelong learner.

When she finally became a mother, she stopped working. She said, "My friends couldn't believe that I walked away from it." However through homeschooling she entered a new stage of learning alongside her kids. "My husband and I knew some people who were homeschooling, and we thought it seemed like a neat way to learn from your children. It was a combination of wanting to be more involved in the education of our children and not wanting them to be in the public school setting." They started their oldest daughter in a Christian private school, but decided to homeschool her after they moved and couldn't find a comparable private school. Hays' firstborn was homeschooled until her last year of high school, and her younger daughter studied at home until she enrolled in a private Christian school in 8^th grade.

Although her children often worked on their own with books, Hays loved getting another chance to further her education and relearn "things that [she’d] forgotten along the way." She was impressed at what her kids could remember and enjoyed seeing their perspectives. Sometimes she said to herself, "Oh, she’s got a test tomorrow. I’ve got to stay up and learn it." Homeschooling spurred her to learn more, "purely for the fun of it."

Hays lived more than half of her life overseas, since her father was in the military. Over the years she traversed the globe, visiting Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, England, Scotland, China, Japan, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Her travels revealed a world of contrasts and unique perspectives. She said, "You realize that we don’t own the market on knowledge or culture. If you get all excited about Williamsburg being old, you realize the pyramids are a lot older. It gives you a perspective. When you see the poverty of Africa or realize that people in England were bombed during the war - how could that be? How could you survive that?"

Hays' thirst for learning extends to everyday interactions as well. She said, "On a bus even, I reach out to people from other countries." As a volunteer driver at the metro station carpool line, her goal is to learn something new every day. Lately she has listened to lectures about the creation of Bangladesh and Pakistan and the sheikh people group on her morning drives. Hays has found that most people are eager to learn and eager to share.

Through her own education and raising her daughters, Hays discovered the value of a liberal arts education. "I chose a liberal arts college; they did not offer any of the extensive programs they offer now. Four years were required." She studied the mandatory English, math and science, and took every opportunity to study new subjects, even if they were unrelated to her major or future career. She explained, "I knew this might be the last chance." Her classes included Latin, philosophy, geology, biology, economics, art history, the history of music. One class prompted her to write a biography on her father. She was profoundly affected by the research process that included traveling back to his hometown, looking through newspapers, and conducting personal interviews. She said, "I wanted to make that mandatory for homeschoolers. It is such a powerful thing." She dabbled in it all, and "it was the highlight of [her] life."

College, Hays believes, is "the last time in your life that you’ll ever have time to focus on a diverse smorgasbord of intellectual interest to give you a foundation for the rest of your life." It's also when the brain is the most interested and active, ready to soak up new information. "You might determine that you have an interest you never knew existed." Without exposure to new fields, college students will miss critical opportunities to discover more about the world and themselves. Hays sad, "Yes, architects can get their job. But you have no appreciation of history. Or yes you’re an engineer and you can build bridges, but you can’t have a conversation about Dante."

Her oldest daughter, who is studying civil engineering at the University of Virginia, loves her classes but has no time in her schedule to dabble in her other interests. According to Hays, the university offers very limited choices and a prescribed, rigid engineering degree plan. Hays wishes she had let her take community college classes and explore her interests before starting to work on her degree.

"Because of the cost of college, people need to maximize it. People need to get out in the least amount of time and debt, and get a job. Get a skill that is immediately marketable. A liberal arts education is not originally focused on a skill." Private schools like Wheaton College have more freedom than public schools do and are committed to offering rigorous liberal arts courses for students, regardless of their majors. One student's blog post that appeared on the university's website, http://www.wheaton.edu/Student-Life/My-Wheaton/2013/10/6-Benefits-of-Liberal-Arts-Education, listed six benefits of liberal arts education taken from the book "On the Purpose of a Liberal Education". In an overview of Wheaton's education methods, the site, http://www.wheaton.edu/Academics/Liberal-Arts, includes benefits such as highly marketable skills, strong academic credentials, a strong foundation in moral virtue and ethical reasoning, and whole person development.

But, according to Hays, even private schools are starting to offer faster-paced degree programs due to pressure to produce career-ready graduates. The rush to develop career skills in and even before college also translates into the post-graduation workplace. As a consequence of employees working around the clock and burning out, companies like Volkswagen, Goldman Sachs and BMW are discouraging employees from working outside of their office hours. An NPR article, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=248307688, said that they are "recognizing that successful employees must be able to escape from work." 

Hays remembers lawyers in New York City getting office tours and being offered 24-hour secretarial service. There were also showers in case employees wanted to work all night. She commented, "I think we’ll see a pendulum swing. Creative geniuses need to sleep, need recreation." Efficiency must be balanced with moderation in the workplace and in education. Side effects must be monitored and not ignored. If not, said Hays, "they’ve shot themselves in the foot."

Personal Growth Through Life Coaching

The booming self-help culture in which we live has been accompanied by an up-and-coming profession: life coaching. According to a CBS News online article, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-10-professional-life-coaching-myths/, life coaching is all the rage with a $1 billion annual profit. Professionals engage in "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential," as the International Coach Federation describes the industry. However starting an independent life coaching business can prove daunting. 





Featured Expert:

Heather Edmondson is an independent coach and the founder of Northern Lights Coaching, a brand new life coaching business located in northern Virginia that started this May. She said, "I currently have four steady clients who are working on various issues (stress management, relationships, meaning & life purpose, work/life balance). Edmondson is passionate about people and personal growth. She loves helping people discover "their best selves" and seeing the joy they radiate once they reach their goals.

Through her own personal growth, Edmondson realized that she is a people person. "My relationship with a computer, while still important in today's society, is not fulfilling. I need to be interacting with individuals to be happy." Once Edmondson knew what she didn't want out of a career, she began exploring.

      She said, "I got really really curious. Deepak Chopra, in his book "The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire", talks about the importance of knowing exactly what your desires are. He recommends writing a list of what your desires are in several areas of your life (relationships, material, self-fulfillment, etc.) So I started writing lists. Adding to them and in meditation asking myself ‘What do I want?’,  I started getting really aware of what nourishes me and what makes me feel drained or unsatisfied. The list helped a ton because it helped me get clear on my big picture goals. I still look back on it and cross off or add to it."

Edmondson poured time and dedication into building an independent business, but had to remember to take care of herself during the process. Along the way she had to acknowledge her limitations and wait until she was ready to focus. Now that she has established Northern Lights Coaching, there are still challenges to face. "Life coaching is a very new profession and often people work independently of each other, so it is a harder field to market because people still aren't really sure what it is or how it could benefit them or their company."

In five to ten years, Edmondson hopes to have developed her practice into a "strong community of growth in which people can feel supported by each other and themselves." In 2014, she hopes to run workshops for teens and adults to develop self-confidence and begin building that community." In the more distant future, she may collaborate "with other professionals with various skills and gifts to form a larger community and a wellness center in the NOVA area where all of these great things can be accessed."

In a world in which women have taken the work force by storm while managing their households, stress is often a given and burnouts can occur frequently. Edmondson said, "My main goal is to help women develop a deeper level of self love and care. We have a lot of give to the world, and it begins with loving ourselves so we can better give that love to others."

Edmondson loves watching inner transformations take place. She said, "Since I am in the field of self-growth I get to constantly be amazed at the ways in which we as human beings strive to better ourselves or align ourselves with something greater than our person  (dreams, values, relationships). I am also learning a lot about celebrating small successes, and how everyone grows and processes life at their own rate and in their own way. It’s humbling to watch."

Layali: Muslim-American women's magazine

      Muslim women experience a host of challenges in America today. Mixing modesty with fashion is just one among many hot topics of discussion, and was mentioned in an article by PolicyMic earlier this year. Author Reem Nasr stated, "Here's the bottom line: I cover my head not my mind." Part of a thriving American subculture, Muslim communities make up a unique marketing consumer base and present opportunities for industry changes and improvement.                                                                   

Featured Expert:

Omama Altaleb and Rawan Elbaba are magazine co-founders of an online magazine called Layali for Muslim-American women and attend George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Although they were both born and raised in northern Virginia, Altaleb's parents are originally from Iraq and Elbaba's family came from Lebanon exactly 30 years ago.

Altaleb is studying public relations with minors in electronic journalism and conflict analysis and resolution. Her parents and three older brothers visited the United States right before the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1990 and decided to stay. Altaleb said, "They built themselves up from basically nothing, just a couple of suitcases filled with summer clothes, and then three years later had me. It is amazing to see where my family is today; my mom is a full-time professor and all my brothers are married and have master's degrees. Goes to show that if you put in the work, then success will follow."

This mantra has led Altaleb to hold several internships while in college and one in high school with PrimoModa, an online clothing store for Muslim women. She said, "I learned a lot about modest fashion and business. Every professional experience I had taught me something valuable, even if it didn't relate to journalism. However, through my experiences I convinced myself of my passion for journalism and hopefully that is what I plan to pursue and uphold through my future endeavors." Altaleb learned to pursue her dreams regardless of others' opinions or doubts.

Elbaba is studying media production and criticism while pursuing a double minor in electronic journalism and graphic design. She has volunteered at fundraisers, galas and fashion shows, which taught her how to work patiently with people and listen to their opinions. Of her college experience so far, she said, "I've learned a lot about time management [...] You are in control of when and what you need to do it. There is no baby-ing in college. No one will run after you to get your work done."

The pair of young entrepreneurs believe that people shouldn't wait to do something that they love, and that it is never too early or too late to pursue a dream. Elbaba suggested, "When you do something, do so wholeheartedly. Go all out. There's no sense in doing anything if you're not 100% committed."

These girls did do something, even though they're still college students: they started Layali, which means "many nights" in Arabic. Elbaba explained, "The name kind of goes along with our tagline which is 'Change doesn't happen over one night, but many.' Omama and I were the same 'Intro to Journalism' class and I had done a presentation on magazines. After that, she approached me and asked if I wanted to start this online-only, free magazine for young Muslim women in the U.S. Immediately I said yes because I've always wanted to be involved in something that allows young Muslim women in the U.S., like myself and Omama, to be expressive and creative."

Layali's audience is young Muslim women, a demographic that Altaleb and Elbaba believe is currently unreached by the magazine industry. Altaleb said, "Our goal is to give young Muslim women a platform for sharing their stories and experiences with one another as well as sharing their struggles, almost like a community support group, a sisterhood. And because it is online, it is able to reach more people and make a global community." 

The co-founders have learned much through the experience of starting their own e-magazine. Altaleb gained hands-on experience with social media public relations, writing and editing, and has enjoyed being immersed in the world of online journalism. She added, "We also learned more about the community, how the community thinks, what they like, dislike, comfortable, uncomfortable with. Most of all, we learned that it is impossible to please everyone, but as long as we are doing what we can to benefit the community and make the voice of Muslim women heard, then there is no need to dwell on the negative comments."

Collaborating and creating a vision for their magazine required patience, compromise and hard work, but the result was rewarding. They have now published their first online issue, 
http://issuu.com/layaliwebzine/docs/layali_issue_one_final_6.15, covering a wide variety of engaging topics like domestic violence, travel and fashion.

"We have big plans for the magazine," commented Elbaba, "...and hope to lead the community in discussing important issues and challenges we face - domestic violence, abuse, suicide, eating disorders, etc. In the seven months that it has existed, the magazine progressed. When the first issue came out, our audience was fairly small, but it has expanded to thousands of viewers and readers."

Elbaba has ambitious aspirations for Layali. "I'd love to break stereotypes and do work that will hopefully outlive me. I want Layali to have an impact on people, especially on young Muslim women because they have such a strong, powerful voice. They just need a place to showcase that, they need a platform and I have Layali can be that for them."

View from the Hill

Teamwork goes a long way in the federal government. Ideally, there shouldn't be room for individual agendas and ambitions, which is one of the reasons for the creation of the triple-branch system of authority.
So does vision, when many people share it. We need more objective, bipartisan teamwork.


In this photo released by Federal Emergency Management Agency on August 4, 2009, the US Capitol building is seen from the east side. (FEMA/Bill Koplitz)

Featured Expert:

Marianthi Sommers is a homeschooling mom and management analyst for the Department of Defense. She has about 6 years of experience in the first position and 20 years of experience in the second. Both jobs have taught her valuable lessons. She said, "I've learned that professionalism, honesty and integrity mean far more than content knowledge. As a homeschooling mom, I've learned the value of time and repetition. Results are rarely immediate with students, but you can see great progress with slow and steady repetition of material."

Sommers' workplace experience has also taught her that "people want to know that they are valued and feel that they have something to contribute." Joint collaboration towards a common goal is essential in efficient and productive teams. If this condition is not met, individuals will pursue their own ambitions, power will be imbalanced, and progress will be lost. According to Sommers, "The most effective and valued team members are those who respect everyone's contribution and leave personal ambition and emotion aside."

This teamwork concept applies to groups within the federal government especially as representatives of the interests of all American citizens. In order to be productive, people need to be allowed to contribute. Although not necessarily supported, their opinions need to valued. Debates need not be polarizing; a return to civility is desperately needed in many spheres. The total absence of dissenting or challenging opinions in the past (especially recently) has led to absolute, authoritarian rule.

Fortunately, articles such as http://breakinggov.com/2012/12/21/best-places-for-teamwork-in-government/, by Judi Hasson, show positive federal employee feedback and examples of federal initiatives to build cross-agency collaboration. If only the eagerness to increase teamwork extended to issues more controversial than bullying or human trafficking. In his article, http://www.grbj.com/articles/78428-politicians-need-an-hr-lesson-teamwork-with-a-focus, Ardon Schambers of Grand Rapids Business Journal suggested several strategies under the heading, "Politicians need an HR lesson: teamwork with a focus", referring to elected officials as "our employees".

Schambers said, "To accomplish almost any goal, it requires a concerted effort, working with others involved with the process, and it means thoughtful considerations to assure resources are applied effectively. In a business or any type of organization, it is necessary to agree in general on what is trying to be accomplished. One of the clear paths is to have well-defined goals. Notice I said goals, not goal. It is a very rare organization that has a single goal."

Multivisionary, bipartisan work is needed. Sommers said, "From a political perspective, it seems politics has become streamlined into the professional workplace. When I began my career there was little focus on who the elected leaders were or what our personal perspectives were politically. Today, personal political sentiment seems to play a factor and polarizes the work environment."

For Sommers, her most fulfilling and important goal is investing in her children through homeschooling. She said, "Even on hard days I still know that it's what I'm called to do and it keeps me going [...] My advice and lesson is that the world will go on without us so be mindful of what you invest in. Invest in things that matter now and into the future and find balance where necessary." In all stages of life and in both public and private sectors there are opportunities to contribute to something meaningful and rewarding.

The Playground World of Parkour

In the extreme sport of parkour or freerunning, urban scenes become playgrounds and settings for impressive stunts like scaling walls, leaping over obstacles at high speeds and executing gymnastic-like flips. According to one Urban Dictionary definition, "parkour is a way of moving from one place to another as quickly and as efficiently as possible by means of jumping, vaulting, climbing and other such things."

The sport was invented in France in the 1980s and has been popular among thrill-seekers and athletes ever since. Originally developed from obstacle course training, it is non-competitive and involves creative, constant movement.

Omar Zaki leaps over a railing at George Mason University's Fairfax campus where he attends classes and practices parkour; photo taken Feb. 4, 2013. (Carol Persons/Carol Persons Photography)

Featured Expert:

Omar Zaki is a local parkour practitioner or "traceur" studying kinesiology at George Mason University. He has been training for over three years, trains with a team called Impulse Freerunning and is now a lead parkour instructor at Urban Evolution (http://www.urbanevo.com/parkour/), a gym for parkour and other extreme sports in the DC metro area. Zaki has been an athlete his entire life, exploring soccer, swimming, track, volleyball and snowboarding. "One day, I heard about a parkour gym [...] near my house and went to give it a try. I took a basic intro lesson and was immediately hooked on it."

His aspirations range from being a personal trainer to participating in scientific experiments on movement to traveling around the world as a sponsored athlete giving parkour or freerunning demos. He added, "I would also love to be a stuntman, or an actual actor in a movie!" This year Zaki has taken on the Parkour 365 challenge, training every day and posting videos recapping his month's progress on his Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtYObeyfTXMM1Ij8V1wmvw/videos). One of Zaki's other videos was featured on one of the Washington Post blogs, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/video-parkour-on-the-george-mason-campus/2013/02/18/97093f24-793a-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_blog.html, that covers Northern Virginia news.

Parkour teaches the value of community, among other things. The parkour community is widespread, interactive and beginner-friendly, with a plethora of website resources such as http://www.pinwc.com/ and http://www.collegewfpf.com/, which is dedicated to connecting college parkour communities.

One video produced by American Parkour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53YnZHU1nrw, shows the Beast Coast Jam event. "Jams" are casual events during which traceurs do parkour together. Zaki said, "Everybody is like one big family and we all respect each other's training regimes and support each other as we all attempt to improve as best as we can."

Outside of the parkour community, the sport changes the way tracuers move. According to Zaki, parkour has helped him better understand himself, both physically and mentally. "I understand my boundaries and what I need to do to overcome them." Parkour forces you to problem-solve with your body.

Zaki said, "It truly is amazing what parkour can teach you, not only physically but in many other ways as well." For one thing, it changes the way people look at the world. Constant training and involvement in the parkour community teach "respect, self-confidence, knowledge of one's abilities, and the benefits of hard work, determination and practice."

When asked what insight he has gained through doing parkour, Zaki responded:

"Don't think the way everybody else thinks.  The norm is only a pattern that has been created that people now follow blindly. It is simple to understand physically, in that when you see a staircase, it means that you walk up or down them and in really borderline thinkers, sometimes you run, or skip up or down them.  What about trying to avoid the stairs altogether? How then would you have to adapt to your surroundings, or if you are on a multicolored ground, what if you designate a certain color only that you can use? How would you adapt or change the way you would normally think? By training our bodies this way, we are also training our minds to think differently and adapt to a certain situation that has been presented for us, and with this opens up countless options that can help any person, regardless of their hobbies, personalities or professions."

Where others see obstacles, parkour has the potential to open up possibilities in all areas of life by changing the way we move and think.