Her Culture Bi-Monthy Magazine February/March 2015 | Page 52

politics of equality:

UNDERSTANDING THE

value in empowerment

WITH WHICH CULTURE DO YOU IDENTIFY?

I would say there a lot of different cultures I identify with daily. “American” culture of course because I am an American, but being an Iranian-American I would Persian culture has had a huge influence on my life as well as Islamic culture. As I’ve developed and expanded I’ve been able to add on different cultures to my life, such as the culture of social justice organizers, that of politicos and policy wonks, and the culture of women and girls’ empowerment. I could probably go on, but these are the most influential in my life right now.

HOW HAVE YOUR MOTHER'S EXPERIENCES SHAPED YOU AS AN ADULT?

I think the better question is how haven’t her experiences shaped me as an adult?

The new face of women in politics is definitely Donya Nasser, a 21 year old St. John's University student making her way in the government world. Donya's mother became her role model when her Iranian mother divorced her father, losing respect from the conservative family. Following in her mother's footsteps, Donya founded "Watch. Her. Lead" in 2013 to encourage young girls to pursue careers in politics and government. I was so happy to speak with Donya and even more ecstatic to share her story with Her Culture readers.