Introducing our new Research Intern: Nina-Abbie Omatsola
“My parents have always advocated for me to be an advocate for change and equity. They instilled this in me through the educational outreach work we did in Ghana and Nigeria, bringing school supplies and books to underfunded educational institutions. This experience instilled in me ideals of equity, quality education for all and further expanded my understanding of the numerous disparities that individuals experience in the world.
I was always told to take advantage of the opportunities I saw in front of me, opportunities that I was allowed access to because of educational, economic and geographic privilege. A vast majority of the world's population don't have access to such opportunities, keeping them in the cycle of poverty, and the reason the cycle continues is because of the systems put in place by people in power.”
Nina-Abbie Omatsola is a junior at The University of Maryland studying Psychology and Theatre performance. When she’s not in class or performing on stage, she finds herself spending time with friends, playing soccer, and dancing.
Nina first found out about the Bahá’í Chair at Maryland Day, the university’s annual open house. She saw their sign and her interests were instantly peeked. She was drawn to The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace because of their goal of peace advocacy through education, and strongly believes the most effective way to reach out to people is to educate them on the issues of the world.
She believes understanding is the first step to change, and that the biases and hatred people have towards those they consider “other” is what fuels the systems that keep the oppressed where they are. Connecting with and taking time to understand the lives and struggles of different people leads to ideas and policies that will benefit many. She is grateful for the chance to be a part of such an honorable initiative and aims to learn, experience, and build more with the other members of the Chair.