November 13, 2009 Southwest News-Herald - Oak Lawn, Burbank, Bridgeview
Address Importance Of Diversity for Women
Students at St. Xavier University on Nov. 5 welcomed Sammer Ghouleh, founder and CEO of Spirit Magazine, and Christine Boll, Miss Illinois International 2009, as the women spoke on the importance of embracing diversity and cultural understanding in today’s society.
“I really believe that we need to work hard to build society and to enrich it so it could reach its highest potential,” began Ghouleh.
A resident of Oak Lawn, Ghouleh was raised with an awareness of the various cultures around her, and credits her family for instilling in her that sense of self-respect from which tolerance and wisdom flourish.
“I was always raised to respect my faith and to respect who I am,” said Ghouleh, “and I guess my mom had felt strongly that once I respect who I am I will start to respect others.”
And that is just what she did.
After receiving her B.A. in Literature and Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ghouleh was motivated by the culturally unique women in her life to celebrate the beauty and intelligence of women everywhere.
She felt that the ever-growing love and respect amongst her and her closest friends would be best expressed by a celebration of diversity.
A magazine devoted to the diverse woman was born.
Ghouleh prides herself in her commitment to positively represent cultures and traditions from countries all around the world, dedicating each issue to a different country. This unique outlook has helped the magazine to grow and prosper, as Ghouleh plans to print more than four million copies of her next issue.
In addition to founding a magazine devoted to the empowerment of women, Ghouleh is also the author of Treasured Misfortunes, a collection of poems that not only expresses the beauty and joy that life offers, but also the sorrow.
Written as a reflection on the challenges and treasures of raising a child with spina bifida, Ghouleh donated the profits from her book to furthering research in hopes of one day discovering a cure.
Perhaps more importantly, Ghouleh donates her time and truly believes in the power of kindness, emphasizing the attempt to see the goodness in everyone.
“Always extend that smile, extend that helping hand, extend that positive thought, until you see otherwise,” said Ghouleh.
As she concluded, she left the students with a simple, yet profound, message:
“In life, logic and reason equals balance,” said Ghouleh, “so always be good, for your own self, your own conscience, and your own successes.”
Speaking after her was Boll, who grew up in Chicago’s Marquette Manor community. In preparing for her speech, she asked herself what the term diversity meant to her.
“I realized that I encounter it every day. Since the day I was born, through my daily tasks when I lived in the South Side neighborhood of Marquette Park, which was such a melting pot of cultures, too,” said Boll.
Growing up on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Boll experienced her share of obstacles, yet credits these childhood struggles with her accomplishments thus far.
When Boll, who has also lived in Oak Lawn, attended the International Women’s Day Conference for Spirit last October, she described herself as more than a pageant queen.
“Yes, I’m Miss Illinois International,” said Boll, “but I was also born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. I come from a divorced family. I paid for all my college.”
Boll believes these are the aspects of her life that have shaped the woman she is today, and applauds Spirit Magazine for allowing women to express themselves comfortably and confidently.
Boll attended Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, and later received her B.A. in Fine Arts and Communication from Western Illinois University.
It was a devastating experience that led Boll to use pageantry as a means to reach out to as many young women as possible.
“Really, what inspired me to compete in college and to run for Ms. Macomb was (that) my best friend was shot and killed by her boyfriend,” explained Boll.
Rather than lose hope, Boll turned that tragedy into a source of optimism by promoting the “Go Red for Women” campaign as well as the E.D.G.E. Program, which educates seventh-graders on the dangers of gang violence.
Boll spoke of the importance of harmonizing with one another to achieve a level of balance in life.
“We’re all a mix and we all need to love and respect each other.”
The event was organized by junior Danyah Zayed, who felt a lecture on diversity is essential to the life and mind of a college student.
“Diversity shapes who we are. As college students, being exposed to other cultures is important because it allows us to have a better understanding of how other people feel and live in our community,” said Zayed.
Perhaps the most effective way to achieve an appreciation of diversity, said Zayed, is to “step out of that frame we are so comfortable in, and venture off to see and hear new things.”
For further information on the magazine or to obtain a copy of Treasure Misfortunes, visit www.spirit-mag.com.