Husker Dialogues: Meyri Ibrahim

Curt Bright Author

08/17/2021 Added

480 Plays

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Meyri shares her Husker story.

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[00:00:00.305](energetic instrumental music)
[00:00:13.320]Why did you choose Nebraska?
[00:00:15.280]I hate when I get asked that question.
[00:00:18.110]I wonder if they expect some grand answer
[00:00:20.930]because if there is one
[00:00:22.510]I certainly don't have it.
[00:00:24.420]For the longest time I didn't know why I chose Nebraska.
[00:00:28.220]Why does anyone move to the middle of the country?
[00:00:31.060]As I started to think more into it I confused myself.
[00:00:35.400]I'm not someone that blends in well.
[00:00:37.700]I'm a girl with big hair, hoops or other funky earrings,
[00:00:41.210]and an interesting choice of clothing.
[00:00:43.980]I have a loud voice and I'm not afraid to use it.
[00:00:47.060]So why in Nebraska where I would stick out even more
[00:00:50.660]than I usually do.
[00:00:52.490]Let me start out by saying that money was a big factor.
[00:00:55.500]As a first-generation low-income student,
[00:00:57.860]the cost of college was something that mattered a lot.
[00:01:01.120]It also didn't hurt that Nebraska was far from home.
[00:01:04.500]I've also always wanted to leave Minnesota.
[00:01:07.630]It felt like I was supposed to live anywhere else
[00:01:10.360]but the Midwest.
[00:01:11.570]So logically of course I went deeper
[00:01:14.080]into the middle of the country.
[00:01:16.190]Fun fact, I didn't even tour campus before I committed.
[00:01:20.620]I saw a UNL rep at a college fair, applied, got in,
[00:01:24.960]and suddenly I was going to Lincoln, Nebraska.
[00:01:28.220]However, I did come to campus in the summer
[00:01:30.830]during new student enrollment,
[00:01:32.240]and met a couple of people including this dude named Seth.
[00:01:36.580]Not only was I scared,
[00:01:38.290]but so were my friends and family.
[00:01:40.720]Being in a new place by myself was scary.
[00:01:43.970]I knew a few people from high school
[00:01:45.800]including my roommate Jill but it was still nerve wracking.
[00:01:50.540]The first weekend of college was a wild one.
[00:01:53.480]I moved in and found out that Seth,
[00:01:55.890]the dude I had met at NSC lived on my floor across the hall.
[00:02:00.330]Much to my dismay both Seth and Jill
[00:02:02.940]were engineering majors,
[00:02:04.430]and left to attend some retreat leaving me alone once again.
[00:02:08.490]Eventually I ended up meeting people at events
[00:02:11.160]like new student convocation,
[00:02:13.070]and the freshmen tunnel walk where everyone in the class
[00:02:15.840]makes a big Nebraska N.
[00:02:18.446]And as the semester started picking up,
[00:02:20.330]and it was around the time I should feel more comfortable
[00:02:23.410]I couldn't shake the feeling of not fitting in.
[00:02:26.930]Within my first month here
[00:02:28.800]I got asked about my political beliefs
[00:02:30.720]by five different people.
[00:02:32.830]In my residence hall I had people compliment me,
[00:02:35.620]and ask me why I was wearing a shower cap
[00:02:38.410]when it was a bonnet,
[00:02:39.550]which I wore to protect my curl pattern at night.
[00:02:42.910]I applied to be involved in organizations
[00:02:45.740]but they all rejected me.
[00:02:48.040]I tried to get involved
[00:02:49.210]in different registered student organizations,
[00:02:51.910]but because it felt like everyone knew each other
[00:02:54.370]I got scared and eventually stopped attending meetings.
[00:02:58.230]As one of about 700 black students on this campus,
[00:03:01.890]and even fewer those who come from out of state,
[00:03:04.610]this all contributed to a feeling of alienation
[00:03:07.900]I couldn't shake.
[00:03:09.740]To fix this problem I applied to transfer
[00:03:12.300]back home to Minnesota.
[00:03:14.340]I don't give up on many things,
[00:03:16.250]but I really felt like I couldn't do much else
[00:03:18.470]to improve my time in Lincoln.
[00:03:21.180]After going home for winter break
[00:03:23.270]it felt like something switched within me.
[00:03:26.080]I convinced myself to give it one more shot and branch out.
[00:03:30.250]I ended up registering for dance marathon,
[00:03:32.770]and I went by myself to HuskerThon,
[00:03:35.430]the 12 hour dance party to raise money
[00:03:37.810]for children's hospital.
[00:03:39.780]Although it was scary and I felt out of place
[00:03:42.870]I stayed for the entire time and loved it.
[00:03:45.900]I now serve on the recruitment team
[00:03:48.210]to make dance marathon a more inclusive space
[00:03:51.290]especially for students of color.
[00:03:53.970]I started opening up more,
[00:03:55.650]and talking to others specifically within the Oasis office,
[00:03:59.490]and organizations like African People's Union,
[00:04:02.230]and African Students Association.
[00:04:04.810]Before I could really get a chance to get involved
[00:04:07.950]a global pandemic hit and we were moved online
[00:04:11.140]moving me home earlier than anticipated.
[00:04:14.290]After my freshman year got cut short,
[00:04:16.630]and I had a summer to reflect,
[00:04:18.560]I knew I wanted to do something
[00:04:20.250]to be more involved on campus.
[00:04:22.710]During the summer I applied to ASUN student government
[00:04:25.970]because I wanted to find ways
[00:04:27.600]to make equitable and lasting change.
[00:04:30.260]I joined the campus life and safety committee,
[00:04:32.640]and later got appointed as an at-large senator,
[00:04:35.730]giving me the ability to vote on bills
[00:04:37.740]that would better campus for 26,000 Huskers.
[00:04:41.890]After I came back to campus in August,
[00:04:44.280]I was appointed as a junior executive
[00:04:46.100]for the Black Student Union,
[00:04:47.800]where I became the policy chair.
[00:04:50.240]Well, I will always jokingly make fun of myself
[00:04:53.180]for choosing Nebraska I love being here.
[00:04:56.770]I've been able to meet
[00:04:57.660]some of the most influential people in my life.
[00:05:00.940]The opportunities that I've had wouldn't be possible
[00:05:03.420]if I didn't choose to stay here,
[00:05:05.200]and make my own community.
[00:05:07.450]So why does this matter to you?
[00:05:09.900]Most of you watching are first year students
[00:05:11.980]who are probably feeling nervous.
[00:05:14.140]It's a new campus, new people, and new opportunities,
[00:05:18.640]while that can be daunting it's also an amazing experience.
[00:05:23.180]My biggest piece of advice is to be scared and take chances.
[00:05:27.560]If there's something you've been wanting to start
[00:05:29.890]there's no time like the present.
[00:05:32.170]If you're scared about meeting others
[00:05:34.190]start with talking to people in classes.
[00:05:36.950]I bet that they're as scared as you are
[00:05:38.960]to interact with others.
[00:05:41.100]If I had let fear consume me and left UNL,
[00:05:44.440]I wouldn't have been able to meet these amazing people.
[00:05:47.630]If you're scared about the fact
[00:05:49.170]that you haven't made any connections yet,
[00:05:51.560]let me be your first.
[00:05:53.590]Hi, my name is Meyri,
[00:05:55.290]and I love rollerblading, reading,
[00:05:57.710]and making others feel included.
[00:05:59.940]I'd love for you to reach out and say hi
[00:06:02.330]so you can foster your community at UNL faster than I did.
[00:06:07.643](energetic instrumental music)

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Husker Dialogues: Meyri Ibrahim

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