HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 1, 2015 – High Point University student Ninaru Shtayyeh, a sophomore from Jerusalem, attended the International Student Leadership Conference hosted by the North Carolina Association of International Educators on Nov. 13-14.
Shtayyeh, an international business and economics major, prepared a paper for the conference, which she also presented for a class at HPU. Through it, she shared her firsthand experience as a Palestinian woman and the need for global leadership among individuals of her generation as well as the role of the media.
“Living under occupation has been nothing but an eye opener to reality, and this area of study interests me not only because of my heritage, but because of the injustice and oppression of my people in a time when others are able to enjoy their own freedom,” Shtayyeh says. “If it weren’t for HPU, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to raise the voices of millions of Palestinians around the world, making sure we are heard.”
Shtayyeh says she came to HPU as an international student with the intention of studying economics and law to eventually return and benefit her people. She adds that it is up to her generation to change the worldwide perspective on the conflict and bring peace.
“The students of today are the global leaders of tomorrow, and some essential elements of leadership are the ability to see both sides of an issue, to think critically and to seek more than is available on the surface in order to get at the root causes of issues,” she says.
“It is time for us, the young generation from all over the world, to put our hands together and fight for causes that really matter. It’s time to fight injustice, poverty and terrorism. No matter how old I am, this will still be a cause I’ll fight for until we gain our freedom.”