Enjoy our full gallery of photos from the event.
By Bijan White
On February 5, the student-led weekly Fireside talk focused on the diversity of the student body by providing a forum for students of various backgrounds to share their captivating stories.
Fark Tari (’15), a second-year in entrepreneurial studies, spoke of his experience growing up in an underprivileged environment within a fiercely supportive and dedicated family. Tari worked throughout high school, following the example of his hard-working and educated parents who emigrated from Nigeria. He described his first failure: As a freshman at Vanderbilt, he lost his scholarships because of low grades. However, he proceeded to work his way through college and continued on to graduate school to pursue a master’s in mathematics and accounting. He eventually enrolled in Anderson with a passion for entrepreneurship and education.
Lindsay Shaffer (’15) opened up to the audience with, “I am a liar and a coward.” Shaffer grew up in a small, conservative town in upstate New York in a seemingly “normal” Catholic American family. However, her brother, who came out in middle school, and her older sister, who married interracially, shifted the family’s dynamic drastically. Shaffer later identified as bisexual and was terrified of expressing who she was and living honestly, to the point where she became “numb to lying.” She says her purpose now is to live authentically and not shy away from who she is.
The third speaker, Saki Takasu (’16), witnessed the horrific tsunami in Thailand during the winter of 2004 and described her experience as a survivor. The event had a profound impact on her and she admits to “feeling guilty for being alive.” She spoke about her work in humanitarian efforts for survivors of the subsequent tsunami in Northern Japan through the TOMODACHI Initiative. Her work focused on providing support for orphans who survived the disaster. The initiative helped over 10,000 participants and raised nearly $30 million from more than 70 strategic partners and supporters. Takasu said that her experience taught her that she had to “get busy living” and that “we all have the potential for kindness and to look out for each other.”
The Fireside talks, hosted by the Anderson Student Association board, spotlight the variety of perspectives and experiences represented within Anderson by bringing together students and faculty in a weekly “fireside” chat. Students can sign up or nominate their classmates to share their stories.
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