2008 New Leaders Fellows
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Sarah Saheb
Hometown:
Age: 24
School: Truman State University
Interests:
Placement: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 3
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Sarah Saheb has lived and worked all over the Midwest. She was born in Michigan, grew up in Chicago, studied in Missouri, and is now living in Ohio. She attended Truman State University and graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and Political Science. She worked for Rock the Vote for 5 years, starting as a community street team leader and eventually became the Midwest Regional Director in 2004. Her passion for the labor movement began when she interned for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 3 in Cincinnati, where she spent a majority of her time organizing the Latino community. That experience inspired her to spend a year teaching in Honduras and traveling throughout Central America. Currently she is employed with the SEIU Local 3 and working as an internal organizer in Cincinnati. She views the labor movement as a vehicle for mobilizing the working class to become leaders not only in their workshops, but also in their communities. Right now she is working on developing member programs concerning immigrant rights, environmental justice, as well as a statewide education fund.
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"I feel that by participating in the New Leaders Fellowship Program I will be able to effectively build upon my social awareness, and use it to my advantage in creating change within my community.
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- Sarah Saheb,
2008 New Leaders Fellow |
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| More about Sarah |
What particular experience has contributed to your desire to work with a progressive organization and participate in the NLP? What do you hope to gain from participating?
I view my participation in the New Leaders Program as an incredible opportunity to gain the skills and direction I need to become an effective progressive leader in my community. My father is an immigrant from Iraq and my mother is an American whose background consists of many generations of European immigrants. My father’s family is Muslim, and my mother’s is Catholic. My mother converted to the Islamic faith, and I technically grew up in a Muslim household—however, my five younger siblings and I still observed Christian holidays with my mother’s side of the family. Additionally, my family did not have a great deal of money, and I can still remember living in government subsidized housing as a child. A combination of the religious, cultural, racial, and socio-economic aspects of my family created somewhat of a sense of confusion concerning my identity. For many years I never seemed to fit in. I never seemed to be “White enough,” “Arab enough,” “Christian enough,” “Muslim enough,” or “affluent enough” to truly identify with one group. My background has provided me with a first-hand understanding of the values inherent within each of these groups, and ultimately the ability and drive to recognize ways to move beyond these societal labels and focus on the truly important things that affect them all. I feel that by participating in the New Leaders Fellowship Program I will be able to effectively build upon this awareness, and use it to my advantage in creating change within my community.
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