Izvor: Megafon.co, 27.Jun.2023, 00:01

Superžena

*Text in English below.
Ona je oficirka u vojsci, ima master diplomu, humanistkinja je i volonterka, planinarka, istraživačica i avanturistkinja. Ima toliko nagrada da ne mogu ni da ih sve nabrojim. Superžena.
Pre nego što smo krenule u Ameriku kao učesnice programa Community Solutions, njena biografija je bila razlog što sam imala imposter sindrom. A onda, provodeći vreme s njom u Vašingtonu i San Francisku, pokazala mi je da je i neverovatna prijateljica. >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu Megafon.co << Vreme koje je izdvojila da da lični pečat kada smo se opraštali je nešto što me istopi svaki put kad se setim.
Kajima – Foto – Erika Lejn Dakle, njeno ime je Qurratu’aini Qayyimah Dr. Al-Haj Zelzy (Brunei Darussalam). Ali ona preferira da je zovu Kajima (Qayyimah).
“Neposredno nakon završetka diplome i master studija u Ujedinjenom Kraljevstvu, odlučila sam da se pridružim vojsci kao pomorski oficir. Pored punog radnog vremena, bila sam takođe jako angažovana u neprofitnom radu. Van svoje profesionalne karijere, volontiram kao saradnica za istraživanje u organizaciji Global Awareness & Impact Alliance Brunei, neprofitnoj organizaciji koja se zalaže za zaštitu globalne budućnosti putem promena usmerenih na društvo kroz značajna istraživanja urgentnih regionalnih problema, kao i gost-mentor u mreži mladih stručnjaka u Bruneju.”
Foto – Ministarstvo kulture, omladine i sporta Bruneja A ovo je samo vrh ledenog brega.
“U decembru 2018. godine postala sam prva žena iz Bruneja koja je išla na solo zimsku ekspediciju od 120 kilometara na severne Himalaje u Nepalu, a sada radim na ostvarenju cilja planinarenja ‘7 vrhova’, što podrazumeva penjanje na najviši vrh svakog kontinenta.”
“Overačiver” Qayyimah kaže da je njen rad u zajednici uvek bio motivisan pitanjima koja su joj bliska srcu, a njeni dosadašnji rad i iskustva pružili su joj prilike da obrazuje, osnaži i ohrabri mlade ljude iz Bruneja da brinu o važnim pitanjima.
“Mogu reći da sam “overačiver”, pa sam srećna što mogu da podelim da sam postigla mnogo ličnih i profesionalnih ciljeva u poslednjih nekoliko godina! Osvojila sam nagradu ‘Najbolji akademski rezultat’ tokom vojnog obrazovanja u Školi kadeta za oficire Kraljevskih oružanih snaga Bruneja 2015. godine, a takođe sam osvojila i nagradu ‘Najbolji student’.”
Van profesionalne karijere, takođe je osvajala nagrade kao što je Zlatna medalja u kajaku (dvojac na 500 metara) na Četvrtim nacionalnim igrama Brunei Darussalama u septembru 2018. godine. Takođe je bila među finalistkinjama u kategoriji sporta na Women of the Future Awards za jugoistočnu Aziju u septembru 2022. godine.
“Međutim, jedno od mojih najznačajnijih dostignuća mora biti kada sam postala prva žena iz Bruneja koja je išla na solo zimsku ekspediciju na severne Himalaje u Nepalu 2018. godine.”
Ovo dostignuće takođe joj je pomoglo da stvori vidljivost i prostor za žene i devojke svuda da prate svoju strast i interese sa krajnjim samopouzdanjem.
Foto – Privatna Arhiva Prepreke Kajima kaže da je njena najveća prepreka bila ona sama. Nekada je bila uplašena da se izloži i da proba nove stvari. Brinula se da će nešto pokvariti, brinula o tome šta će ljudi misliti o njoj i plašila se da će izgubiti ljude u svom životu jer radi stvari koje nisu uobičajene. Nakon prolaska kroz nekoliko životno važnih događaja, odlučila je da se izloži i ostvari svoje najluđe snove i ambicije. Tada su se stvari promenile i postala je mnogo samouverenija i optimističnija u vezi sa svojim sposobnostima.
“Kako rastem i učim, postala sam osoba koja se ne boji da proba nove stvari, već radim sve te stvari jer uživam u njima. Tako sam razvila sve veštine koje sada imam – taj beskompromisni ‘idem za tim’ stav. Nikada u svojim tinejdžerskim godinama nisam mislila da sam dovoljno dobra ili jaka da se pridružim vojsci, da se popnem na najviše planine na svetu ili da predstavljam svoju zemlju na događajima ili u sportu. Sve je to stvar perspektive i samoostvarenja. Ne možeš biti dobar ili loš u nečemu što nisi ni probao.”
Biti žena “U većini oblasti dominiraju muškarci i žene se često suočavaju sa velikim izazovima svuda, posebno žene islamske veroispovesti. Mnogi aspekti naših života često su određeni verskim, kulturnim i etničkim faktorima. Iz tog razloga, mnoge muslimanske žene osećaju strah zbog diskriminacije i negativnih stavova ljudi oko njih”, kaže Qayyimah.
“Međutim, postoji mnogo prilika za žene da se istaknu u svojim karijerama, hobijima i istovremeno budu supruga i majka. Te žene su superheroji!”
A kao što sam rekla, Kajima je Superžena
Iskustvo u Community Solutions programu Kajima je bila stipendistkinja programa Community Solutions Program u okviru teme ‘Ekološka pitanja’. Sarađivala je sa organizacijom Greening Youth Foundation u Atlanti.
“Upoznala sam mnoge neverovatne stipendiste iz celog sveta koji čine divne stvari za svoje zajednice, ruše barijere i stvaraju uticaj u svojoj oblasti rada. Sarađivala sam s neverovatnim ljudima u Greening Youth Foundation, i oni su me mnogo naučili i čak mi pomogli da se snađem u Atlanti.”
Foto – Privatna Arhiva Misija Greening Youth Foundation je da u ekološki pokret uključi nezastupljenu i slabije zastupljenu omladinu i mlade odrasle osobe, povezujući ih sa prirodom i karijerama u zaštiti životne sredine. Njihovi programi obrazovanja o životnoj sredini zasnovani na kulturi uključuju mlade iz lokalnih zajednica i izlažu ih zdravim izborima životnog stila kako bi stvorili zdravu zajednicu.
“Usput, počela sam da primećujem mnoge promene i poboljšanja na sebi. Postoji jedna citat iz mejlova Greening Youth Foundation koji me je dotakao, a to je: ‘napredak je nemoguć bez promene, a oni koji ne mogu promeniti svoje misli i srca, ne mogu ništa promeniti’, Georgea Bernarda Šoa. Zaista, postala sam samouverenija i optimističnija u vezi s uticajem koji želim da ostvarim u svojoj zajednici, učeći kako da se prilagodim novim okolnostima i razmišljam o jedinstvenim pristupima rešavanju problema.”
Foto – Privatna Arhiva Njen projekat nakon programa fokusira se na pružanje osnova ekološke pismenosti i učenja na otvorenom radi promovisanja kreativnosti, odgovornosti prema životnoj sredini i preduzimanja inicijative u brunejskoj zajednici.
“Nastaviću da radim ono što volim! Cilj mi je da u narednih nekoliko godina osvojim ‘Sedam vrhova’. Još važnije, nastaviću da sprovodim projekte u zajednici koji se fokusiraju na osnaživanje mladih u prirodi i na otvorenom, uz sve druge angažmane u nevladinim organizacijama sa kojima sam trenutno povezana. Istovremeno, nadam se da ću se uskoro smiriti! Moja energija i samopouzdanje će uvek ostati isti – s nadom da ću uvek inspirisati i ostaviti pozitivan uticaj u ovom svetu za buduće generacije.”
Real-life Superwoman Brace yourselves, because I am about to tell you a story of an amazing human being. This woman does it all. She is an officer in the army, she holds a Masters degree, she is a humanist and a volunteer, she is a mountaineer, explorer, and adventurer. She holds so many awards that I cannot begin to name them all.
Before heading to the USA for participation in the Community Solutions Program, her bio was the reason I got the imposter syndrome. And then, spending time with her in Washington DC and San Francisco showed me that she is an amazing friend too. Taking time to say goodbye personally the way she did, is something that melts my heart every time I remember it.
So, this is her name – Qurratu’aini Qayyimah Dr. Al-Haj Zelzy (Brunei Darussalam). But she preferres to be called Qayyimah for short.
“Right after completing my Degree and Masters in the United Kingdom, I decided to join the military as a Naval Officer. Despite having a full-time job, I was also heavily involved in non-profit work. Outside of my professional career, I am a Volunteer Research Associate with the Global Awareness & Impact Alliance Brunei, a non-profit organization determined to protect the global future through society-centered changes through impactful research on pressing regional issues as well as a Guest Mentor with the Young Professionals Network Brunei.”
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
“In December 2018, I became the first Bruneian woman to go on a 120-kilometre solo winter expedition in the Northern Himalayan mountains in Nepal, and now I am working on completing the ‘7 Summits’ mountaineering goal, which entails in climbing the highest mountain in each continent.”
An Overachiever Qayyimah says that her community work and involvements have always been driven by issues close to her heart and her work and experiences so far have provided her with opportunities to educate, empower and encourage Bruneian youth to care about issues that matter.
“I can say that I am an overachiever so I’m happy to share that I have achieved many personal and professional milestones over the last few years! I had won the ‘Best in Academic Award’ during my military training at the Officer Cadet School in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces back in 2015, and I had also won the ‘Overall Best Student Award’ and the ‘Best Service Paper Award’ in one of the military courses at the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in March last year.”
Outside of her career, she also stacks up awards like the Gold Medal in Kayak (500 meters Double) in the 4th Brunei Darussalam National Games in September 2018. She was also shortlisted in the Women of the Future Awards for Southeast Asia in the ‘Sports Category’ in September last year.
“However, one of my most significant accomplishments has to be when I became the first Bruneian woman to go on a solo winter expedition in the Northern Himalayan mountains in Nepal back in 2018.”
This also helped her create visibility and space for women and girls everywhere to pursue their passion and interests with ultimate confidence.
Obstacles Qayyimah says that her biggest obstacle was herself.  She used to be afraid to put herself out there and try new things. She was worried about messing things up, worried about what people might think of her, and worried that she might lose people in her life because she does things outside of the norm. After going through several life-changing matters, she decided to put herself out there and pursue her wildest dreams and ambitions. That’s when things changed and she became much more confident and optimistic about her abilities.
“As I grow and learn, I went from being a person who’s afraid to try new things to becoming a person who does all these things because I enjoy them. That’s how I develop all the skills that I have now – that fearless ‘go for it’ attitude. Never in my young teenage years had I ever thought that I was good or strong enough to join the military, climb the world’s tallest mountains in the world, or represent my country in events or sports. It’s all about perspective and self-realization. You can’t be good or bad at anything that you haven’t tried.”
Being a Woman “Most places are heavily dominated by males, and women often come up against considerable challenges everywhere, especially Muslim women. Many aspects of our lives are often determined by religious, cultural, and ethnic factors. For this reason, a lot of Muslim women experience apprehension for fear of discrimination and negative attitudes from people around them”, says Qayyimah.
“However, there have been a lot of opportunities for women to excel in their careers alongside being a wife and a mother. This makes women look like superheroes!”
As I said, we are talking about a real-life Wonder Woman!
CSP Experience Qayyimah was a fellow in Community Solutions Program under the ‘Environmental Issues’ theme. She was placed at Greening Youth Foundation in Atlanta.
“I got to meet many amazing fellows from all over the world who were doing wonderful things for their communities, breaking barriers, and creating impacts in their line of work. I worked alongside amazing people at the Greening Youth Foundation, and they had taught me a lot and had even helped me settle down in Atlanta.”
The Greening Youth Foundation’s mission is to engage underrepresented and underserved youth and young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation. Their cultural-based environmental education programming engages youth from local communities and exposes them to healthy lifestyle choices to create a healthy community.
“Along the way, I started to see many changes and improvements in myself. There is one quote from Greening Youth Foundation’s emails that struck me, and that is, “progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds and hearts cannot change anything”, by George Bernard Shaw. Indeed, I have become more confident and hopeful about the impact I want to create in my community as I learnt how to adapt to new circumstances and think of unique approaches to solve a problem.”
Her Community Action Project post program essentially focusses on providing foundations of ecological literacy and outdoor-based learning to promote creativity, sense of wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and initiative-taking in the Bruneian community.
“I will keep on doing what I love to do! I aim to finish my ‘7 Summits’ mountaineering goal in the next few years. More importantly, I will continue to carry out my community projects that focus on empowering youth in nature and the outdoors alongside all my other involvements with the NGOs that I am currently affiliated with. At the same time, I hope to settle down in the very near future too! My energy and confidence will always remain the same – in that I hope to always inspire and leave a positive impact in this world for future generations.”

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