Re-inspired to Hope

It is Election Day in America. Being the political junkie that I am this is a big deal. It is like Christmas, a time to be surrounded by those you love and with you can share a deep love of country. It is not a time to be alone in Mumbai which is what I thought would be the case today. I could not have been more wrong. I just spent my morning surrounded by energy, enthusiasm and new friends. Knowing that I can come to the other side of the world and still be able to celebrate the beauty of a peaceful transfer of power in my home country is exhilarating. My Cup Runneth Over.

The ease with which I was able to cast my ballot overwhelms me with joy and respect for my country’s system. The voting system in King County, WA allowed me to cast my vote even while abroad. I participated in history today simply by voting. Together along with millions of my fellow Americas we cast our vote for hope and for progress and reelected President Barak Obama!

Politics is personal, it is about people and it is about how we exercise our collective hopes and dreams for our future – not just the future of America but the future of America’s relationship with the world. It took me moving away from the US to truly understand the depths of the power of a country where people are free. Free to vote, free to pursue education, free to practice their own religion without fear, free to be born poor and to work your way out of poverty. These are not only American values, they are human rights. As I sat at the Hard Rock Café this morning watching the election returns I was emailing with my sister in Denmark, getting calls from my husband in Seattle and chatting with friends from around the globe on Facebook. I’ve been struggling to figure out what I’m doing in India – why I chose to leave a comfortable life in the states to come here. Why I left friends and family behind to be here. Tonight as I listened to President Obama’s victory speech it helped me connect to why I am here in India. “I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.” I am here working on policy to help launch community colleges in India – I am here doing this because I hope community colleges will provide for India citizens a new pathway out of poverty. My contribution may be small but the idea is big. And so I am here. Working. One day at a time toward something I believe in.

You can view additional pictures from the US Consulate Election Returns Party in India Today.

Author

gayatrieassey

Gayatri Eassey is committed to making an impact and a difference in her community both in the United States and in India, both personally and professionally. She is passionate about education, democracy and women's empowerment. She enjoys traveling, taking pictures and spending time with friends and family. She is a dedicated advocate for educational equity and has worked for The College Success Foundation and as Associate Director for External Affairs for Seattle University's Career Services Office. She is the former Interim Executive Director for Career Services at Seattle University. Prior to working at Seattle University she served as Executive Director of City Year Seattle, and as special assistant for boards and commissions in the Office of Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. She spent three years on the Seattle Community College Board of Trustees. She was the co-founder of the YWCA's Gen-Rising Committee, committed to engaging more young people in the critical work of the YWCA. Her additional experience includes work as a trainer for the National Democratic Institute in Amman, Jordan, preparing women to run for elective office. She has also served as political director for the Washington State Democrats. She recently completed a fellowship with the National Urban Fellows, America's Leaders of Change. She is a former board member for the Center for Women and Democracy, the Institute for a Democratic Future, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Network. She was the Statewide President of the Young Democrats of Washington and a Fellow with the World Affairs Council of Seattle. She earned her MBA in 2012 and hopes to align her government and nonprofit background with her business education to support public private partnerships which provide mutual benefit and strengthen communities.

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