Every child has the right to dream.
Sarah’s worldview was fundamentally changed when she was given the opportunity to work with Seeds of Peace, a peacebuilding and conflict transformation organization.
In her role (and through her involvement in the organization from 2007-2011), she met individuals from around the world, was trusted with their life stories, challenges, and triumphs, and saw firsthand the potential of human connection to overcome seemingly intractable divides.
She often articulates that these stories worked their way into her heart and mind in such a manner that it was impossible to let them go or to turn away. Her involvement with Seeds of Peace laid the foundation for her work in Global Health, Internal Medicine, and her research interest in disparities of health in regions of conflict.
While on an elective in Israel and the Palestinian Territories during medical school, Sarah fell into conversation with an educator whose narrative helped to elucidate for her the belief that every child has the right (and capacity) to dream and that it is up to all of us to create peaceful and inclusive societies for every person to reach their potential.
Sarah and Matt connected through a Global Health Fellowship at Duke where it quickly became apparent that Matt’s training in pediatrics and mental health, enriched by his Global Health work in Chile, Uganda, and South Africa and with marginalized communities here in the US, led him to the very same conclusion.
As we celebrate our marriage with those of you that we hold near and dear, we would love to extend some of our good fortune to those in our country and afar who find themselves caught up in conflict, to do our part to make the world a slightly better place, and to perhaps gift more individuals with the capacity to dream. While your presence at our wedding is more than enough, should you wish to make an additional gesture, we have arranged to donate funds to Seeds of Peace in the form of scholarships to help make it possible for more youth to take part in the organization’s summer programs.
A little bit more about the organization: Established in 1993, Seeds of Peace seeks to train and support leaders in communities divided by conflict, based on a firm belief that young people are the best hope for creating more just and inclusive societies. The organization connects youth from opposite sides of conflict through a research-tested dialogue and leadership development model. Best known for its Israeli-Palestinian programming, Seeds of Peace also works across the Middle East, South Asia, and more recently, expanded programming to the US in order to address the growing racial, religious, and political divides within our own country.
