Watch your child take his first step or admire your name as it
gleams on the door of a luxurious corner office? The trouble many
college-aged women have with this question was addressed by a panel
discussion Wednesday evening.
Shirley Hakim, a speaker on the panel, was a UCLA undergraduate
student at the age of 15. She became a certified public accountant,
but later left her career to be a stay-at-home mom.
Hakim’s story was one of the many presented at Hillel as
part of the panel “The 21st Century and Us,” organized
by The Next Generation, a group run by UCLA students.
A panel of six Iranian Jewish professional women ranging in age
from 30 to 50 years gathered to speak to college students about
careers, marriage and Judaism.
“These are issues that everyone was thinking, but not
talking about,” said Sahar Makabi, a fourth-year neuroscience
student and board member of The Next Generation. The group put on
the program in affiliation with the Iranian Jewish Women’s
Organization.
The organization was established in 1976 in an effort to
preserve the culture and heritage of the Iranian Jewish
community.
The organization is involved with the Yitzchak Rabin Hillel
Center for Jewish Life at UCLA and hoped the panelists would
address the career and family decisions college-aged women
face.
“It’s all about choice,” said Sharon Golshan,
a stay-at-home mom with a political science degree.
“I can always work later, but I can’t get the time I
missed with my kids back,” said Golshan.
Nooshin Yazdi chose a different career path in order to make
time for her family. She decided against going to medical school
and instead opted to become a dentist because the hours were more
flexible.
“Being a woman makes a big difference in how you live. I
couldn’t dedicate my entire life to being a doctor,”
said Yazdi.
Margo Galdjie and Dorit Miller were both clinical psychologists
who chose to work part time once they were pregnant.
The sisters grew up in Israel and were raised in the standard
Iranian Jewish culture which emphasized the mother putting herself
last in everything. Now, they both stress the importance of making
time for themselves.
“Find out who you are aside from your family,” said
Galdjie.
Members of The Next Generation were disappointed by the low
turnout of only 15. Lack of parking and insufficient publicity were
cited as the main reasons for the small audience.