Alumni
Operation Understanding alumni share an enduring commitment to the organization and to the process of building bridges. We are proud to have a very active alumni network, working in support of Operation Understanding throughout the community and in support of cross-cultural understanding throughout the world.
Alumni Spotlight
President Barack Obama and Cynthia Gordy OU '98 in the Oval Office.
Saying Goodbye to Shy
Cynthia Gordy, OU 1998
White House correspondent, Essence magazine
The thing about going from being a cripplingly shy person to a confident one — or at least, this was the case with me — is you don’t even notice the change as it’s happening. One day you’re reluctant to join a trivial conversation with other kids at your high school for fear of saying something stupid. Then suddenly you’re jumping into a debate over college affirmative action policies, fervently explaining your position. Your friend looks at you, bewildered, and says, “You’ve changed.”
I was still that shy person when my mom insisted that I apply for Operation Understanding. I didn’t think I’d get in, assuming it was only for students with bigger personalities. I don’t recall saying anything particularly good during my interview. My suspicion is that I was picked based on some inkling of leadership potential more than anything else. And it took a while to draw out that potential.
“You know,” said Elliott, one of my group leaders, during a nightly processing session in a Senegalese hotel, “You guys were chosen for this program because we thought you had something to say. We expect all of you to participate in these conversations.”
He hadn’t addressed anyone in particular, but we quiet folks knew who we were.
Soon enough I did contribute — and to some intense discussions, too, about identity, personal biases, poverty, female genital cutting, religion and international conflict. I had to push myself further outside my comfort zone when we got back to Philly, co-leading workshops and facilitating conversations, sometimes with college students older than I. By the end of my senior year, I was far more self-assured, inquisitive, curious and opinionated. (I got kind of loud and annoying for a while there, too, but let’s focus on the positive.)
Today, as a White House correspondent, being assertive is critical to my job. There’s no time to be shy calling out questions over other reporters at press briefings, building relationships with commanding government officials, and bringing challenging political issues to the President.
It’s second nature to me now, but I started developing these traits around 17. Back then I knew I was different somehow, but couldn’t articulate why when my friend told me I’d changed. It wasn’t until years later that I made the connection to my OU experience.