The Tab’s ‘Women to Watch’: An interview with Pegah Moulana

After being chosen last week as one of the top 25 most influential young women at University, we caught up with University of Sheffield’s very own Pegah Maysa Moulana who tells us about her work, her own inspirations and her plans for the future after finishing her Law degree.

What does being chosen as one of The Tab’s most influential students mean to you?

Being chosen as one of the top 25 influential young people for me is more than a personal achievement. I hope recognition of the work I do aspires other young women to get interested in politics, in standing up for themselves and being the catalyst for change. When I was a young girl, I hardly received any support when I needed someone to encourage me and show me paths to success, and frankly it was the most exhausting part of my life. However, I always want to aspire more young people to be their own kinds of activists, vocal and expressive of their own characteristics in the public. I do hope, now my battle for making this a reality will become easier since more people will notice the work I do and I hope they do join me in that battle.

What has been your journey on the road to being named as one of the most influential students?

I have been a young activist since the age of 11. I have been elected into more than five office terms within youth representation organisations, including my current one, European Youth Forum and British Youth Council. Therefore, standing for elections, campaigning and canvassing is a natural part of my life. I also love writing policy papers, meeting troubled young peopled and being the part of the society that fills the gaps that exist around young people. So far, I have campaigned on topics such as the Votes @ 16, better access to mental health services, protection of refugee rights, inclusion and diversity of minorities in decision making, ‘save our youth work’, global citizenship education development and for more involvement of women in political arena.

Not only it has taken me to travel across the world and meet global decision makers, but I have been able to understand the different views of people, how they want to be represented and what the current gaps are across the world. I have had the chance to visit South Korea, Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe and central Europe. I do hope to expand on this, to work as a catalyst in improving young people’s place in global politics, and to ensure their problems and views are included in decision making.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration must be my grandfather. He is retired from his army role in Iran defence military. He fought in the bloody Iran-Iraq war, and therefore has understood how it feels to lose almost every friend, and the fear of leaving your children in a home that could be bombed at any moment. From the age of 5, he taught me many things about politics, about democracy and how important youth voice is. Not only was he not biased when defining many political terms to me, but he also told me about his war history, his time in the army and, I remember, I was always so angry about the concept of war altogether. My grandfather is my catalyst for the hunger I have for changing my surrounding, for not residing for the wrongs around me. Up to this day, he still is my source of inspiration and he will continue to inspire me.

What plans do you have for the future?

It is true when they say, “go for a future dream that scares you when you think about it every day”. To me, my dream career feels like that. I see myself as a very international girl, being born in the middle-east but grown up in the west. Therefore, the majority of the time I don’t really belong to anywhere, which brings flexibility to my life as it means I can live anywhere! Therefore, my dream is to work internationally, as a diplomat. I’ve known that I’ve wanted this job since the age of 11, and have built my life, plans and decisions according to that goal. To me, diplomacy describes me, my upbringing and the love I have for global affairs. It is all about travelling across the world, residing in a host country and, not only working there, but blending into their culture. To me, that is the biggest dream I can achieve and set my eyes on.

What advice would you give to other women studying at University?

It is true that the university period is the most confusing time of our life. This is because we are left with heavy expectations, getting the grades, living alone and independently and maintaining our friendship circle. My biggest recommendation is, do not make do with a ‘comfortable’ lifestyle during your university. Go out and challenge yourself, set yourself goals to work towards, wake up every day with a lot on your agenda, and work towards improving your understanding on who you are. If you ever need help, talk. If you need study support, talk. If you are clueless about your career, talk. Don’t forget, you don’t need to have answers to everything, just know your own principles. Make sure you are inspired, and want to be the best version of yourself every day. That should lead you to the path that you ought to be on.