Today we’d like to introduce you to Selina Eshraghi.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my activism journey in Gold’s Gym.
It started in a Body Pump class, I was lifting a slightly embarrassingly low weight (I lift more now) and making faces at my father who had dragged me to the class. My father’s big into finding opportunities for me, and for reasons unbeknownst to me at that moment, he made me go to Body Pump for more than improving my muscle mass.
After I finished stretching, my dad introduced me to Zoe Adams, the CEO, and founder of the Strongheart Group, a nonprofit that works to do advocacy via solidarity. Her story and the motives of her group sold me right off the bat and even as a then 16-year-old, I knew that it was worth it to pitch myself as an intern. Speaking to Zoe today, she said that I reminded her of herself– ambitious with the desire to see the world become a better place.
I worked for while with Strongheart doing work with an activist named Sonita Alizadeh. Through my work with them, I discovered the power of social media and storytelling.
I always knew that I would somehow find my way back to activism, hence my decision to double major in Chemical Engineering and Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas. My dream is to go into science communication and help restore the trust the general public has in the scientific community.
My calling back to activism came early, however. In October of last year, my childhood best friend committed suicide via firearm, turning what was supposed to be an exciting first year at college into a living nightmare. I was alone, struggling with a loss amiss a sea of strange faces. Only 4 months later, the tragedy at Parkland occurred and I realized how my loss was tied to what had happened– I realized the gravity of gun violence. I turned all my emotions into action, helping to organize the March For Our Lives event in Austin.
The march gave me a platform to tell my story and shine a light upon an often silenced part of gun violence — suicide by gun, which in the state of Texas makes up of more than 60% of gun violence deaths.
After giving my speech, I went out into the audience to give one of the photographers her press pass, but on the way was stopped an overwhelming amount of times by people who wanted me to know how my story impacted them, and I knew that I could heal from what happened if I continued to advocate on behalf of common sense gun reform.
In the weeks following, I organized multiple town halls, started attending events, hearings, and more town halls to tell my story. I organized a vigil after Santa Fe, gave a speech condemning Greg Abbott’s actions after the tragedy, and served on panels at the New Braunfels Town Hall and San Antonio Road to Change Event.
I serve now as the UT Hook the Vote director, working to get my peers more civically engaged. I hope to continue to be an advocate for the ways we as a society can prevent gun violence from unnecessarily taking more lives.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh boy.
No, it’s never a smooth road.
One of the most immediate things I dealt with were people who tried to silence my voice, even among people who agreed with my sentiment. Most of these voices came from people who found my Instagram, which had previously predominately served as a modeling and photography bio. It was hard to find that there were other women who thought that my voice deserved less space or less weight just because of how I chose to celebrate my body.
This has become another aspect of my activism — helping the definition of feminism be inclusive of body positivity. Whether a woman chooses modesty or chooses to post pictures of herself where she is less dressed, she deserves to be respected. What a woman does with her body is her own choice. What you do with your body is your own choice. Never let silence your voice with their definition of what a girl can and cannot be.
Another difficult thing has been a fight between seizing the moment and taking care of my mental health. After every gun violence tragedy, there’s this overwhelming feeling of losing my friend again– it’s like the wound is reopened. In those moments it’s hard to remember to take care of myself while also using the fact that the media is reinterested in the topic of gun violence prevention.
The thing I have to keep reminding myself is that I’m not alone in this fight. There are so many people I can lean on for support. The other thing is that I am the ablest as an activist if I am both physically and mentally healthy — getting enough sleep, eating right, and being aware of my feelings and emotional capability at that moment.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your business – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As a 19-year-old girl, my ability to utilize social media has taken me far. It’s the superpower that nobody else has.
After the tragedy of Santa Fe, the March For Our Lives Austin team discovered that Governor Greg Abbott continued to run his win-a-shotgun campaign raffle. In wake of what had just occurred, we found it rather insensitive that he continued to run said raffle, especially since it continued the societal viewpoint that guns are entertainment and not weapons.
The team used Twitter to gain attention from national media and pressure Greg Abbott to take down the raffle. Within 48 hours, the raffle was replaced by one for a gift card.
This is just one of many moments that my youth proved to be a strength and not a weakness as many like to believe.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
There’s nothing you can lose from putting yourself out there. I can’t tell you the number of times I sent a cold email to a company I wanted to work for, a photographer I wanted to shadow, or a politician I wanted to talked to a received a warm and eager response. There may seem like there is a lot of people who don’t believe in the youth, but it’s really a loud minority. There are an incredible amount of people out there looking for ways to give back.
I would spend some time researching people who have advocated for similar causes, done similar work, or are experts in a field I’m interested in. Then just don’t hesitate to reach out and be sure to express why you are interested in their work and how passionate you are about it. If you are genuine, they will feel it.
In terms of networking, just be yourself. Don’t feel like you have to make up for anything you aren’t or put on a show. I think a lot of young people tend to stiffen up around adults to try and cover up for their age, but really it can just make you unapproachable. People are drawn to people they’d like to spend time with– they hire people they can spend time with, they mentor people they can spend time with, they collaborate with people they can spend time with. If you can get along with them before you get to that point, you are more likely to get what you want out of a relationship.
This is also a two-way street. Work with people who you like. Don’t be afraid to be picky. The wrong person can turn you off from the work you’re doing, so surround yourself with people who spread positivity, passion, and push you to be the best version of yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.selinalin.com
- Phone: 512-568-1211
- Email: Selina.eshraghi@gmail.com
- Instagram: @selinalin_
- Twitter: @selinaeshraghi
Image Credit:
Hugging photo: Nolan Weinschenk, Other photos: Ali Hajipour
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