Seth Meyers

Background

About Seth Meyers

Growing up on a farm and living well below the poverty line taught me many life lessons, but one stands out above the rest: getting one's boots dirty isn’t just for getting things done, it’s a way of life! Experiential learning is essential to obtaining meaningful understanding of a person, society, problem, or challenge. Here are a few ways this philosophy has served me throughout my academic and professional career: 1. Starting at 19, I spent 2 years volunteering with underprivileged Hmong immigrant communities in the midwestern United States. I was on the ground every day in neighborhoods of all socioeconomic levels, learning new languages and cultures. I discovered that the world view I held was only one of many and life ceased to be as black and white as I was raised to believe. As an undergraduate, I spent nearly as much time applying my school learning in foreign countries as I did in the classroom in the US. I dedicated countless hours in the homes, streets, and places of business with people from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and China to get to know people. Speaking with a woman about her experience of being a kidnapped bride is far different than reading a second-hand account or watching a 3-minute clip on YouTube. Living and working in China as a university ESL instructor for 6 years allowed me to ask real people in real time if what I read and hear from books and the internet is accurate. I built relationships of trust that allowed for deep understanding into the minds and lives of friends, colleagues, students, and strangers. As a Clinical Research Coordinator, I interact with patients who are in the most vulnerable situations of their lives. Empathy is key to guiding them through the research process and helping them find meaning and healing. Immersion has been my path to life fulfillment, true education, and continual career progression. Basking in the fear of the unknown as I continue to (literally) step outside my comfort zone to learn and achieve is what drives me continually forward.