Meet Shawn Lent

Shawn Lent moves this world as both a program manager and a social practice dance artist, with experience from a field in Bosnia to a children’s cancer hospital in revolutionary Egypt. She is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and UNAOC International Fellow, and has spoken at the University of Maryland, Universal Exposition Milan, TEDx Shibin El Kom, Sandbox Industries, and Commencement for Millikin University. From 2013-2015, Shawn served as the EducationUSA Egypt Coordinator for AMIDEAST and the U.S. Department of State. In 2013, her blog post Am I a Dancer Who Gave Up? went viral. Shawn holds a Masters in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Youth Arts Development from Goldsmith’s College.

Q+A

Who do you admire? 

Any child or parent in the world facing childhood cancer.

What do you geek out about? 

On first dates, I have been known to bring up childhood cancer, green cemeteries, genocide prevention, my time teaching in a village in Bosnia, learning Arabic, and artist activism.

Have you ever stolen anything? 

Last week, I saw an entire line of Cairenes stealing a ride on the Metro. And shamefully, I joined right in. Why not save 10 cents when you can? Learning from the culture.

What do you suck at? 

Singing. During Pippin in college, the director actually changed our placements so that I would not be near any microphones.

What’s the most outrageous thing you have done? 

Pulled a kind, drunk, 16-year-old, Bengali-British Muslim, injured young man out of a burning car after his friends had fled the scene of the accident. This is while I was living a vibrant, welcoming Muslim and Sikh community in East London after September 11th.

Favorite quote? 

“Live in a really living world."  -Jane Addams

Want more? Follow her blog http://shawnlent.com and tweet with her @ShawnLent