Travelling abroad can be an eye-opening experience for any professional, especially if they’re paid to be curious.

The Student Entertainment Board (SEB), WSU Common Reading Program and WSU Global Campus host Emmy and Academy award-winning Pakistani journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to speak about her professional experiences in Iraq.

Obaid-Chinoy may talk discuss topics people don’t think about often, such as the struggles of Iraq refugees and the aftermath of suicide bombers on children, SEB Arts Programmer Alli Ruther said.

“She’ll be talking about the experiences she’s had with working with these people and how it might have changed her perspectives,” Ruther said. “And how it would change ours if only we knew what was really going on.”

Americans often don’t recognize how people from different cultural backgrounds are affected by what’s going on in their home country, Ruther said. Due to privileged American lifestyle, we forget about problems happening in another country, because they aren’t happening in our home state.

“By going to this event, (students will) get to see the way that our society is very monocultural,” Ruther said. “We don’t really think about how these people might be affected and what might make them do these things.”

Obaid-Chinoy leads Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (SOC) films, creating content from an activist point-of-view about issues marginalized communities face.

“It will make people think about what is going on outside of our country,” Ruther said.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will discuss international issues at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Beasley Coliseum. The doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

Reporting by Mariah Inman