Caitlyn Lamdin

Once a professional tie-dyer at the Ben & Jerry’s Tour Factory, Caitlyn Lamdin joins the MIIS community from Vermont, her home-base despite not living there permanently for a quite some time. Her identities consist of being a heterosexual, cisgendered, able-bodied, white, American female, a Vermonter and an educator. Learning languages has been a constant throughout her education and career; she speaks English, French, Modern Standard Arabic, and a little Moroccan Arabic, with Spanish to be next on her list. Caitlyn found her passion for the intersection of language learning, international education, and social justice in Mississippi, where she taught for three years prior to arriving in Monterey. Her experience there inspired here to apply to MIIS, and after a difficult decision to continue solely in the International Education Management program, Caitlyn maintains that she is still a wannabe MPA. The lack of conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion on campus brought Caitlyn to Allies at MIIS. Professor Pushpa Iyer presented about race, power, and privilege at a Dean’s Fellow seminar in the fall, where Caitlyn was shocked that so many participants had a difficult time seeing diversity as an issue on MIIS’ campus. According to Caitlyn, patience, humility, and courage are the key qualities of an ally. Anyone who uses privilege to stand with others against injustice and inequity can be an ally. The fight against educational inequity and using international education as a vehicle for social change motivates Caitlyn.