A well-respected journalist and TV personality is set to visit George Mason University next week and share some inspiration, just in time for the start of the spring semester.
NBC’s Hoda Kotb will appear at “An Afternoon with Hoda” at 3 p.m. on Jan. 15 in Dewberry Hall on the Fairfax Campus.
Kotb will talk about her new book, “Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us the Way,” said Nance Lucas, executive director of the Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, which is hosting the event.
Kotb’s book is a “natural fit” with the center’s mission, Lucas said, as the center’s biggest role is to provide students with the tools they need to find greater purpose and meaning in life.
“Our center’s mission and the themes in the book are kindred spirits,” Lucas said.
Young people often select career paths because they are trying to live out someone else’s dreams or because that’s what they’ve been told to do, Lucas explained. The book talks about successful people—such as an investment banker who leaves Wall Street and becomes a minister— who take risks to fulfill their true passion.
“People are excited; they can see the immediate connection between who [Kotb] is as a person and her book. She walks the talk,” Lucas said. “Hoda herself is someone who is passionate about what she does.”
Amy Takayama-Perez, Mason’s dean of admissions, was instrumental in bringing Kotb to Mason.
For the past several years, Kotb has addressed the summer scholars of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, a program for high school students facilitated by the Office of Admissions, Takayama-Perez said. The conference is also a co-sponsor of Kotb’s event at Mason.
“We think the Mason community will enjoy hearing her perspective on living a life full of purpose and how it relates to our sense of well-being,” Takayama-Perez said. “She also does it in such a genuine and honest way.”
The event is free, but tickets are required. Those who reserve a book will automatically have reserved seating for the event. The book is $18.50. Event registration can be found here.