Although Asra Nomani's life has been filled with diverse experiences, she said they didn't "come together" until the abduction and murder of her close friend and colleague Daniel Pearl.
Nomani, who spoke to students Wednesday night at Schwab Auditorium, said life is unexpected in many ways and sometimes presents tough choices.
"When you make these difficult decisions, the one thing you can do is live well with yourself and have congruence between your inner values and your actions," she said.
Nomani has founded The Pearl Project, a seminar that investigates the identity of Pearl's killers and the motives behind his murder.
Additionally, Nomani spent part of her speech talking about the relationship between the Islamic religion and the modern world, as well as the conflict between Islam and women.
She emphasized how students can make a difference even at this point in their lives.
"Those people standing up are students like you," she said.
The event, which was sponsored by the Schreyer Honors College Speaker Committee and Student Council was attended by both honors students and other Penn State students. Several decided to attend the event after seeing the 2007 film A Mighty Heart, which was based on the story of Daniel Pearl.
"I watched the movie earlier today and thought it would be an interesting speech to hear," said Vicki Marone (freshman-mathematics).
Some students felt Nomani was more personal than most speakers on stage, which made her story more relatable and interesting.
Christian Allemang (sophomore-chemistry and history) said he liked Nomani's description of a "personal conflict in the midst of a greater conflict," and how "solving the personal conflict can help solve the greater conflict."
Other students enjoyed the scope of Nomani's speech, particularly given that Nomani talked about her life as a journalist.
"The discussion about her own faith really added a whole new layer to it," said Sarah Peck (freshman-electrical engineering and computer science).
Chris Arbutina, the college relations coordinator of the Schreyer Honors College, said the personal level of Nomani's speech offered a fantastic opportunity for students.
"Sometimes, you just need to take a hard look and make a choice, and then face the aftermath of that choice," she said in reflection on Nomani's message. "There are all these things in your life that seem separate, but they can really collide."
