Working In Environments That Align With Identities and Values: An Interview with Nur B. Adam — Volunteer Spotlight
Immigrant. Photographer. Soccer fan. Barista. Storyteller. Nur B. Adam wears many hats and it’s important for her to work in spaces that value and represent each of her separate identities, so when she came across a LinkedIn posting from Kensington Soccer Club looking for volunteer photographers, she looked into the organization and was impressed with what she saw.
“I thought this was perfect for me,” she said. “Immigrants, kids, photography… that’s me!”
For Adam, volunteering is not just her outlet to get connected to a community and gain experience that she can add to her portfolio: it’s a positive escape from the everyday reality of her own life. On her first day volunteering with KSC, that couldn’t have been more true.
“I was having a stressful time at my job and I was reconsidering journalism,” she said when asked why she felt so great on her first day of volunteering. “I think my day job is really draining for a person like me because of my different identities, so finding opportunities like this or finding communities to heal that draining is exactly what I was looking for. My first time going to the field with Kensington Soccer Club was one of those experiences. It helped me heal and get better, really supporting me to get through the other things I do during the week.”
As a photographer, she’s always looking for those opportunities to capture every color, action, and emotion. The struggle here is finding access to do so, as a photographer can’t simply walk up to a random child and start taking pictures of them.
“People are going to think you’re crazy,” she said. “I’m glad KSC has a position for [photography] because there is a lot a photographer can give to a club and there’s also a lot they can gain. I feel blessed to have this access because [photographers] are always looking for opportunities like this, where we find a lot of kids enjoying themselves.”
Having grown up with soccer while living in Turkey, it was something she lived for. She’d attend games, purchase merchandise and support her teams no matter what. A die-hard fan one would say. However, growing up in a country where soccer is viewed primarily as a masculine thing, she didn’t go to games without her father and brother by her side and wasn’t able to play because there were no girl teams she could join.
Additionally, her move to the United States played a significant role in her declining interest in soccer. She felt she was always in a state of “immigrant survival,” a common phenomenon amongst immigrants, who are continuously presented with obstacles that can make it difficult to thrive in a new country and thus, prioritize their survival over personal interests.
Amidst all that she had to face and focus on to get where she wanted to be, she eventually did lose her passion for the game. Yet, an opportunity to serve as an assistant coach for her nephew’s local soccer club re-sparked her interest. Once she moved to the Philadelphia area to start a new job as a visual journalist, opportunities to capture Philadelphia Union matches arose and are what finally re-set the flame.
“It’s a lot more fun to be involved in soccer in America than it was in Turkey,” Adam said. “Here, soccer communities are the most diverse communities. This was something I genuinely enjoyed and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. This is what makes my heart beat.”
She recommends that any other photographers looking for volunteer opportunities in the area consider joining Kensington Soccer Club, as the organization has given her a place where she feels represented, seen and valued.
“As a storyteller, telling the stories of immigrants and young people has kind of been my niche and I felt like this opportunity would help me get better as a storyteller,” Adam said. “I always try to do things that actually align with my values. Things I care about, I try to do them. This is clearly one of them.”
ABOUT NUR
Nur is a visual journalist based in Bucks County, working for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She’s also a barista for Vineyards Cafe, a local and immigrant-owned coffee shop, and an active member of the Muslim and Turkish community in the Greater Philadelphia area.
She has numerous hobbies, which include: playing different types of sports with her friends, going to Zumba classes, rollerskating, playing Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. on her Nintendo Switch, shopping and trying out different coffee shops in the area.