Meet Marianna (Mari) Hegyi! (she/her)

Location: Austin, TX

• How long have you been a part of TCC? How did you get connected?
  
  • Since October of 2020. I used to work with Daniel at a prior company and he asked me to join the crew during one of our catchup calls 🙂 

 

• Share your why.  Why is DEI important to you?
  DEI is important to me because I deeply believe in the liberation of every human. I believe everyone should have equitable opportunities and equal access to the pursuit of happiness. When I am out in the world, I often think about the privilege I have to choose where I go, when I go, with whom, and what I wear. But I also carry the fear of being a woman. I want every person to have autonomy of their body and to get to shine as loudly and as brightly as they want to, without fear of being harmed. I dream of a more loving, interesting, and dynamic world where everyone is embraced for the unique light they bring. 

 

• Share one identity that is important to you right now.
  Being a first-generation immigrant is very present for me right now. My parents moved back to Hungary about five years ago, my sister and one of her daughters moved there about 8 months ago, and my other niece and I moved to Texas about a year ago from Seattle, where my brothers still reside. As an immigrant family that came here with little resources and no community, we banded together; it was us against the world. It’s been very difficult to be so far away from my family and to feel like I need to rebuild my family structure. 

 

• What superlative would you win?
  • Most likely to convince your great Aunt Maureen to get in the middle of the dance circle at your wedding. 

 

• Any interesting or random previous career stops?
  • I worked as a Quit Coach for a tobacco cessation program. I was even in a quit smoking commercial in the state of Alaska! 

 

• What are you currently reading?
  • Existential Kink, Four Thousand Weeks, and Blink

 

• You can invite 3 people to your dream dinner party – who are you inviting and what are you serving?
  • Brene Brown, Jenny Slate, and one of my closest friends, Elise. I’m positive we would be in physical pain from laughter and also go into the depths of the human soul and psyche. I would serve something interactive like a taco bar or make your own pizza so that we can accommodate any and all dietary needs and get to eat with our hands.

 

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Stay tuned for more opportunities to get to know the entire Courage Collective team!