As the 2013-2014 inaugural assembly speaker, photojournalist Alison Wright spoke to the community about her life and work across the globe, from Sri Lanka to Saint Lucia.

“I got my wanderlust in utero,” said Wright as she showed a picture of her mother in a Pan Am stewardess uniform, complete with stilettos and angled hat.  Wright changed the slide to a contrasting image of herself in combat boots and loose khakis, running to get a shot.

She emphasized this work-first attitude, even after she was run over by a horse on the Mongolian plains and sustained a concussion.  “But the light was amazing!” she laughed. “I had to get the shot.”

Wright laced her dry humor through stories about her work with women in Palestine and her many risk-filled escapades, like hitchhiking through the Middle East at age 21, visiting refugee camps in Nepal and documenting the aftermath and response to Hurricane Katrina.

She also spoke more seriously about her traumatic accidents and illnesses throughout her career. In a bus accident in Laos, Wright suffered catastrophic injuries and recovered in Thailand for three months, only to be told that she would never walk again.

“I don’t think they realized who they were talking to,” she said wryly.  Two years later, Wright reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

She also discussed the philosophy that she adopted during her 15 years of travel with the Dalai Lama and the lessons that he taught her. She shared his insights into optimism: “Good intent most imp in all that you do, always remember.”

Wright’s work inspired her to found the Faces of Hope Fund, named after her book of photographs about children in poverty around the world.

“I think it’s really important to share what the rest of the world is going through,” she said with a smile. “These people deserve more dignity than that.”

Read a Los Angeles Times‘ interview with Alison Wright here.