Name: Devon Vodden

Social Media Handle/Username: @DooDitzy

Introduce Yourself/Tell About Yourself: My name is Devon Vodden and I’m an Anglo-American (dual citizen of England and the USA) I was born in Haifa Israel and grew up in central Illinois. My mother is from Iowa and my father is from Yorkshire they both met each other in Israel while they where serving in Haifa Israel for the Baha’i faith. My family and I left Israel in January of 2001 I was only five years old. I also have an older brother whose five years older than me, he’s currently married and lives in Germany with his Australian wife. I currently live in Wilmette Illinois which is a town just north of Chicago. I work as a public safety officer for the Baha’i National centre for the United States.

What Inspires You Every day? : My faith, and the promise that it will better humanity.

What is some words of wisdom you live by?: Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth; it should give birth to spirituality, and bring light and life to every soul. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it would be better to be without it… Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.

What is your ultimate goal in life? : That’s a hard one! Ultimate goal would probably be unburdened by financial troubles so that I can give all my time to help my community.

How have you been during the pandemic and how has it affected you? : To be honest, it’s been kind of rough. Not nearly as some others have had it. I lived in my dad’s basement throughout the pandemic but my lack of a job because my orientation got cancelled because of quarantine really killed my willpower and I relied on my dad to help me pay bills. I was kind of down in the dumps having to lean on my dad the whole time despite being an adult and already been independent for a couple years. It made me appreciate my dad so much more that he helped me out through my problems.

What is a message you would like to give others? : Spread love, be kind, and have unity amongst each other. Otherwise nothing good will come of our work.

What else would you like to tell others about you or your life?: I’ve lived a very blessed life filled with love and kindness and I wish that I could bring that energy to others. I have a very hopeful and positive outlook on life, I used to teach children ages 12-15 in north side Chicago for several months back in 2018-2019. Befriending immigrant families, and teaching their children spiritual values, was something that will permanently affect who I am as a person. It really showed me how a lot of Americans live their day-to-day lives and taught me important it is to give back to the community.