FYS event: Tunnel of Oppression

On Friday, November 18, I went to the Tunnel of Oppression at Davis Complex. I wanted to go to experience what other people said had an impact on them last year. The Tunnel of Oppression actually involved dorm rooms, a dorm hallway and a stairwell. There was a tour guide that read things to us about each of the rooms. The rooms or sections were designed by students and their purpose was to remind people of the suffering some people go through every day. The issues in each of the rooms were relevant to our society today and each was interesting. The first section was the stairwell in which derogatory words were written on a piece of paper; the point was to recognize the impact these words said millions of times a day have on a person. The following rooms and their issues were about racism, the glass ceiling for women, transgender issues, and debt for college students. My favorite was the room about women and the glass ceiling; the glass ceiling was symbolized by clear plastic wrap that was taped to the walls so it was suspended across the room about halfway up the walls. On the ceiling were pictures of things women haven’t achieved, like holding half of the seats in U.S. congress since women are 51% percent of the U.S. population. Under the glass ceiling on the walls were posters that were demeaning to women. One poster said “Women: like a man, only cheaper” and it showed a businesswoman high-fiving a man in the workplace.

The purpose of the Tunnel was achieved with me because it helped remind me that all the issues discussed in the tour were relevant to today’s society, and that everyone should still be conscious of them.

The Women in Leadership Class

This class has taught me that there are numerous opportunities for women in the world, and that I will always have options. I try to lead myself as a responsible and hard-working young woman who is going to accomplish things one day in her life and make a difference in the world. I think that we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to all the professional women that speak to us because we get to learn how they achieved the position they are in now,and how they conduct themselves to produce a better career for themselves. I love hearing about how all of the speakers got to where they are because I am still very unsure of what I would like to do. Listening to the speakers reassures me that if you work hard on what you are doing now and stay true to yourself that you will become successful on your own. Listening to the speakers has also reinforced how determined I am at doing my best in all of my classes to become the best person that I can be. I now also want to take more business classes that will help me become a better-rounded person. I feel more confident as a young woman and as a future woman in the professional world. I believe this class is helping me become more responsible and more aware of things that I would like to do, and also more aware of issues that women face. As a result, I am even more determined to accomplish good things in my life for myself and others.

First Girl's Club Meeting at Walnut Springs MS

Last week on Thursday was the first meeting that was held at the Walnut Springs Middle School. I always think its so weird going into other schools because they always look so different from the one that I went to. We had to sign in first for security reasons, and when we left we had to sign out. The mentoring session began in a regular classroom, and there were many more girls there for the program than I had thought, so that was good news. The first thing that I noticed was the number of girls, and then the appearance of little cliques or groups. I remember HS and MS being a lot like that and it probably always will be. We didn't do much interacting with the girls, but we did go over the rules with them so they know what not to talk about with us and why we wouldn't discuss those things. Then we gave everyone journals to decorate with colored paper, markers, and all kinds of stickers. It was a fun activity. We then wrote five things in the journal that we would want to talk about and all of the MS girls did that too so we would have things to talk about next week. This week is when we do our Women in Leadership project with the girls, and that will be about body image and where they see themselves in 5, 10, or 20 years. I think this topic gives the mentors a good chance to instil some confidence in the girls about how things will turn out in the future, and will give them a healthier view of themselves by promoting healthy their healthy attributes and talents.

Beginning of Girls Lunch Club

Last week, as part of our mentoring project, we met at the Center for Community Engagement to learn more about the girls that we'd be mentoring. There was free lunch from Panera there, and it was so good. The informational part of the meeting, however, was a little daunting. Some of the stories of the eighth grade girl's problems including bullying of all kinds and problems with boys or relationships. We learned what should be done if a girl confesses to something that is harmful to herself, whether it be self-destructive or someone's abusing her. We also learned to not talk about drugs or sex, which is too much of an obstacle for us to take on. The guidance couselor from Walnut Springs Middle School came and talked to us about the girls and the problems they face. He told us stories of what some girls do on the bus now...not appropriate. The stories that he told us were shocking to me because when I was in eighth grade, I was really awkward and didn't know what anything to do with sex really was. I was a lot more innocent it seems. However, I know there are girls out there who really need help, and I'm happy to be involved in a program that has the chance to make a difference in some girls' lives.