可乐视频

In a recent gathering of the Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies Program, its director Namulundah Florence is effusive with her praise of a student who had been timid to speak up. The student doesn鈥檛 want to distract her peers from other tragedies like the Russian war on Ukraine, but when she talks, she discusses the plight of child marriages and overall subordination of women globally.

Others join in, evolving the conversation into a deeper dive on various disasters and leading to a group recognition of the root causes: child marriage, poverty, and regime and climate change.

鈥淲hen you first began to speak,鈥� says Florence to the student, 鈥測ou said, oh no, maybe I shouldn鈥檛. But look at the space that has opened up. Look what we would have missed, if you hadn鈥檛 spoken up!鈥�

Recognizing, negotiating, and envisioning intellectually empathic learning communities underpins the interdisciplinary program, both in its curriculum and pedagogy, and in the faculty鈥檚 scholarship and student engagement. The program offers some , from 鈥�,鈥� 鈥�,鈥� to 鈥�,鈥� and 鈥�.鈥� There are also classes that delve into ancient religious traditions and Chicana/Latin, European, Indian, and African communities across the globe.

Florence, a professor of secondary education whose own research explores the impact of formal and informal structures on self image and cultural identity, helmed the program just as the pandemic hit in 2020 and leads it against the backdrop of the #metoo movement, the 鈥渄on鈥檛 say gay鈥� agenda in Florida, the threat to abortion rights, and an uptick in the prominence of gender identity politics.

鈥淎cross the globe, many feel left out socially, economically, and politically by virtue of their race, gender, religion, sexuality, and nationality,鈥� says Florence. 鈥淲e are creating global citizens for an already globalized world.鈥�

Teaching at such a diverse institution gives Florence a chance to engage in cross-cultural sensitivity and what she calls a 鈥済reater appreciation of alternative educational experiences.鈥�

What follows are highlights from a conversation with eight students who are taking courses in Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies who discuss why they like the program, what issues most ignite action in them, and what they plan to do after they graduate.

Chadley Britton, Senior, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Chadley Britton works with mental health programs for people of color and the queer community advocating for sex workers. She would also like to work with Black urban farmers, especially women. She has a friend who is the event coordinator for East New York Farms in Brownsville, which does a lot of community outreach, educational programming, and food advocacy.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to taking what I learned about food sovereignty, urban agriculture and herbal medicine and applying it to women鈥檚 spaces and programs for Black, Indigenous, and people of color,鈥� she says.

Britton says that students should聽 talk to everyone: professors, department heads, guest speakers, and academic elders. 鈥淭here is an entire community of people who want to help and uplift you. Professor Florence has been a guiding angel that way.鈥�

Nitu Farhin, Sophomore, Macaulay Honors College

Nitu Farhin is taking her first class, 鈥淚ntro to Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies鈥� during the summer semester. She ventured into the course because she hopes to attend medical school and become an OB-GYN.

鈥淲ithout the background knowledge of the diverse experiences that different women undergo here, it’s difficult to become a good physician in a place like New York City,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou need to learn about and study people from diverse cultures and backgrounds to advocate for and treat them.鈥�

Farhin is also interested in women鈥檚 health on a global level.

鈥淓specially about the health issues that young women face because of cultural traditions, the stress of married life and pregnancy at young ages, having to spend their lives experiencing health issues as a result,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t hurts me to think about it.鈥�

She would like to work for UNICEF and an organization called Girls, Not Brides.

Zahra Jamil, Senior, Macaulay Honors College, Chemistry

Chemistry major Zahra Jamil was looking for a course outside of science when she found 鈥淚ntroduction to Women鈥檚 Studies,鈥� where they discussed race, gender, and sex.

鈥淲e talked about body image and aging. We discussed how beauty in the media is often shown in such a way that the people viewing the images are not reflected in them,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 see so many brilliant and beautiful people and they all look different.鈥�

One big takeaway from the many class discussions was 鈥渢o be your own unique self, no matter what.鈥�

Jamil says the program has also helped her learn more about what she wants for herself.

鈥淣o one asked me what I wanted in life. People told me what I should want. Yes, ask for opinions, but finally, make your own judgment. Listen with a smart head, make your own decisions,鈥� she says.

As importantly, she believes the program is necessary to give her tools as she enters the world of medicine.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all going to go out into the world,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ome of us already are.鈥�

Jaia Jones, Sophomore, Macaulay Honors College, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Jaia Jones entered 可乐视频 with a view toward choosing a STEM major as part of her plan to attend medical school. Then a friend told her about Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies. It seemed interesting, and as she took a closer look, she realized that majoring in Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies would be crucial. 鈥淚 want to get in tune with and understand women who deal with domestic violence,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淚 feel they lose their voices and their life鈥檚 path. They need to be reminded that they are still worth something. We need doctors out there who can understand them and empathize.鈥�

Serving the marginalized and underserved is heavy on her mind. 鈥淎ll the women in my life who have passed who were important to me died from heart disease and cancer. You realize that only 2.7 percent of female physicians are Black,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淭he leading cause of death in women of color is heart disease and cancer.鈥�

For Jones, the numbers do not add up. 鈥淚 want to be a cardiac surgeon. We need doctors out there who can empathize.鈥�

Megan Klein 鈥�22, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Like several of those who gravitate to the program, Megan Klein had done some community service and was drawn to social work. She says that while learning about the feminist movement and women鈥檚 history, she learned much about herself and has a heightened awareness of issues surrounding the LGBTQ community.

鈥淲e legalized gay marriage and more and more people are identifying as trans and fluid gender,鈥� she says. It wasn鈥檛 that way even in most of the last half the 20th century, yet we have this 鈥榙on鈥檛 say gay,鈥� movement,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e still have work to do.鈥�

When determining a career path, Klein says she learned the hard way, but others do not have to. 鈥淒on鈥檛 be scared, but think long and hard whether it is where you want to be five years or ten years in the future. Never stop learning. I still plan to study forensics one day.鈥�

Alexander Lewis 鈥�22, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Alexander Lewis joined the program because he wanted to help bring more awareness to the growing importance of feminist theories. He has conducted research on gender-fluid characters in American and Japanese comics and graphic novels.

鈥淭he program opened up an opportunity that I did not think would be possible, being able to study what was essentially a hobby in a way that is critical, seeing how representation can be done in those mediums,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ach course is so rich.鈥�

Lewis says he would like to write graphic novels and urges those with the slightest interest in women and gender studies to go for it. He also says to make room for failures. 鈥淭hey are a part of life, but each time you overcome them, you get better.

Jayson (J.D.) Miller, Junior, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Jayson Miller, who uses the they pronoun, came to 可乐视频 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in social work from San Francisco State University that included a minor in LGBTQ studies, human sexuality and counseling. They also have a master鈥檚 degree in social work from Columbia University. When they looked to continue their education, they found 可乐视频.

Having their identity and a variety of others represented in an academic setting was something new for Miller.

鈥淲e all have so many different parts that make us who we are, but to see some of who I am reflected in the people that are teaching me is great,鈥� they say,

As an assistant director and founder of the Identity and Acceptance program at the NY Foundling, Miller works at undoing the damage done from transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism and classism.

Mardzhona Odinaeva 鈥�22, Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies

Mardzhona Odinaeva is an immigrant from Tajikistan in central Asia. She says that her identity was shaped first as a daughter, then a wife, and then a mom. 鈥淚 was never me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 decided on Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies because I want to learn about myself.聽 If I go back to central Asia, how can I make it easier for other women there? How can I help them not to grow up to serve husbands and families only, but to be something for just themselves?鈥�

Odinaeva, who is minoring in LGBTQ studies, recognizes the need to help those who are marginalized and bullied, a phenomenon she can hardly believe is happening in this day and age. 鈥淸In places in this country] If you are openly transgender, you are persecuted,鈥� she says. She aims to work for an organization like the United Nations, helping young people globally.