When I think of the experiences had in college versus the working world, there are so many differences that come to mind, but I think particularly for women and men of my generation and perhaps generations past and generations to follow, it's the transition from inspiration, involvement, and a learning environment where importance is placed on the value of every person. I've loved my role in the workplace the past year-plus and don't see myself returning to university, but I remember those moments of unity, and the feeling of accomplishment and belief in one another and oneself that manifest so naturally in college.
I would think as different generations of varying values accustomed to different forms of media and interaction come together today in workplaces and elsewhere, there are sure to be natural adjustments. Workplaces bring structure, accomplishment, positivity and leadership, but I've found the experience of being a young woman in college and in the workplace today to be a stark transition. It's not quite a step back, but it's a step in a different direction. This Washington Post article from last week really spoke to me. It's something I see both in the workplace and society. I don't remember noticing it much during college among others or myself when speaking up in class to another student or to a professor. The empowerment was already there.
Thinking of these differences reminded me of the strong social justice culture and optimism present on college campuses today. Certainly those with the privilege of education are swept into these movements, and I want to believe activism and social justice are not accessible only to those able to attend and afford university. I was reminded today when re-reading one of Maya Angelou's poems on graduation how far away that activism and attention to social justice feels once out of college. Bits of Angelou's poem Commencement Address brought back those original goals and thoughts upon leaving college, along with the reminder of continuing to follow and seek the differences we can make for our world.
Selections from Commencement Address by Maya Angelou
And now the work begins
And now the joy begins
Now the years of preparation
Of tedious study and
Exciting learning are explained
Look beyond your tasseled caps
And you will see injustice.
At the end of your fingertips
You will find cruelties,
Irrational hate, bedrock sorrow
And terrifying loneliness.
There is your work.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
A Beautiful Ending
I graduated from college a couple of days ago. It was joyous and bittersweet. It was a full week of excitement and fun and everything went so fast. It was wonderful to have close and extended family see where I've lived for three years, and the weather was beautiful.
I've been home for two days now, and it doesn't quite feel real. So many memories continue to arrive after the laughter of last week, the jokes and ideas and late-night conversations feel paused, not finished.
One of my favorite quotes has been in my head the past few days: "For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition and financial success, so grandly spread before those who have the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us." -- Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, 1966
This evening, I drove to the town I grew up in, and when I was finished with my activity, I drove past the areas I hadn't seen in awhile, the toy shop where I worked at 17, the high school I attended, the baseball diamond where I played church softball, the park, the summer camp. I found that like listening to music, the sight of these places brought forth so many memories.
Shortly after graduating, Mother's Day
I've been home for two days now, and it doesn't quite feel real. So many memories continue to arrive after the laughter of last week, the jokes and ideas and late-night conversations feel paused, not finished.
Maura, myself and Katie, Lake Champlain, Friday night
One of my favorite quotes has been in my head the past few days: "For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition and financial success, so grandly spread before those who have the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us." -- Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, 1966
Marlee and I
My Dad and I
This evening, I drove to the town I grew up in, and when I was finished with my activity, I drove past the areas I hadn't seen in awhile, the toy shop where I worked at 17, the high school I attended, the baseball diamond where I played church softball, the park, the summer camp. I found that like listening to music, the sight of these places brought forth so many memories.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Humidity, Nostalgia, & the End
It's been humid lately. The air has been heavy with rain storms arriving each afternoon. My 1 or 2 p.m. outdoor jogs this week haven't always ended before the skies opened. The rainstorms remind me of summer, despite that the flowers have barely arrived and the leaves haven't grown, the rainstorms are welcome, the air smells fresh.
I finished my college education this morning. I'll graduate this week and I don't think it's hit me that I'm finished. I had a few assignments left for this past week and probably could have completed them all on Tuesday or Wednesday but wanted to space them out over four or five days. I was afraid to end too soon, to have leftover time and need to say goodbye to assignments and college work too soon.
In the process, I thought about nostalgia and memories. Both are beautiful and happy, as if the positivity at the end erases any negativity during. I loved my college experience. I've loved the last four years, yet the last seven days have been so filled with laughter, fun and excitement. They don't reflect the last four years that they're a celebration of, it's as if the quiet days aren't memorable, yet together, they formed the celebration.
Essex, Vermont, May 2nd.
In the process, I thought about nostalgia and memories. Both are beautiful and happy, as if the positivity at the end erases any negativity during. I loved my college experience. I've loved the last four years, yet the last seven days have been so filled with laughter, fun and excitement. They don't reflect the last four years that they're a celebration of, it's as if the quiet days aren't memorable, yet together, they formed the celebration.
At a Kentucky Derby celebration yesterday.
While driving this evening, words spoken in a 1966 political speech remained in my head. "For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar paths of personal ambition and financial success, so grandly spread before those who have the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us." --Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, June 6, 1966
A small selection of the staples I removed from the academic papers, assignments and readings I recycled this afternoon.
My dorm room wall. :)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Updates and Religion
Greetings! I wish I had a really great post full of images and fun experiences to write about, but I don't today. Life has been busy! It's certainly been busier before, but it's still pretty crazy. I've been waking up ultra-early each morning this week and despite the struggle, it's been an excellent choice! Mornings are inspiring too. I'm happy to share that my thesis will be finished on Sunday! It's just about there now, but could use a few more healthy read-throughs. This week I've begun to wonder about what I'll do with my time once it's turned in. Thankfully, there's still plenty to accomplish!
While at my parent's house last week, I set down the introduction of my thesis that I was editing at one point, and thought the scene might make a nice picture.
On Tuesday evening, the Saint Michael's College center for peace and justice hosted A. Rashied Omar, a scholar at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. When not teaching at Notre Dame (June-December), Omar works as an Imam (the Muslim equivalent to a priest or reverend) at a mosque in his native Cape Town, South Africa. I was particularly interested in Omar because of his involvement in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement and relationship with both Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. He spoke about intra-religious dialogue, the practice of Christians speaking with and communicating with Christians who may hold more or less strict religious views and Muslims doing the same with Muslims along with other faiths. The next morning, he spoke to my peace and justice class about the role of religion, emphasizing ten points. He elaborated on every point, citing specific examples and ideas, but just the list itself is eye-opening and informational. It made me think and I hope it does the same for you.
The Role of Religion (by A. Rashied Omar)
1.) Modernization Thesis
2.) Definition of Religion
3.) Sanctity of Human Life
4.) Human Dignity
5.) Embracing "the other"
6.) Prophetic Theology
7.) Religion -- State Typologies
8.) Civil Society
9.) Social Spirituality
10.) Faith and Hope
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
When the Words Keep Arriving
It's a plague I've suffered heavily from before. Beginning sometime in late 2012, words and phrases began to come to me at all times of day and night. I was reading heavily at the time and writing often, but the words came from everywhere. They were wonderful, but an annoyance. I needed a notebook nearby at all times. I could think clearly, but the words still interrupted when they weren't welcome. It had begun slowly, happening for the first time in April 2012, during an especially busy time. Mostly the words arrived in the daytime, but gradually stretched into the evenings. I collected them as best I could, sentences of prose or a few poetic words, phrases, descriptions, ideas, characters and settings, but so many slipped away.
It intensified last winter and spring. Especially when I faded into sleep. I kept a notebook next to my bed and most nights, fought off the sleep to write down the words that kept arriving. Some nights I would promise that I would memorize the words and write them in the morning. Most nights this worked. I would dream about the words in the meantime. Then, sometime last summer, the words stopped coming. Few have since. Until last night. Or perhaps this morning. It was nearly 2 a.m. and the deep exhaustion was there. The sleep wasn't though. The words couldn't stop. In the dark, I scribbled down everything I could. Reading these words now, I had written in my half-conscious state, "It's not that sleep won't come, it's that the words won't let it. They fight and push and weave their way into every thought of my mind."
Before the flood of words arrived, I had been writing about something else in the same notebook. I was reflecting on how leading a student organization these past four years has led me to think about the journey I'm taking. How happy it's made me. I thought about the future for the organization, writing to those who will someday undertake the same responsibility, "It's my hope that you'll know the greater impact of what you're involved in, and know that it's worth every minute you give." This caused me to realize that everything in our lives are worth every minute we give. I might want sleep, but I want the words too. I want to be present in everything I can. I want to choose my life and grow to understand if I don't know what will come along with it.
I remembered this evening, after a long day, of words a friend once sang, "I will leave a light on for you, my friend. I will hold a place for you on this road that never ends." This friend has since passed away. As I join many others in the entry into the world outside of academia, I want to remember these words. I want to know that the road going forward is a very good one.
It intensified last winter and spring. Especially when I faded into sleep. I kept a notebook next to my bed and most nights, fought off the sleep to write down the words that kept arriving. Some nights I would promise that I would memorize the words and write them in the morning. Most nights this worked. I would dream about the words in the meantime. Then, sometime last summer, the words stopped coming. Few have since. Until last night. Or perhaps this morning. It was nearly 2 a.m. and the deep exhaustion was there. The sleep wasn't though. The words couldn't stop. In the dark, I scribbled down everything I could. Reading these words now, I had written in my half-conscious state, "It's not that sleep won't come, it's that the words won't let it. They fight and push and weave their way into every thought of my mind."
Before the flood of words arrived, I had been writing about something else in the same notebook. I was reflecting on how leading a student organization these past four years has led me to think about the journey I'm taking. How happy it's made me. I thought about the future for the organization, writing to those who will someday undertake the same responsibility, "It's my hope that you'll know the greater impact of what you're involved in, and know that it's worth every minute you give." This caused me to realize that everything in our lives are worth every minute we give. I might want sleep, but I want the words too. I want to be present in everything I can. I want to choose my life and grow to understand if I don't know what will come along with it.
I remembered this evening, after a long day, of words a friend once sang, "I will leave a light on for you, my friend. I will hold a place for you on this road that never ends." This friend has since passed away. As I join many others in the entry into the world outside of academia, I want to remember these words. I want to know that the road going forward is a very good one.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Vermont Photography and Women's Education
Greetings again.
The sky has been beautiful the past few days. A mix of peach/salmon-stained clouds and clear skies.
I had an all-day class today at Saint Michael's and it was wonderful. I was strangely nervous and anxious about returning to the journalism department and attending a class at Saint Michael's after fifteen-ish months away, but my fears melted away when I realized how much I loved the experience. It felt like no time has passed when I spoke to some of my closest classmates and my kind professors. I felt welcomed and at home. The days and months ahead will be full but I'm looking forward to this final year.
Photography last night in Vermont:
"Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured, I am just one of them...On the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead, they shot my friends too, they thought that the bullet would silence us. But they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices, the terrorists thought that they would change my aim and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life...strength, fervor, encouragement was born."
"I'm not against anyone, neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. I'm here to speak up for the rights of education for every child. I want education for the son's and daughter's of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I don't even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the confession that I have learned from Mohammed the prophet of mercy, and Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah."
"This is what my soul is telling me. Be peaceful and love everyone."
"The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is a peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace...Peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, terrorism, war and conflict is structured into the schools...women and children are suffering in many ways in many parts of the world...people in Afghanistan have been affected by the hardship of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labor and are forced to get married at early ages. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and a deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by men and women."
"We call upon all governments to ensure free, compulsory education all over the world for every child...We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of education opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all the communities to be tolerant; to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sex, color, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish."
The sky has been beautiful the past few days. A mix of peach/salmon-stained clouds and clear skies.
I had an all-day class today at Saint Michael's and it was wonderful. I was strangely nervous and anxious about returning to the journalism department and attending a class at Saint Michael's after fifteen-ish months away, but my fears melted away when I realized how much I loved the experience. It felt like no time has passed when I spoke to some of my closest classmates and my kind professors. I felt welcomed and at home. The days and months ahead will be full but I'm looking forward to this final year.
Photography last night in Vermont:
Lastly, I found this video of Malala Yousafzai addressing the United Nations Youth Assembly to be beautifully inspiring. It just might be the best speech I've ever heard.
It's a full 17 and a half minutes, a few of my favorite quotes (or roughly half of the speech) are below.
"Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured, I am just one of them...On the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead, they shot my friends too, they thought that the bullet would silence us. But they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices, the terrorists thought that they would change my aim and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life...strength, fervor, encouragement was born."
"I'm not against anyone, neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group. I'm here to speak up for the rights of education for every child. I want education for the son's and daughter's of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I don't even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the confession that I have learned from Mohammed the prophet of mercy, and Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah."
"This is what my soul is telling me. Be peaceful and love everyone."
"The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is a peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace...Peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the world, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, terrorism, war and conflict is structured into the schools...women and children are suffering in many ways in many parts of the world...people in Afghanistan have been affected by the hardship of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labor and are forced to get married at early ages. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and a deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by men and women."
"We call upon all governments to ensure free, compulsory education all over the world for every child...We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of education opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all the communities to be tolerant; to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sex, color, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish."
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