Manager at Right to Equality How were you affiliated with IWS? Women's Studies Major. Tell us about your current work (paid or unpaid!) I am currently the manager for a non-profit in the UK that addresses gender-based inequalities under the law in England and Wales. My roles include campaign management, communications and public speaking, social media management, research, and lots and lots of writing. One major goal of this job is to bring more attention to trans experiences in the UK. I do additional paid work in a personal assistant-style role for a barrister. As for unpaid work, I barter (and occasionally sell) art and am currently interning at Sinister Wisdom. I'm working on two personal projects: breaking my MPhil dissertation into publishable chunks and publishing another (smaller) research project on sexual violence I've undertaken. How has your Women's Studies experience shaped your life and work post-graduation? My life and work are all the better for having taken WMST courses. In my current role, knowledge of queerness, feminism, sociological and philosophical concepts, and structures of inequalities are front and center, and my background in WMST has helped me analyze my work correctly and ensure our campaigns remain as unbiased and intersectional as possible. Furthermore, it has enabled me to recognize systems of oppression and movements for social freedom, especially in current events, such as the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which we must continue to speak out against fervently. What are your favorite memories from your time in Women's Studies at UGA? Courses, professors, events? Dr. Herles, Dr. Leimbach, and Dr. Ray taught my favorite courses, hands down! They were excellent educators who cared not only about my academic success but also my personal goals. I'm deeply appreciative of all the times they took my work schedule into account and showed grace with my assignments. Also, I greatly enjoyed meeting wonderful friends online during COVID-19 who have remained in contact an ocean away and supported my graduate research and art. Any advice for current Women's Studies students (graduate or undergraduate)? Go to the events if you can and show up to class if you can! It's not always feasible, but it really is fun, fresh, funky, free (well...not actually free), and cool because there's truly so much to learn and so many resources to engage with. Read the works that the authors in your readings are citing- lots of hidden gems in there. Be gay, do crime. Ask as many questions as you can because emailing once you've graduated will feel awkward.
