my path in social justice
Social Justice Studies was not a natural path for me when I started at Hamline. I was stuck on going into medicine because I wanted to help others, but also wanted to challenge myself and be thrown into the busiest of situations along the way. I had always leaned fairly liberal and was not afraid to speak about it, but the only thing driving me at that point was wanting to do something good in the world. In attempts to broaden my horizons in freshman year, and to get more in touch with social justice in an organized sense, I applied to participate in Hamline’s alternative break program, Catalyst. Much to my surprise, I was accepted into my first choice- a trip travelling to Washington, D.C. that was focused on hunger and homelessness. The kicker? Students would participate in the homelessness challenge through the National Coalition for the Homeless, meaning we would spend 48 hours with a group partner on the streets with the clothes on our back, a garbage bag with 2 thermal blankets, and whatever we could scavenge or panhandle for. This experience changed my view on social justice, and made me really understand that there is always an urgent need for change. More importantly, I started to dig into the roots of systemic oppression to understand why.
I was so anxious for change when I returned from D.C.; I couldn’t possibly just sit around with a fresh new perspective! It just so happened that Catalyst was hiring a fourth and final member for it’s new, student-led executive board. I leaped on the opportunity, and was thankfully chosen to take on fundraising and budgeting. Over two years later, I still continue to work in this role. From this perspective, I started to understand all of the logistical work that goes into doing good; finding and maintaining donors, building partnerships with other organizations, volunteer recruitment, effective training for participants and leaders, and more. This student worker position really opened my eyes in understanding that there is a lot of hard work that goes into organizing and doing social justice work; more specifically, I realized that it was challenging, could be 100 miles a minute, and I could truly make a career. In tangent with this, and through my position as a trip leader in the program, I started to dig deeper into understanding inequitable institutions, and specifically my target and agent identities within them.
At this point, nearing the end, my passion for my job had convinced me to pursue a major in Social Justice. Initially, I had no idea how I would narrow my focus. I enrolled in most of my general classes, hoping that something would jump out to me… but nothing entirely enthralled me. Nearing the end of my sophomore year, still searching for a hook, I enrolled in a class titled Living in a Rape Culture: What Do We Do?. Through analyzing harmful structures that oppress women and lead to intimate partner violence, and by training to become a sexual assault advocate (as required for the course), I discovered that I could make a career out of a topic I was truly passionate about. Sexual violence has touched many aspects of my life, even before this class, but has always seemed like something that did not have much direct action. After this course, I decided that this was a career and concentration that I am truly passionate about.
Upon having such a positive experience with my first women’s studies class, I chose to take another about women’s role in social change throughout history. This class reminded me how much I love to pour through history, especially when looking at primary sources that may show a different (and more accurate and inclusive) point of view than what public education has taught. Through my studies, I have learned to understand that education is an inequitable system in our society, both in allocation of resources and the history told. I decided to add a component of historical analysis to my focus in hopes of bringing the people’s narrative above the master’s.
After graduation, I hope to get my foot in the door at a local nonprofit working against sexual violence or domestic violence. After gaining some professional experience, I plan to go back to school to get a higher degree either in business or social work. In the long run, I really just want to spend my time and energy working towards an equitable society and fighting injustice wherever I can.
I was so anxious for change when I returned from D.C.; I couldn’t possibly just sit around with a fresh new perspective! It just so happened that Catalyst was hiring a fourth and final member for it’s new, student-led executive board. I leaped on the opportunity, and was thankfully chosen to take on fundraising and budgeting. Over two years later, I still continue to work in this role. From this perspective, I started to understand all of the logistical work that goes into doing good; finding and maintaining donors, building partnerships with other organizations, volunteer recruitment, effective training for participants and leaders, and more. This student worker position really opened my eyes in understanding that there is a lot of hard work that goes into organizing and doing social justice work; more specifically, I realized that it was challenging, could be 100 miles a minute, and I could truly make a career. In tangent with this, and through my position as a trip leader in the program, I started to dig deeper into understanding inequitable institutions, and specifically my target and agent identities within them.
At this point, nearing the end, my passion for my job had convinced me to pursue a major in Social Justice. Initially, I had no idea how I would narrow my focus. I enrolled in most of my general classes, hoping that something would jump out to me… but nothing entirely enthralled me. Nearing the end of my sophomore year, still searching for a hook, I enrolled in a class titled Living in a Rape Culture: What Do We Do?. Through analyzing harmful structures that oppress women and lead to intimate partner violence, and by training to become a sexual assault advocate (as required for the course), I discovered that I could make a career out of a topic I was truly passionate about. Sexual violence has touched many aspects of my life, even before this class, but has always seemed like something that did not have much direct action. After this course, I decided that this was a career and concentration that I am truly passionate about.
Upon having such a positive experience with my first women’s studies class, I chose to take another about women’s role in social change throughout history. This class reminded me how much I love to pour through history, especially when looking at primary sources that may show a different (and more accurate and inclusive) point of view than what public education has taught. Through my studies, I have learned to understand that education is an inequitable system in our society, both in allocation of resources and the history told. I decided to add a component of historical analysis to my focus in hopes of bringing the people’s narrative above the master’s.
After graduation, I hope to get my foot in the door at a local nonprofit working against sexual violence or domestic violence. After gaining some professional experience, I plan to go back to school to get a higher degree either in business or social work. In the long run, I really just want to spend my time and energy working towards an equitable society and fighting injustice wherever I can.