#crc180

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Last Plenary

The plenary coordinated by the Voorhees mentors was really interesting. Although the roles of the presidential candidates were exaggerated, they touched upon very difficult issues and it displayed how each candidate felt towards those issues. It made me really think about what is important to me and who I want to see as my next president. I also liked how they talked about the micro-aggressions mentioned during the debates. I was very surprised to see how many people have experienced micro-aggressions in their everyday life. It also opened my eyes to some situations that i might have overlooked. I think it is extremely important to address any person that makes such comments because if we want to make a permanent change in our society we must start with the people around us.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Plenary #4 Intersexion

I really enjoyed this film I had no idea that 1 in 2000 people were born Intersex, that is a lot of people and yet we hear so little about it. I also didn't know how complex this topic was. The film discussed how many of these individuals had to go through multiple surgeries as children in order to look either male or female. I can imagine how hard it must be for a parent to have to make such a decision. They believe that those surgeries will allow their child to live a normal life but In reality when those children grow up they find themselves lost and confused. They sometimes identify more with the opposite sex so later in life they switch their appearance or they must live with complications like not being able to have sex. I would have assumed that anyone born Intersex would have preferred to have surgery at an earlier age. In fact most would have liked to be left the way they were born so they could make their own choices later on. The main lesson I took from this film was how desperately we need to stop trying to place people into female or male categories only. 

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Plenary #3

Bobbie Ridgely's talk about how she became the executive director of a nonprofit organization was fantastic! I wasn't sure If i would enjoy this plenary because I have no interest in engineering but on the contrary her talk was very inspirational. She talked about her struggles during her first year in college and even though the odds were against her she decided to stick with mechanical engineering. She has been in management positions where she was in charge of men in which some were older than her. This is amazing since it is hard for women to reach such positions. She mentioned that many times she had no idea what she was doing but she had confidence in herself and wasn't afraid to ask questions. I think we can all learn from that to advance in our careers. She is truly a very inspirational woman. As a women in STEM I always fear what will happen in the future if I can't find a job or If I get stuck in a job I don't enjoy. Bobbie Ridgely's story about starting as a mechanical engineer and ending up with a job at a nonprofit organization gave me hope that eventually If i keep all doors open the will get to do what touches my soul. I hope to develop her confidence and find life full of opportunities.