#ig167

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Plenary with Pam Fessler

This plenary was an interesting one yet I didn’t feel I gained much from it. Pam Fessler was a good speaker who talked about important issues in the journalism industry and I was intrigued to hear about the big change in the amount of female involvement in journalism through the years. I felt the plenary was geared mostly towards women interested in journalism though. I always like to leave with a strong message and call to action when I listen to plenaries and while Pam Fessler was a great speaker, I didn’t feel like I could do anything in my current position to really help the issue.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Plenary with Wendy Cai-Lee

Wendy Cai-Lee was an inspiring person to listen to. I enjoyed hearing her story about her origins and how that affected her decisions in her adult life. She was a very empowered woman and I loved seeing the passion with which she gave advice on how to succeed in the professional world as a woman. I also connected with her because she also has Asian origins and I understand the ideals that her family stems from. My favorite part of the her speech was when she said that everyone asked her “how do you do it?” but no one asked her husband “how do you do it?” I thought it was a striking remark because I had noticed that even in my experiences, people only ever ask that to women because somehow it’s surprising that they can juggle both work life and personal life yet it is completely normal for men to be able to handle both. Wendy Cai-Lee really helped get across the point that as a woman you have to work very hard to succeed and show people what you’re capable of.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Plenary with Lauren Rankin

I enjoyed this plenary very much because it was exactly what I was hoping for in a first plenary. It brought attention to an important issue and I completely agreed with everything Lauren Rankin had said. The only thing I had hoped for was that she would have spoken more about what we as college students can do to make a difference in abortion rights and Planned Parenthood funding. I felt like I understood the topic and took it in quickly because I come from a progressive town that is very familiar with sensitive topics like this but after hearing her speak, I felt like I wanted to hear more about what I could do now to help push the movement further. Even then, it was still pretty informative and I enjoyed Lauren Rankin’s presentation.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Douglass Career Conference

This was one of my favorite DRC events because of how wide-spread it was. The breakout sessions discussed many different important skills and topics relevant to anyone who wanted to be successful in the professional world. My favorite part of the event was the delicious and informative 4-course meal they served tying professionalism with dinner etiquette. It was surprising to see how specific some of the rules of dinner etiquette can get and how much of an impression they can create on the people you’re with in that environment. I also noticed that women have to work a little harder to assert their dominance and power in these settings because many of the customs of a professional dinner are from the past and a little archaic such as the idea that men are always the one to pay for the meal. This requires women to go out of their way to let the waiter know that they will be paying for the meal. It seems so silly yet so real that women have to make that effort to seem prim and proper but also powerful and strong. Overall, the sessions and the lunch were helpful in expanding my knowledge about the professional world and women’s role in it.