#mo316

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Creative Mentor Plenary

Overall, I really enjoyed today’s plenary and the way the mentors were able to make it resemble what’s going on in the media today, while putting an entertaining twist to it. Also, I appreciated how they incorporated the discussion on micro-aggression into their skit and allowed the audience to have a very interactive Q&A session. During the Q&A section, I was able to relate to a lot of the situations students were sharing. This also made me realize how cruel and close-minded many cultures, people, and especially society tends to be when confronted with things that don’t seem to fit the “norm.” But why? Who truly gets to decide what is wrong or right, what is masculine or feminine, etc.? We need to be the generation that is fully committed and open to changing the norms of society.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Intersex Documentary

I have to say that the intersex plenary may have been my favorite yet. Although we did not have a guest speaker for this plenary, I feel as if I learned a great deal about a specific group of people that I have never thought about before. This documentary ultimately changed my overall perception of intersex individuals. First, I did not realize how common it truly is to encounter an individual that is intersex. Second, this documentary has educated me on how various types of intersex individuals have grown up with or without surgical reconstruction. From these perspectives, I now have a better grasp on how to understand and handle a situation in where I perhaps become a mother to an intersex child. Before the documentary I thought surgical procedures were what intersex babies NEEDED, but now I know that that’s actually what society NEEDS.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Bobby Ridgely (Plenary 3)

Initially going into today’s plenary, I thought it was going to be a more strict/conservative atmosphere since we our guest speaker is a female mechanical engineer with exceptional status in her company. However, once Bobby started pouring out her story to us, I realized that she is a normal human being like the rest of us. She sat in the same position as a student, went through the same problems we go through, and even doubted herself and future career. I did not expect to relate so closely with her, but Bobby is living proof that even when you think you are not capable of becoming something...you can instead become that and SO much more! During her talk, the statement that stood out to me the most was when she talks about what her daughter likes most about her, and that was how Bobby does not act/think like a woman. Instead she just sees everyone as equal. I think this is a reoccurring obstacle that many women find hard to overcome especially in the work field. For example, when in a group of all men, women tend to think their opinions do not matter and that what they have to say is irrelevant and not accurate. Therefore, as I progress in my life, career, and being I want to always remember that being a woman is not a hindrance to what you can become and achieve.

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Religion Plenary

Speaking as a Christian, myself, I could not help but relate to what Dr. Traci West and other student’s were saying about believing in a given religion, but also disagreeing with some of the things these religions stand for. I found it extremely compelling to hear different perspectives from such knowledgeable women in the areas of their religion. This plenary gave me the opportunity to relate and compare religions to one another, and ultimately see that I’m not alone where I stand in for my beliefs...even if they “contradict” concepts expressed in Christianity.