The Student Experience

Anna Marston, 2022

"While I could go on forever about how much I have loved my time in will, there are two experiences that really stick out to me as I reflect as I graduate soon. First, the class, Gender and Work, was honestly my favorite class I have taken at Richmond; Dr. Ooten fostered such an amazing community within the class and really opened my eyes to inequity in the workplace, government, and in society. I wrote my final policy brief on the barriers that survivors of domestic violence face in the welfare system, after reading the book 'Flat Broke with Children' sparked a passion in me. I can truly say I learned the most in this class and I credit much of my passions and desires to change the world to Gender and Work. Second, I absolutely loved writing my op-ed for the will Colloquium: Gender, Race, and Activism course. This class really pulled together the importance of bridging theory to praxis, and in doing so I wrote an opinion-editorial piece called, 'Stop Denying the Connection Between Single Motherhood and Poverty.' Drs. Ooten and Blake pushed me to get this op-ed piece published, which I later did so in a local newspaper, Style Weekly. My writing and activism skills were sharpened through this project, and I loved sharing what I learned about the gender pay and wealthy gaps to the world in the form of an op-ed. These experiences from will are among the most valuable I've had in college, and I am so grateful to be going into the world as a young professional with social justice and feminism at the root of everything I do."