So I’ve been feeling very strong feelings and forming lots of opinions this week. Nothing very different from the usual but I’ve had a particularly busy couple of weeks. This sounds kind of silly but I’ve recently realized how much it helps to just sit back and take a moment to reflect on the experiences and thoughts we have on a daily basis, especially at a place like Wellesley.
Today I went to a lecture by a professor from East Asian Languages & Cultures Department who teaches Japan-related courses. The talk was titled Travels Between English and Japanese: Confessions of a Restless Translator. I enjoyed this talk more than I’d expected to – maybe I was in the right mood, maybe it was about the right topic (Emily Brontë), but I was in to it. I asked a bunch of questions, felt really engaged and interested in other students’ comments as well as the professor’s.
After the talk, a student I’d lent a pencil to turned to me and said: “Hey thanks for the pencil. By the way, you had great questions – don’t apologize for asking them.”
I was a little taken a back at first because I honestly didn’t think she was talking to me for a second. I hadn’t noticed that I’d started every one of my four questions with “I’m sorry but…” I’d always thought of myself as someone who is aware of this kind of behavior – behavior that is sexist and also so embedded in to our culture – that I never thought I would be subject to these acts of self-oppression.
Moments like these are when I notice that Wellesley helps me realize my own hypocrisies, my own flaws, my own issues, as well as others’.
I’ve also been working very closely with my friend and current College Government Vice President, Charlotte, with her campaign. I think regardless of the results of the election (which come out in an hour!) we’ll have a competent and hardworking group of students representing us. It’s been so great working with Char and our other friends, and getting excited about the potential of this school and it’s student leaders.
Moments like these are when I realize that Wellesley helps me recognize my own strengths, my own willingness to learn, my own ability to collaborate, as well as others’.
The people I have met at Wellesley – friends, professors, peers – have also given me the courage to speak up, but speak up with substance. I seek to be able to back up everything I say, and support my arguments. That’s something I didn’t value as much as a high school student, so eager to have my voice, a girl’s voice, be heard in the classroom. clearly this is just one person’s experience of Wellesley and I can’t say we all see things the same way. But I have gained a lot from this place already and I can’t imagine having gone anywhere else.