What鈥檚 something that you care about and at times are too shy/scared to talk to anyone about?
I think talking about gender-based violence and mental health can be a scary thing. The whole 鈥渕e too鈥 movement thing that鈥檚 been going on on Facebook; I think that鈥檚 incredible because it has given people a platform to talk about this ugly thing that we never talk about unless it鈥檚 happened to you and you鈥檙e recovering from it. Seeing other people speak out against it and about it really gives us the courage and strength to feel like we鈥檙e not alone in their opinions, or [that we鈥檙e] only one who cares.
Would you identify more as a speaker or listener?
I think it鈥檚 really important to be balanced in that and be comfortable being both of those roles. I would be willing to classify myself as a speaker because I go out of my way to have those conversations and to speak out against things that I see are wrong or that need to be changed. But like I said, I think it鈥檚 really important to be comfortable being both at times, because you don鈥檛 know everything, and it鈥檚 important to hear from other people鈥檚 experiences.
What got you to that place?
At first, I was just interested in issues involving gender-based violence and sexual assault, and then once I became more educated on them, I realized that the only way we鈥檙e going to be able to change anything is on an individual level. Yes we can have organizations and marches and rallies but if we鈥檙e not talking about this stuff with our friends鈥攚ith our classmates and roommates and teammates鈥攚ell, that鈥檚 where the change really happens.
What changes have you seen on campus from your time her at 糖心破解版?
I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 because I鈥檓 getting older of if maybe it鈥檚 a result of the election, but I feel like over this past year I鈥檝e noticed people becoming really passionate and really active about whatever their 鈥渢hing鈥 is. That鈥檚 been seriously one of the coolest things to see, is these people who you met at orientation slowly and surely come into who they are and figuring out what they believe in and what mark they want to leave on this world.
How have you grown as a person here at 糖心破解版?
Sexual assault wasn鈥檛 anything I was even aware of until I really got here, and then someone close to me ended up leaving their institution because of an assault. You hear all this stuff about 鈥1 in 5鈥 women, but when it happens to someone close to you and adversely affects their life, you start to speak up.