heyo!

My name is Amanda Mailey and I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in women's studies and humanities. If all goes well this semester I will be graduating this summer (just need to finish my language requirement-ugh). After graduation I plan on moving to Philadelphia (phil-phil-philadelphia) with Jaime Frank. What we will do up there in undecided. I just feel like I need to move right after graduation before I get a job or too comfortable or chicken out. And I just want to live my life now and have fun and do what I want while I'm young. While I don't have a career in mind all I know is that I want continue on with my activism, cause as long as I have feminism and activism it won't really matter where I get my paychecks from.

I am really excited about this class. None of the previous women's studies courses that I have taken (expect for maybe a week in intro and two weeks in feminist theory) have dealt with global/transnational feminism. I look forward to the discussions we will have inside and outside of the classroom and our reading materials.

I don't have a lot of concrete ideas for what I will be doing for my service learning. With the crisis going on in Haiti I would really like to do something to help them. If anyone has any ideas for their service learning and needs any help, let me know.

oh hai....

My name is kathryn milholland. i am a fourth year at ucf. i am majoring in interdisciplinary studies on the women's studies track. my other area of study is behavioral and social sciences and i am also achieving a minor in african american studies. i don't really enjoy school all that much, although i do have a thing for critical theory on race, gender, and sexuality. i'm trying reeeel hard to get through my last couple of years and not complain too much though.

i enjoy crafting and diy culture. i like animals but not when i own them. i'm easily distracted, especially when it comes to doing stuff i don't want to do. i like being outside lots.

as for service learning, i initially wanted to do something with israeli and palestinian anarchists and the struggle in gaza. however, in recent light of what is happening in haiti i would really like to write a zine explaining the u.s's historical connection to haiti, because i feel not enough people understand why haiti is the way it is today. i will fully accept help/assistance and am more than willing to help/assist on anything that anyone else is doing.

:D

¡Hola!

Hi everyone! My name is Bianca. I'm a senior and I'm graduating this semester (please don't ask me what I'm doing after graduation). I'm majoring in journalism with a minor in women's studies.

I'm involved in the UCF chapter of the National Organization for Women, along with several journalism clubs. I'm an editor at the Central Florida Future and I work at the University Writing Center.

I've been working on planning a Sweatshop-Free Fashion Show for a while for NOW, and I'd like to use this project for my service learning. The idea is to feature items from certified sweatshop-free companies or vintage shops to help students find alternatives to buying from the many stores that use sweatshop labor. However, I can only commit to this if I have enough help. Unfortunately I'm extremely busy and I suck at planning stuff. So if anyone wants to help, let me know!

Before I go, I'd like to share two videos. First, Ill Doctrine, arguably the coolest videoblogger out there, on Haiti:





And if that doesn't move you to do something, then watch this:

HEY EVERYONE!!!!!!

My name is Kelly T. and I'm a senior at UCF but won't be graduating until 2010! I'm majoring in Molecular and Microbiology as well as Women's Studies. I'm applying to medical school this summer and I'm hoping that I don't chicken out like I did last summer... oops! I'm not sure what kind of doctor I want to be yet, I have all of medical school to decide that one, but I lean a lot towards work for the underserved or for women's health. Basically anywhere that's really messed up in the medical system that I feel like I could go in and cause a ruckus and change it... that's where I want to be!

For my service learning I'm going to be planning a large portion of NOW's 2nd annual Take Back the Night march/rally here at UCF. We planned one last year and it was very successful, I'm hoping that this year is even better. Along with Take Back the Night I'm trying to get involved in helping out with the Vagina Monologues and the V-Day campaign. If anyone else would want to do that as well just contact me and I'll help you get involved!

Here's to a great semester!

Intro- Heather Valmy

Hello everyone,

I am excited to take this class as Global Feminism is not something I have a lot of experience in and I think it rounds out my overall Women's Studies experience. I am Interdisciplinary major, my areas of study are Communications, Film and Women's Studies. My aspiration is to use these areas to make documentary films for and about gender issues, however I have a long way to go. I am graduating this semester and am looking to move to San Francisco this summer and possibly go to grad school after a short Hiatus. I love music (who doesn't), film (especially foreign ones), photography,naturopathy, comic books, and people watching (yes, that is a hobby).

I have been working with VOX for about a year now and I always love the work we do. Our focus is on reproductive health, justice and education which are issues that relate to people's gender and sexuality from just about anywhere in the world. I am not limited to just service with VOX, I too like the idea of Haiti relief. I also wanted propose some Diversity department trainings. Many of them deal with race, gender and sexuality which are subjects we will clearly touch on in the content of this class.

Introduction

Emily Vrotsos

Jaclyn Mallan-King

WST 4415

19 January 2010

Introduction

Hello all! My name is Emily Vrotsos, I am a sophomore English Lit major, minoring in Women's Studies and Creative Writing. I am from Ocala, Florida, about an hour and a half north of Orlando, but I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. My mom, dad, younger brother, and I moved down to Leesburg when I was 10 years old, and we then moved to Ocala the next year when I was 11. My favorite book is called The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene, and I wish I liked television a lot less than I do. I love it so much, I feel like a bit of a traitor to my major, like I am not a legitimate English major if I love watching cable. I have been on a year-round swim team since I was 10 years old, and I was really disappointed to find that not only is UCF without a swim team, it has since filled it in to expand the gym.

I really enjoy the idea for a fundraiser of some sort for Haiti. I think that would be a wonderful cause, and one of my other classes is considering doing a project for the same cause.

Last semester I worked with Animal Safehouse of Brevard. It is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to giving women a chance to leave homes ridden with domestic violence by giving them and their families peace of mind by providing good homes to foster their pets until they can be reunited. Recent studies have found that 40% of women in domestic violence situations will not leave to save themselves because they have nowhere to take their pets, as women's shelters do not permit animal companions. Oftentimes these animals are the only source of unconditional love and affection that these women experience, and they are at times refusing to part from them, worrying about what will happen to the animal(s) when they have fled. In the hopes of saving many lives by protecting their animals, Animal Safehouse fosters, feeds, and finds new homes (if needed) in order that all of the lives suffering from domestic violence may be improved. For my service learning project in Fall 2009, my group and I put on a showcase with five local bands that were willing to play for free. We did a music showcase out of one of my group partner's friends, and it was a huge success. We asked that people attending the show please make a donation of money, pet food, cat litter, etc. at the door. We ended up raising enough money that we could afford to send a basset hound out to Portland, Oregon to be reunited with it's relocated family. Animal Safehouse provides all of the transportation and care for the pet, no matter the monetary cost, and all foster homes are compensated, but because they do not have any government backing yet, they rely heavily on donations of money and time. If you are interested at all in a service project dedicated to this organization, I would love to work on something with you! If you just want to help this organization by becoming a foster, or help volunteering we could use all the help we can get, just ask me about it!

Helllooooo!

My name is Andrea Ayala and I'm a senior, but won't be graduating until Fall 2010. My major is Womyn's Studies, and my minors are Communications and Psychology. I have no idea what I plan on doing for my service learning, so if anyone has any ideas and would like to merge on a project, I would be more than willing :) I love having good conversation in class, especially in a Womyn's Studies class because I feel like you always learn more from one another as opposed to just hearing lecture or even just reading books on your own. Everyone's perspective is different, and we have all had different experiences, and that is what makes it so awesome. 

But I digress...

After I graduate, I plan on taking a month long hiatus and just going back home to Jacksonville and do nothing besides enjoy being 22 and a college graduate. Then, if all goes well, I want to move to New York and try to do something with survivors of domestic violence, or shape young minds. I don't know yet, but I figure that I have plenty of time to live my life. I intend on having multiple lives because I don't want to do the same job or be in the same place for like 30 years. 

Well, I guess that's it :)

.::Andrea::.

Intro- Lisa Phillips

Hey everyone, My name's Lisa Phillips and I'm a junior this year at UCF. I'm a social work major with a minor in women's studies. After I graduate I plan on going to grad school for community organizing or just abandon any notion of having a practical career and go to arts and crafts school. That being said, I like to consider myself the queen of crafting- which is the hobby that takes up a majority of my time along with reading, biking, and playing with my beautiful cat named lucifer who we call lucy for short. 

For my service learning I plan on working with YWLP and mentoring a middle school girl. However I'm not quite sure how I plan on linking this with global feminism quite yet. I'm very excited to be in this class this semester, the readings seem really good and I'm glad to be finally learning about non- western feminism.

Intro

Hello everyone, I'm Jennifer. I'm a Lit major with a minor in Women's Studies and another in Creative Writing. I'm really excited to be a part of this course, because as a feminist I think it's time I started to think globally. I'm looking forward to expanding my perspective and to partake in some hands on service learning. I'm not sure what I want to do for my project yet as most of my volunteer work has been sporadic and I haven't really focused on just one thing, so I'm open to suggestions. I'd like to join NOW & Amnesty, and will definitely look into that, and I'd also like to work on Haitian relief.

Personally I'm a literature geek and spend most of my time studying or writing my own work when I can. School keeps me pretty busy, so I don't have too much time for idle hobbies. When I do though, I love watching movies or going to shows. I'm a huge underground rap fan and I'm pretty sure I've lost the ability to walk without my mp3 on.

Intro Post

Hello everyone!
I'm Lindsey, 21 years old, senior in my final term at UCF. I'm a facilitator for the Young Women Leaders Program. I also intern at the Orange County History Center, which is awesome!

I'm interested in this class because it satisfies a Womens Studies requirement. It also goes nicely with my History/Anthro majors. I'm looking forward to working with someone on a service learning project. I enjoy working with others and helping people, so its right up my alley.

As for my personal life...well, I don't really have one outside of school/school work. I love going to shows (mostly metal) and writing my zine. I spend a lot of time hanging out with other History major dorks and debating. I buy CDs, shirts and vinyls at a sickening pace. I love metal fests. I also enjoy reading, writing, photography, Urbex, traveling, joyriding, and learning bass.

Intro-Kaleigh Rose

I am not too sure if this is going to work since it looks like our blog is currently empty. I am also not sure if we wanted to make one post for everyone to "comment" with their introductions on it or if we are all going to post individually.

Anyway... My name is Kaleigh Rose Thacker. I am twenty years old and I am in my final semester at UCF. I am an Interdisciplinary Studies major which consists of a women's studies minor, an education minor and an emphasis in Public Affairs.

I have previously done service learning with UCF Victim Services for another women's studies course but I think I might try something different this semester. Does anyone have any volunteering recommendations? (I did love my experience with Victim Services previously and Charlotte Hewkin is a great person to work with.)

"First and foremost, feminism simply means that women are the equals of men. A feminist is someone who supports this principle. Study after study tells us that the majority of people in the United States agree with this, but fewer and fewer want to identify with feminism. "Feminism has thus become a bad word, the f-word." -Megan Seely, Fight Like a Girl

I am a feminist and proud to be one.