Sandy Krogulski '09

"More socially, culturally and politically aware, I understand that every day is history in the making"
 

"My Gender and Women’s Studies classes engage my life outside the classroom. What I have learned affects my everyday life. It has been a very transformative experience. I learned to ask the hard questions. No longer do I read newspapers or scholarly articles and accept it as fact. Now, I look for the deeper meaning. I have faith in my ability to discern the author’s argument, but I trust my own opinion and ability to develop it.

The GWS curriculum has prepared me to confidently discuss a variety of topics, but it has also provided me with an education that goes beyond the books. More socially, culturally and politically aware, I understand that every day is history in the making. Through this program of study, I have also come to recognize how gender manifests itself in my life, aside from the obvious. My gender does affect how I think, how I read the newspaper, and how I understand the world." (from her ECS award speech)

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Amanda Wendlinger '08

"I never completed a women’s studies course unchanged"
 

"Education needs to transcend the classroom walls. It not only needs to shape your views, but alter the way you live your life. It is safe for me to say that only my women’s studies classes have provided me with knowledge and wisdom that affected the way I lead my life day to day. These classes create this new lens for you to observe the world around you. Some of the lenses slightly shift what you see, some turn your world upside down, and some just allow you to see a picture more clearly. I never completed a women’s studies course at this school unchanged." (from her ECS award speech)

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Kelley Rainey '08

"By using gender as a lens, I was able to construct a more comprehensive view..."
 

"What began as a mandatory diversity requirement flourished into a minor and also into a determination that I did not know I had inside of me.  By using gender as a lens, I was able to construct a more comprehensive view of academics.  The missing links that had gone unexamined before suddenly had answers; real answers that were often overlooked, forgotten, or dismissed.  I now had the opportunity to read and discuss, or in my favorite case, debate, what was usually glossed over.  I leave Villanova University with more than fond memories of Women’s Studies.  I leave with confidence in myself.  I recognize that as a woman I do have a place in the world." (from a survey of Women's Studies minors)

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Lynette Moore '04

"More than any other minor, Women’s Studies has impacted our lives"
 

"[...] this program has forced us to look, and look hard, at our lives. We can no longer sit in class and talk about feminist theories, only to turn off that switch when we step outside of class. More than any other minor, I believe, Women’s Studies has impacted our lives – we are changed and challenged on a daily basis, and not just in the classroom.” (from her ECS award speech)

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Kate Mottola '06

"It is so much more than a mere field of study"
 

Four years ago I stepped into an institution being very unsure of myself and afraid of what lay ahead. Today I am still nervous about what the future holds, but I am confident in myself and my identity to not only fight battles, but to also pursue and defend my beliefs. Women ’s studies has opened my eyes as well as my heart to possibilities of different schools of thought and action. It has helped me to further understand myself and relationships to others. It is so much more than a mere field of study, it is my constant companion, challenging me at every turn and supporting me through the many confrontations of adversity. My passion for this subject runs deeper than a simple enjoyment of its contents; it’s more connected to my survival as a strong woman, feminist, and advocate of change in society today and for generations to come." (from her ECS award speech)

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