Darby Holman
University of Cincinnati
WILL
WHAT?
This year I had the opportunity to take part in WILL, which stands for Women In Learning and Leadership. We met on Mondays throughout each semester and had different discussions pertaining to social issues. We had varied formats of meetings, some being mindfulness, some having guest speakers, some being film series, and others being group based work. The objective of the program is to not only gather a close knit, intersectional, hardworking group of women but to facilitate our growth as global citizen scholars on and off campus.
SO WHAT?
I learned an immense amount in what seems like a short time at WILL. This experience has allowed me to see where I am lacking in knowledge and to shift my understanding of the world and its social issues. Just like with discussions on race, I see myself as having a very white frame of mind which I need to break out of. When looking at worldly conflicts, I need to adjust my westernized views to better understand the societal and historical contexts. This experience was overall just enlightening, especially having a small group to have open and honest discussions in. By seeing the views of people who have different experiences than I do, I got a new perspective on issues which was much needed.
NOW WHAT?
When looking at my future, I would like to work in the realm of women's health while also pursing a masters in public health to address the socioeconomic differences in health care. As the climate crisis worsens, we will see a great difference in the ways that healthcare is distributed against class, race, and sex. There is great research to be done in the intersection of environmental health and women's health and I hope to be at the forefront of this research, navigating the discussion of political and social issues along the way.