Moxie has officially ended and all I can think about it is how unique and truly challenging my DukeEngage experience was. I could not have asked for a better summer. The girls in my program had such different backgrounds and perspectives that it was guaranteed going into any discussion that you would hear an opinion different from your own. Being able to experience so many varying opinions within a positive and encouraging environment encouraged me to express myself, question others, and expand my perspectives.
Whether it was Shannan (our site coordinator) pushing me to think from a different perspective in our discussion dinners, Sai shouting the woes that come from living in a capitalist society, or Nicole (my supervisor at GGE) pushing to ensuring that GGE’s vision was reflected in all of my work, I was challenged on a daily basis during Moxie. Looking back at what I was feeling and thinking during week 1 I feel at week 8 that I am a changed woman! I feel like I have aged 15 years. I might have grown some grey hairs, had a couple of heart attacks, experienced multiple epiphanies, and also developed a completely new line of thinking and analyze the world. No big deal.
The difficult part now is going to be coming home and having to explain to everyone why I feel the way I do about certain issues. Before this program I didn’t like to discuss politics, religion, or really any topic that was fairly sensitive with people outside of my family but now I want to do that all the time. Thank you reflection dinners, reflection writing, reflection discussion, and reflection blog posts.
I have a new sense of pride and understanding when I hear words like: patriarchy, neoliberalism, capitalism, ageism, etc. because I now understand what those mean and feel educated enough on these topics to have a discussion about them.
This program was just the beginning of my feminist journey. I came to New York as a self-identified feminist struggling with fully comprehending the underlying topics of feminist theory and intersectionality. I am leaving as a self-identified feminist still struggling to fully comprehend the underlying topics of feminist theory and intersectionality but with a bit more understanding and knowledge. The best part of this program? The people I met. I have become friends with and worked with amazing people who I know I can look to whenever I do feel like having one of those heated discussions or just to question something I’ve seen or heard.
