My name is Akanksha Ray. I am a feminist… but I’m not sure if the label is enough. I believe in gender equality… but I’m not entirely clear about what that looks like. This summer, as part of the Moxie program at Duke and as an intern at Legal Momentum, I’m excited to put my words to action and hope this action deepens my understanding of feminism at work today.

To imagine that I’ll be spending eight weeks in New York pouring over feminist literature and working on issues that embody the plight of feminism is scary, but strangely titillating. I don’t know if I’m qualified to do this work — in fact, I am pretty sure that I am not. But then, who ever starts out qualified?

The work that I’m doing excites me so much because it’s quite unique; as part of the National Judicial Education Program, I’ll be doing policy work within the legal system at Legal Momentum: the oldest advocacy group for women in the United States. Wow! It’s definitely nerve-wracking to think I’ll be working somewhere so important, but so exciting to think I’ll be surrounded by so much experience and knowledge.

Countless questions have been running through my mind about what my summer at Legal Momentum will be like: what exactly am I going to be doing? I know I’m working on a virtual curriculum that educates court professionals and advocates of domestic abuse victims on how to fight these cases fairly in court. But what does that mean? And how effective will I really be in this advocacy and curriculum development? It’s a less direct way to affect an issue, I think — which makes me nervous. Am I going to encounter situations where I feel uncomfortable? Or maybe I’ll feel too comfortable and won’t really be faced with enough opportunities for growth.

I am not sure what the answers to my questions are. But I do know that this summer will be a uniquely new experience. As I look forward to the next 8 weeks, I remember something my mom once said to me: “It scares me a lot, but the fear is what makes it so exciting.”

I am excited to come out with a more clearly molded concept of women’s empowerment– and how it applies to me.

I am eager to learn what it’s like to have a very regular office job– a very rewarding one.

I am ready to go forth on this stimulating, new journey– fear and all.