What I've Learned Part 3 WAHOOO

I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR.

My deep and profound thoughts this week are dealing with gender. In my honors class Literature and Civilizations, we are currently focusing on genders. What makes guys different than girls? Why do girls communicate differently? And so forth. While reading two different books, one by Nora Ephron and one by Dave Berry, I found myself getting beyond angry. At one point I nearly threw one of the books across the room. Luckily for everyone around me at the Jiffy Lube, where I sat for thirty minutes to get my car's oil changed, I restrained. Needless to say, I disapprove of stereotypes based on gender. I don't agree with thoughts that men can do anything different than women nor that women can do anything different than men.

Equality. Equality in sex, race, religious views, etc. All of these matter to me, and should matter to everyone. It is not fair to lump women and men into different categories. Yes, they communicate differently, but they are not a different species. Anyways, I'm done with my rant.

My learning experience is dealing with women. I am a woman and I am proud to be one.  As a member of Alpha Chi Omega, our philanthropy is Domestic Violence Awareness. We work directly with the Women's Center here in Fort Worth and donate $45,000 every year to support domestic violence awareness. We are very passionate about what we do to help women and children and I believe that we help women every day.

Recently my sorority decided to have a school wide philanthropy event and I decided to take control of it and be the head coordinator. The event was called Break the Silence, and was a battle of the decades with fraternities and sororities around the school. I had about a month to plan this in addition to the crazy school and work load I already had. Needless to say, I was beyond stressed. The event came and went and I was incredibly pleased with the results. Many people showed up to fill the auditorium and in total we raised just under $1000 for the Women's Center! The event showed me not only what a strong leader I am capable of being, but also how proud I am of my sorority and our philanthropy. We serve women and children all year long and have donated over $500,000 to the women's center. Our chapter here at TCU is in the top 2% of money raising sororities and fraternities in the nation! Leading this event showed me how important what we do is.

Many women are beaten or raped in this country and 80% of rapists never see a day in jail. It is downright wrong. It's so difficult to see women torn down to the ground that don't think they will ever be able to rise up from their ashes. The Women's Center here has literacy programs and computer classes to teach women to learn new skills that will allow them to move up in their lives. They pick up their pain and move on. It is incredible to see a women torn by pain and distress pick herself up off the ground and keep moving and providing for her family. They are strong. They are beautiful. They are worthy. They are women.

In the past couple of weeks, working so hard on my event and learning a lot more about women in general in class and with the Women's Center, I have come to the realization that I LOVE being a woman. I am proud of it every single day. I am not a feminist, I believe men and women equally contribute to society and both are necessary in a functional society. However, I do love being a woman and I am very proud of women in history who have put a name for themselves and for future women, like me to be able to vote, own land, and work. 

This is a concept my mother has engrained in me since I was a small child. It is important for women to work hard and understand the fundamentals of living alone and providing for oneself. Independence is key for every person on this earth. One will get burned if he/she puts faith into other people all the time. One must work for what he/she wants in life and cannot count on anyone else to help. I have put my faith in myself and in few others, and I can count on myself time and time again. I know I will never betray me. I know if I set my mind to something, I will do it. I am a fighter. I am a woman. I believe all women and men alike should be the same.