Editor’s note: This March, scarves are connecting about 100 University of Dayton women across campus. Each woman will spend a day with the scarf before meeting another woman and sharing the scarf with her. After this exchange, each woman will reflect on her experience with with the scarf. This post is the ninth of the series.
The day I wore the scarf was March 8, which also happened to be International Women’s Day and Day Without Women strike.
On this day, I had two great opportunities. As part of Leadership UD I was afforded the opportunity to listen to Deans Kevin Kelly (School of Education and Health Sciences) and Andy Strauss (School of Law) as they shared thoughts about the role of the Dean and future developments. Being staff, rather than faculty, this experience allowed me to better understand operations of academia and the pressures that are present for the deans.
Later in the evening, I met with the students I will be travelling with to Zambia this summer as part of UD’s Center for Social Concern. We had the chance to talk with participants who went on the trip last year. It was great to share that fellowship and know that we will have a further connection with them once we complete our trip to Zambia.
In the course we are taking to ready the students for such an immersion, we have talked about cultural difference, white privilege and white savior complex. It is powerful information and so very humbling.
While wearing the scarf, I could not help but wonder what the scarf had seen with the other women who wore it prior to me. I smelled the scarf and took in all the fragrances. I felt the texture of the scarf and wondered if the people before me had done the same. I took in the beautiful pattern and colors. The scarf is so beautiful in fact, five people complimented me.
While wearing the scarf, I was very cognizant of what being a woman means. Women bring so much to the workplace, to our families and to the community. Women have a huge impact– how we support each other and build each other up in my department of athletics. It is important for us to have representation at all levels of our life, whether it be in our work, government or home.
When I made my first exchange, I got to meet with Yvonne Sun, a professor in Biology. It was so refreshing to have a conversation with her and learn about an area in which I was not that familiar.
-Krystal Warren
Voices Raised 