This is my best friend and I upon graduation from our undergraduate institution.

Oh, and carrying a caricatured cardboard cutout of our fearless college president. One of the youngest women to ever hold that title, she exhibits caring and respect for the students she serves. This is how I want to live my professional life and why a cardboard cutout graces the very front page of this display. I try to emulate her enthusiasm for education, her dedication to female empowerment, and her respect for the students she serves.

Nestled in the conservative upstate of South Carolina, my undergraduate institution seemed to be an oasis in a desert; it was there that I experienced true diversity--and true support--in a larger community where everyone looked and believed in the same way.

Throughout this site, you will find references to women's colleges and to my own women's college education. It was in this environment that my first foray into social justice work came about, and why I believe I had the courage to pursue a graduate degree in Higher Education. 

While many colleges could stand to be a little more creative in the development of their core curriculum, I believe my undergrad did it well. Because of the variety of classes I had to take, and the number of extracurricular opportunities I had, I developed passions and interests outside of my original major, and the work of many of my classes remains with me today, in the form of love, care, compassion, justice, equity, and a critical eye.