Beginning the long road from Suffrage

Earlier last spring I was having issues deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I had been writing my senior capstone for some time and I was feeling really disconnected to it. My topic was about how religion adversely affected women's education in the Early Modern Period in England and Italy. I loved writing on women's history and learning about how hard it was and all the obstacles that the women had to face, but I felt so beat down by a system that has been so long ingrained into society.

I was speaking with my boss Le about everything one day, while working on stuff for my paper. He mentioned to me that I should sign up for this conference at PSU called New Leadership Oregon. It's all about women engaging in politics and public policy. I was very hesitant to do it, but I thought, what the heck. So I signed up right there, with Le standing over my shoulder. I filled out this application thinking, I am so not going to this. They won't ever accept me. I had been to leadership conferences before, numerous conferences actually--but I never really thought about engaging in public policy. It just wasn't my forte, but politics have always been a passion of mine, and so was working with my peers.

So I kept writing my paper and reading books and looking up articles last minute about women in the EMP. I finished my stinkin paper. I thought to myself, wow, I did this on my own. All 30 pages of that beast came from me. I was so proud. I turned it in, did my presentation, and then the email came that detailed my grade. I got a "C." I was so livid. For the amount of say my adviser had I couldn't believe I got that grade. I had SLAVED over that paper. I had worked so hard I thought, but I didn't really meet with my adviser, or let's say they wouldn't ever let me schedule a meeting.

So I blamed my adviser, I blamed myself, and I blamed the fates a little too.

ANYWAY . . . Two months had passed and I hadn't heard from NLO. Well, guess again Ashley, because I just remember that day so vividly. I came into my apartment, got my mail and had a huge envelope. It seemed pretty large for a rejection so I tore that puppy to bits, and of course it said CONGRATULATIONS in some seriously bold print. I cried. Because I didn't just get accepted, but they wanted me. NLO really wanted me to come to them, in Portland, are participate in something so diverse.

The first thing I did was call my mom. She is the one I call for everything, much like the Ghost Busters, because I always know she will answer and help me with my problems. So, I called her, cried and said, "finally, I feel like I have a purpose again." I'd been beat down by the man, the system, negative people, and petty ex-friends. I had actually believed that I deserved little and that's how I felt, really small. But NLO brought back some of my fire, it made me start believing in myself again. It made me feel like I was a person again.

So school ended, I walked in commencement and then I got strep. For a girl who doesn't have tonsils, I sure wanted to start off my post-grad with a bang. So I was nervous for NLO, but went anyway.

Two days and many antibiotics later, I was in Portland trying to find one freakin' building. I find it, leave my bags, and walked down to where the infamous NLO 2011 was going to commence. I finally showed up, to the conference, to my confidence, to my life.

I was back in action, being a force of change and loving it. NLO was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Something I will never forget. And it has to be asked, "Are you Dave?" I made some lasting connections, showed off my rockband skills, and ate a lot of froyo!

SO, what does this have to do with anything? Sunny Petit, literally the most amazing woman I know, second to my mom and aunt, gave me the most wonderful news when she said she had created a curriculum to teach women's suffrage history in Oregon. She is the kind of woman I aspire to be, the kind who won't stop fighting, who won't say no, and who is always doing something for someone else.

After many moons and 14 or so emails I had the Vision 2020 curriculum in my small, yet cute, little hands. I adapted it for my students and I am teaching it in exactly one week! I am so excited. My students may hate that it's content rich, very regimented, and structured. But they will learn from me, and hopefully I will inspire some girls in my classes to make a change for the better and get more involved in their community. Maybe it will help them say no to peer pressure or say yes to a community service opportunity, maybe they will be changed like me. Maybe they won't ever stop fighting for equity and become the first female President.

So until next time blog fans, keep it classy, brassy and a little sassy . . .