Ava Kerns

Professor Huebner

February 13th, 2024

Capstone Assignment – Short Essay

When I first started here at West Chester University, I did not have any major goals or

accomplishments that I wanted to concur. “Just get the piece of paper” is what my dad would

always say whenever I expressed my reluctance about going college since I had no clue what I

was aspiring to be. This cycle of self-doubt, unknowingness and fear kept me from exploring my

skills and figuring out my goals – it also had a major impact on my GPA as well. Now that I am

older and graduation is just around the corner, my personal and professional goals have begun to

beautifully manifest themselves in ways that I’ve never really conceived before. Professionally, I

want to write. I don’t know what about, it can be Women’s and Gender Studies related or not, I

just want my voice to be out there in some capacity. The tentative plan as of right now is to

graduate, work, gain experience in whatever field or fields I choose, make connections, go to

grad school (later), and maybe one day become a professor like Dr. Huebner. As for personal my

goals, the only thing that comes to mind is an image of myself I have kept away in my brain. I

picture myself 5 years from now living alone (or with friends/a partner), sitting on a big love

seat, looking out the windows of my apartment or house – whatever I can afford – with a cat by

my side and my laptop in hand. The goal here isn’t to just provide for myself so I can afford to

have these things, but its more so that I want to achieve that feeling of peace and serenity. Once I

get there, once that picture becomes reality, I’ll be content.

Although my personal and professional goals have evolved over the last 4 years, it wasn’t

until I joined the Women’s and Gender Studies major that those goals finally solidified. It wasn’t
just my goals that changed, but my character changed for the better as well. I’ve learned so much

these last few years about social systems, social worlds, theory, proper analysis, and the

connection between gender, sexuality and dominant power structurers that determine our value

in the world. My ethical responsibilities as a global citizen – a word I’d never heard of until I

took WOS260 with Dr. Ruby – is another transformative aspect of my time here in the major. As

a person of privilege, it is my duty to protect and conserve the indigeneity of nature. This

includes making the connection between power systems, marginalization and systematic

oppression while understanding identity is inherently linked to value, and that value determines

the quality of life you are going to live. Being a global citizen means fighting tooth and nail for

all of those who are in positions of injustice and honoring the indigenous practices and beliefs of

those who have fallen victim to imperialism and consumer capitalism. Most importantly, being a

global citizen means recognizing your own poor contributions to the problem of globalism and in

turn, using your resources to uplift the voices and experiences of those who are silenced by the

majority.

The main challenge I’ve faced thus far in my academic career comes not from other

people, but from my own lack of confidence in myself and in my work. As I mentioned earlier,

my first two semesters at WCU were rough. Not because the workload was unmanageable, it

was, but I seriously lacked the ability to recognize my talents and contributions in my field of

study. I had no direction, and when you don’t know where you’re going, why bother trying

right? Wrong. I was using my ill-sense of direction as a backing, an excuse, for not trying harder.

It wasn’t until the tail end of my junior year that I realized ‘ok, maybe I’m not so bad at writing

after all’. In order to push past those thoughts of inadequacy, I challenged myself. I began

writing about more complex topics, theories and other worldly problems that move under the
radar. I switched modes as an academic from simply doing an assignment just to get the grade

but forcing myself to fully understanding the concept at hand. This has allowed me to grown not

just in my work, but as an individual as well.

My newly obtained skills and perspective come in the form of interdisciplinary analysis,

research, and understanding. Interdisciplinary thinking allows you to separate your own personal

experiences, values, beliefs, etc. and look at them from on objective point of view. It means

recognizing that your experiences are not universal and that people with a layered identity often

face multilayered issues. I am able to recognize the how and the where of certain societal

problems, who they harm, the ways in which they are being harmed, and how to properly take

action through activism, political policy, and non-violent resistance. The value of having an

interdisciplinary outlook on life makes it impossible for me to just look away when injustice is

being acted out. It forces me to take action, whether that action be in the form of writing,

research, or critical analysis; interdisciplinary perspectives breed new solutions that are

attainable, equitable, and accommodating for all.

The primary focus for me this semester revolves around women’s health research and the

lack of care, or urgency, in finding solutions for these problems. Women’s health is a mixture of

health science, physical science, and feminist studies with the main approaches being research

and policy production. This topic became an interest of mine this late summer/early fall, after a

number of findings surrounding women’s physical and mental health became public knowledge

for the first time. The reason why I want to explore this more deeply is due to the fact that

women’s health and the research of women’s health is not taken as seriously as it should be in

this day and age. It coincides with the core values of Women’s and Gender Studies and proves

that society is bound to a patriarchal lens that determines which issues are more important and
which issues deserve more attention. Research should never be one sided or bias, that is why I

am looking forward to exploring this issue further as the weeks progress on.