Praxis & FemInist Engagement
Praxis is theory and action put into practice to transform the future. We can easily engage in feminist theory inside our discussions because feminist articles are grounded in academia and discuss current events that impact out lives. It's important to be able to use those skills in the classroom but also in the outside world where we have to have conversations with people who may not necessarily be on the same page as us. In this way, feminism is something we have to use in our everyday lives, even if we are aware of it or not. In this section, the projects show my feminism in my everyday life.
Seeing Is Being Zine
Dec 7, 2020
May 4, 2022
Spring and Summer of 2022
Fall 2022
Dec 1, 2019
Dec 7, 2020
This is my Intro to Queer Studies capstone project, a personal zine that reflects the course's themes and concepts in a way that is expressive and creative. Zines are DIY Publications that were most popular in the 1980s-90s, but continue to be popular, especially in the art community. Looking back, my artwork is...less than ideal, but I appreciate them nonetheless. In this project, we had to incorporate vocabulary we learned in class in our zines. I chose to focus on shows and movies because everyone consumes media.
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This project is great example of praxis because applying what you have learned to the real world is half the battle. I was able to critically look at different media, and format it in away that is easy enough for someone to flip through briefly.
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Study Abroad experience
Fall 2022
My study abroad experience was so life changing! I was able to discover more about myself and the world around me. From August to December, I was able to live in Madrid Spain and visit other countries and cities like Paris, Bologna, and Ibiza.
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Something that I was really nervous before going was potential racism. I had seen other WOC's experiences on TikTok and Instagram and it made me nervous because from them, it seemed that it wasn't overt racism but more backhanded and more microagressions. When I went, it people were definitely a little more outspoken. For instance, I was going home just after riding on the Bus from hanging out with my friends and this older man came up to me and stood super close (Like dude, personal space.) He called me something like 'exotic Chinese girl' and when I tried explaining I was Vietnamese, he kept saying no. I feel like other than fetishization for being Asian, it wasn't too bad in comparison to other types of racialization.
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An aspect I really enjoyed, however, was being able to walk alone at night and feel safe for the majority of the time. Of course, there were some parts of town that didn't feel safe, but I rarely felt that I would have had an encounter with someone unsavory. In the U.S., I would never think to walk alone at night without another person. I wish that it was like that here. In addition, it was interesting to see other women's feminisms (Transnational!! Woot Woot!).
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This experience has shown me how capable and independent I am, and I'm so very grateful that I got a chance to go. I loved discovering new places, creating stronger bonds, and just living a life that was different than my own.
SOCI 301: Signature Assignment
May 4, 2022
In this project, I was able to use skills from WGS and apply it to a real world study in another class. This is a great example of feminist engagement because I had to support that CRT is necessary and needed for a child's education, and that the banning of such studies is detrimental. In the study, I chose to focus on what ethnicity of parents attend school board meetings and use this to guide my research in that since Black parents go to board meetings, this shows that they care about their children's education and what is being taught to them. This is important because it shows their want for CRT in schools. Engaging as a feminist to look at real world data and studies is important to show that people actually care about life being alive and not just livable.
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I think it was helpful to see actual data as well, just to see the numerical scale in what people go through and want for their children and their livelihoods.
Internship Work
May 16, 2022
Due to Covid, I was unable to have a real on-site, in-person internship. Instead, I chose to research on what I thought I wanted to do with my career (HR) and join an online internship at TurnUp Activism in the summer.
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At the time, I was really set on HR as a career. I think it still interests me, but I am finding it harder and harder to see how a company's values will align with me. One thing I've learned from doing self research is it really matters what company you fit with both morally and career wise.
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Sometimes I find it hard to research on topics because there are so many different things, but with the TurnUp internship, they gave us weekly tasks. I appreciated this structure. At the end of the week, we would make infographics to present at team meetings and share in the group chat so others in different groups could see what we were working on. Being a part of this summer internship was rewarding because it better helped me condense information to be easily readable and understandable by the public.
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Being able to educate others who may not have the same knowledge is really important, especially to spark a conversation and make them even a little bit curious to learn more.
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Aug 22, 2022
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Impact of Volunteering
Dec 7, 2020
Volunteering with National Charity League and with my Mom had really been the catalyst for me in what I like to do. Being able to help so many different people in my community is really rewarding for me, and it has given me pathways to be able to understand others more. I feel this is a good piece to put in this section because it shows feminist engagement. I was engaging before I even put real words to my actions. I really think that everyone should volunteer or at least get involved in your community on a regular basis.
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When I was giving this presentation, I was actually quite surprised when I asked the class how many people volunteered. It was a lot, and it definitely made me hopeful for a better future because I could see how much my peers cared.