Sarah Washington ’19

What made you major in sociology? What are the best parts of it? What do you hope to do with your major?

I took my first sociology class back when I was still in high school, and it really inspired me to take a more critical look at the structure of modern society, especially built-in systemic oppression. However, when I first got to Mount Holyoke, I never intended to be a sociology major. I took Intro to Sociology with Professor Tim Malacarne simply to fulfill my Social Science requirement. But once I took that class, I felt like I was finally given the tools to be able to look at injustice and inequality and have productive conversations about those topics. From that point on, I decided to become a sociology major. The best parts of being a sociology major is that I’m exposed to so many different viewpoints on how and why society functions the way that it does, how things worked in the past, and how everything might change in the future. As weird as it might sound, it makes me feel more like a citizen rather than a passive observer of society’s shortcomings and successes. As for what I want to do with my major, I haven’t quite decided yet. I’ve considered the possibility of working for a non-profit or getting into social work.

What are you passionate about?

A lot of things! Activism is probably my greatest passion. I really believe that even the smallest voice has the potential to enact change, and that our generation is capable of dismantling systems of oppression that have held us back for decades. I’m also really passionate about education, and not in the classist sense that everyone needs to go to college (since not everyone can afford to go and you can be successful without going to college); I mean education in the sense that everyone should have access to information. I’m against elitism in academia, and I really wish a lot of the information we do learn in school was easily accessible for people who can’t or don’t want to go to college. Free exchange of information and ideas, both online and offline, shouldn’t be such a struggle. That’s part of the reason why I write: I want to share the ideas that I’ve learned in a way that’s accessible to as many people as possible.

What do you love about being on the Her Campus Team? What compelled you to join and why are you still here?

Everything! Being on the Her Campus team has really helped me find my voice, and helped me rediscover my love of writing. Everyone on the team is so fantastic, too; we all support one another. It feels less like a club/org and more like a group of friends just hanging out and writing amazing articles and planning events. It’s a super welcoming environment. I felt compelled to join during my second semester of my first year. I had seen a post about it on Facebook, and figured it would be a fun org to join since I’ve always liked writing and PR. I’ve stayed with Her Campus because, like I said, everyone on the team is great, and I have a lot of fun writing up articles.

What else are you involved with on campus?

I’m also a contributing writer for Mount Holyoke News! I’m not as active on campus as I would like, but hopefully I can change that soon!

Tell me about your religion. What drew you to that religion? What are your favorite aspects of it?

I’m a Hellenic Polytheist. Essentially, that means that I worship the Greek gods (like Zeus, Aphrodite, etc). However, I’m not a “reconstructionist,” meaning that I don’t worship the gods exactly like they did in Ancient Greece, though I do take inspiration from ancient rituals and incorporate them into my own worship. I felt drawn to the religion because I’ve always been a very spiritual person, but I never felt particularly drawn to more common religions. I was a bit of a Greek mythology nerd when I was younger, so when I discovered that other people still worshiped those gods, it really felt like the right religion for me to look into. One of my favorite aspects of my religion is the concept of Arætí, or Virtue. Essentially, it teaches that you should exemplify the Four Classical Virtues: Courage, Moderation, Justice, and Wisdom. Also, it implies that you should give your best in everything you do. For example, if you have a particular skill, you should continue to cultivate that skill until you become the best that you possibly can be. You should never give lackluster effort. I find that concept to be pretty empowering and inspiring. Also, worshiping the gods has brought me so much happiness. I primarily worship Persephone Praxidike, Queen of the Underworld and the aspect of Persephone that deals with Justice. Worshiping her really helps me to empower myself, and it empowers my activism.

What do you like to do in your spare time and why?

I really love writing in my spare time. I write everything from blog articles to poetry to prose. I guess I’ve always had a lot to say about things, but my speaking skills were never very strong, so I’ve turned to writing to express myself. And it’s just a lot of fun. I also make little crafts, like needlefelted animals and clay figures. Needlefelt is a craft where you take a special barbed needle and poke at wool until the fibers are compressed into a shape that you like. Playing around with clay and needlefelt always helps to calm me down and relax. Plus I really like having a physical object to represent my efforts. And they make pretty fun gifts for people!

If you would like to write for Her Campus Mount Holyoke, or if you have any questions or comments for us, please email mt-holyoke@hercampus.com.