Women’s History Month has come and gone in the blink of an eye, but while time marches on(get it?), we seek to remember all the women who have come before us, all who are present, and all who will be. In honor of the month, Her Campus Oswego teamed up with Vega, Oswego’s women’s honor society, to ask all people what made them most proud.
As the day passed by, I encountered people of all kinds, many of them hurrying along to their classes or avoiding eye contact with me. But many stayed to write on my board and give all of us an insight into what they valued most. What made them feel so proud.
Some were silly and goofy, claiming that they were proud of their cat, their “behind”, their wit, and much more. A common trend was that a few students wrote that they were proud that they “actually [went] to bed last night” and that they “[woke] up this morning!” One woman distinctly wrote that she was proud her “ability to overcome bullshit,” a sentiment I think many of us wish we had. And my own housemate scribbled that she was proud that she hadn’t “[failed] out yet!”
Many wrote about people in their life they were proud of. One young man wrote that he was proud of “[his] sisters.” A professor penned that she was proud of “[her] students.” One individual simply wrote, “Having good friends.”
A great deal of people wrote about their education and their high GPAs, their balancing of school and work, and the skills that they have learned in their years at Oswego. One boy adamantly wrote that he was just proud to “[be] a senior!!!”
Of course, we received many sobering reasons of pride as well. One woman wrote firmly that she was proud of “[her] education.” “Why wouldn’t you be proud of that?” I remember her saying to me, as we watched a crowd of students move by. One student penned that they were proud of “[their] intersectional feminism.” A profound young woman write is bold letters that she was proud of “[her] ethnicity.”
No matter who wrote on our board today, it was clear that they loved whatever it was that they wrote. Had you been there with me, you would have seen it in their eyes. Many laughed and smiled, unsure of what to write, but all found something within their lives. It was inspiring to see so many women and men, passionate and proud of themselves and others.
Though I could not write about all those who wrote, I have transcribed each of the quotes below. I truly hope you love reading them, just as much as I loved seeing them written. And if you, dear reader, have something you are proud of and want to help celebrate the very end of women’s history month, please write it in our comments. We would love to hear from you all!
Quotes:
“Actually going to bed last night”
“Staying on top of my school work”
“Failing out of yet”
“My GPA :)”
“My sisters :)”
“Waking up this morning”
“My cat”
“Finishing my project”
“My quick witt”
“My intersectional feminism”
“Sticking to my gym routine, losing 15 lbs., and completing my thesis”
“Crossing”
“My twerking skills :)”
“My behind”
“Realizing who I am”
“My daily challenges ‘I can’”
“Getting a summer internship”
“My wit”
“Balancing my responsibilities without losing it!”
“Raising my GPA to be on a good standing”
“My education”
“Knowing what to dress up as for UBcon (Imperial Officer)”
“My students”
“How far I’ve come”
“Having good friends”
“Being alive”
“Life & God being in it”
“My military experience”
“My ethnicity”
“Ability to easily pick up languages”
“Following my career”
“Jeff(myself)”
“Finding a reason to smile everyday :)”
“My positivity :)”
“My resilience :)”
“Having my period once a month :)”
“My growth as a person!”
“My ability to overcome bullshit”
“Being a senior!!!”
“Receiving a 3.5 GPA”