05/02/2017
"Co-Directing the Women’s Resource Center has been a pretty enlightening experience. I’ve been involved with a number of organizations, but being on a team that is primarily women has had a much different feel than one where we are a minority. The line that people tend to have to walk in a lot of organizational structures between assertive and apologetic if they want to rise up some ladder isn’t really as present, from what I have seen. Because we generally face similar barriers, I’ve found that there is a kind of respect where we don’t have to compete to be heard and we invite each other to speak. By not embodying a lot of those traits that I think are frequently associated with leadership - assertiveness, being the loudest person at the table, leaning in, etc. - we are able to get much more collective input, which I see as more valuable than a singular leader driving an organization.
I think that, when we are in a position of power, it is really important that, as women, we don’t internalize those values that are used to push marginalized individuals out of important conversations in the first place. Things like different grammar or hesitation or listening before speaking are things that are used as excuses not to listen to the content of what someone is saying. I think that women, but especially women who face disparate marginalization, are in a unique position being in leadership roles to ask critical questions about organizational structures and how to improve them and empower more people to have a hand, because they have a better perspective on what may not be working. For the rest of us, there are always important questions we should be asking ourselves: Am I in a position of power? If I am taking up this space, does it make it harder for someone else to be heard? Do I carry the responsibility of raising others up so that they can contribute their own thoughts and perspectives? When I’m making decisions, who is sitting at the table? Does the structure limit people’s ability to participate?
We all have a lot of power to make big changes, but we need to take the steps to actually make those changes and not just be tokens in a structure that doesn’t work. At the RWRC, we try to structure our positions and goals around the strengths of the people we have on our team and it makes it possible for us to do the things that we do on campus.
I definitely did not consider myself a “leader” by any conventional standards when I was coming into college. I also don’t necessarily think that I would be more or less of a leader if I was doing the same things I do now outside of the context of involvement in an established organization. My job is to work with other people and ask how we can take care of ourselves, empower each other, and serve campus as best we can.
I kind of ask myself how I got here and sometimes question whether it was just an accidental sequence of events. I don’t think it was necessarily accidental, but it wasn’t entirely intentional either. I just did what I thought was right and filled needs when I saw them. I don’t think that using “just” diminishes my accomplishments or who I am, so much as puts it into perspective. I think that it is important to be a person who you would want to look up to and be proud to be yourself, day by day."
Our final spotlight for the 2016-2017 year is Bridget Schilling, a graduating senior from Lovett College studying Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Policy Studies, with a minor in Poverty, Justice, & Human Capabilities. She is one of the outgoing Directors of the Rice Women's Resource Center and previously was a member of the SA Critical Thinking in Sexuality task force, a STRIVE liaison, and president of Rice for Reproductive Justice. Next year, she will be pursuing a Masters in Public Health at the UT School of Public Health. Bridget came to Rice from Atlanta, Georgia.
Do you know an outstanding female leader on campus who deserves recognition? Nominate her to be photographed and featured as part of our Distinguished Leaders Spotlight Series, which will begin again next school year!
https://goo.gl/forms/TWBIiR28Gs2AE1O13
