Student Involvement and the Gender Equity Center hosted a panel discussion exploring how women navigate leadership positions this Thursday at the Student Union.
Jessica Short, program coordinator for the Gender Equity Center, said this event was part of a whole month of programming for Women’s History Month.
Short said that the Gender Equity Center wanted to create room for a discussion on women in leadership because there are unique challenges that women face in leadership roles.
“I wanted to make sure it was an event that considered intersectionality within that experience,” Short said. “So I'm having folks from a variety of different places, backgrounds and even a variety of different fields.”
She said one participant was working in nonprofit organizations, one in sports journalism, one in higher education and another pursuing her Ph.D.
Short said these variety of experiences added to the conversation and allowed women from different backgrounds to uplift each other.
Williamson said she provided a forum for leaders at the event to talk about their paths to success and experiences being women in those roles.
She said while she already knew some of the speakers, she learned new things about them that she had never heard before
Alexis Graesser, leadership development coordinator for Student Involvement, said she helps make these events possible.
“We tried to reach out to different identity-based centers and campus partners that we rely on to have a greater reach to students and also bring in different areas of expertise,” Graesser said.
Graesser said after thinking about Women's History Month, it seemed like a natural partnership between Student Involvement and the Gender Equity Center.
She said this space empowered women and allowed them to ask questions towards people who are in leadership roles — roles to which many students aspire.
“Students were able to see themselves in the panelists today which I think is really cool,” Graesser said.
Short said the Women in Leadership panel took place towards the end of Women’s History Month.
She said the whole month had great events that aimed to liberate and teach people about women’s rights and equity, which included an open mic night and poetry workshop.
Short said the Lunch & Learn on reproductive justice and racial justice was impactful.
“(This event) really explored the intersections between reproductive rights and how that ties into racial justice and the experiences of people of color and people of lower socio-economic status,” Short said.
She said one misconception people have around Women’s History Month is that it is solely about one thing.
Short said the history of women is central to Women’s History Month, however, many other things that also impact the community of women are circulated during this month.
“(Women’s History Month is) also about educating people on things like the patriarchy and reproductive justice and that includes people who identify as any gender, any background and experience,” Short said.
Short said she started her job just last July. She said her help was much needed covering for the previous program coordinator who had to cover both the Pride and Gender Equity Centers.
She said her position as program coordinator is new, showing an increasing investment by SJSU in this program. She said after she was hired, student employees were hired to run the center and the community started growing.
“We just want more people to come through,” Williamson said. “There’s a growing community and people should stop by. It’s welcoming and for everyone, so a really great space to come hang out.”
