“As an anthropologist, I’m expected to be able to understand how factors like gender, race, and sexuality influence the research that I conduct, but moreover, anthropology graduate students like myself are expected to be able to teach about these complex subjects to undergraduates. Teaching about gender, sexuality, and other intersecting identities can be a daunting task, especially for grad students who have never taught before. But that’s exactly what most first year TAs are expected to do…Jump into teaching headfirst and hope we make it.

WGSS has allowed me to better understand how gender and sexuality play a part in my own work, but more importantly, WGSS has allowed me to grow as an instructor and become better prepared in discussing these topics with my students in both Anthropology and WGSS classes. Anthropologist Ruth Benedict once said that ‘The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences.’ I very much believe that WGSS gives us as teachers the tools to put such sentiments into practice. Teaching for WGSS has taught me to be more confident in creating dialogues surrounding gender, sexuality, race, class, ability, and so much more. It instills a greater desire to be an active participant in social change rather than a passive observer.

While the teaching experience has been invaluable, the mentorship of WGSS professors cannot be left out. From WGSS faculty, I have learned so much about how to foster student engagement, and the department is also supportive in allowing us to explore more holistic, creative, and interactive teaching styles than many other disciplines. I am so grateful for these experiences, for they have made me a better educator, and they will certainly make me more marketable in the future.”