It occurred to me that I’ve talked a lot about how I’m working towards *something* (or procrastinated working towards that *something*) but I haven’t actually said what it is.
In the past 4 years I’ve wanted to be a dancer, neuroscientist, neuropsychologist, psychologist, advocate, activist… and a zookeeper. (No, I’m not pretending to be a 4 year old who wants to be an astronaut and a ballerina, I actually worked at a zoo with monkeys and lemurs for two summers!) But nothing clicked in a I-can-do-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of way. The only thing I could see myself doing for the rest of my life was being a feminist. But, as a friend blatantly put it, “I don’t think there’s a job description that says, ‘pull people’s heads out of their…” well, let’s just say, a body part where it might be anatomically difficult to get your head…
BUT I JUST WANT TO BE A SCRIPPSIE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE
Conveniently, as I grappled with this idea, I talked to a friend last summer who suggested it’d be nice to have a Pocket-Scrippsie to take to work, to fight all of the feminist battles she wasn’t sure she could take on at her company. Becausee of that conversation, I came up with a crazy career plan: I could be that Pocket-Scrippsie.
What if I could bring some third-wave feminism into start-ups and fast-growing-soon-to-be-popular-and-successful companies? What if I encouraged those companies to bring some diversity into their culture? What if I found a way to explain how much their company flourish if they hired more than straight-white-cis-men? What if I help change the image that comes to mind when people think of successful companies and famous CEOs?
I wanted a way to do something I love, actually make money, and stay true to the ideas I’ve learned at Scripps… and I think I found a way to do that. I’m going to get experience in talent acquisition (to bring in some diversity), in organizational development (to help instill feminist values which will make the organization and its culture better), and in any other part of the company where I get to work with people, hear their concerns, and find ways to make it better.
So that’s why I’m working on those applications, why I need to succeed at career fairs, and why I’m trying to look like a grown-up… I have this crazy-exciting idea that I can keep being a Scrippsie for the rest of my life and I can bring those ideas into everything that I do… especially if feminism is a foreign concept wherever I end up working.
The trend continues… We’re Scrippsies. We do what we want. We find ways to make it (whatever it is) happen…
When I grow up, I’m going to be a Pocket-Scrippsie.