In graduate school, I applied for AAUW fellowships for my dissertation year. As a young faculty member, I applied for AAUW summer publishing support. As I grew in my field, I created a feminist conference on my campus for our women's studies students and more--showcasing that what seemed to be a small college in a seemingly un-feminist space was actually full of passion and engaged people. I spoke at the AAUW in Huntsville as their monthly program and worked collaboratively with the group.
I left academia and Alabama for a job in Milwaukee, WI. New to the area, I knew this would be my home and wanted to forge connections and make friendships immediately. My first call was to the local AAUW Milwaukee Branch--one of the oldest women's organizations in the STATE--and began my membership. It meant I had to bravely walk into a room of strangers and meet many people at once for each monthly meeting, but they were so welcoming and eager and we all already had things in common--Feminism, AAUW, Education and more.
I used AAUW as my linchpin from place to place.
I give back to AAUW through my leadership (I'm often a program speaker, am currently Vice President of Programming and President Elect and begin my two year term as president in June.
We're philanthropic within our community, we're nestled among many institutions of higher learning, we have long-tenured members who share fantastic experiences and we're the perfect forum to never stop learning. Our programs are diverse, exciting and reach out to groups and organizations that need publicity and attention.
This organization, particularly the Milwaukee Branch, has the potential to be a leader in the community and we are steadily on our way there.