Howdy,
My name is Nicole Godreau, but a lot of people call me Nicky or Nicky G. I am a sophomore at UCF, and Social Work is my major. I am thinking of going into the domestic violence track in my degree. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio but was raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I am currently training for a triathlon, where I'm only a little bit nervous about the running part. I excel in swimming and cycling but my running is more like jogging with a very light j.
The activism that I am a part of now is mainly in the labor movement. I am a part of YAYA, which is the Young and Young Adult Network of the National Farmworker Ministry. We mobilize young adults onto farmworker's campaigns against injustice and exploitation at the work place. We also educate the people in our community about their struggles, as well as having know your rights trainings for these farmworkers on pesticides, domestic violence, and their rights as undocumented individuals in this country. I am Vice President of the Student Labor Action Project here at UCF, where students and workers unite to help fight in economic justice campaigns. We work closely with local unions, coalitions, as well as other student organizations to build strength within the student movement for workers' rights.
I feel that activism is one of the ways that I can affect direct change in people's lives. I love when people feel empowered and value their own strength as human beings. Winning campaigns are great for the face of organizations, but whenever I talk to individuals about their struggles and those moments when they recognize their strength and importance, that to me is revolutionary. That to me is creating change.
I am interested in taking women's studies because I grew up in a culture and household where the gender roles are very clearly defined and followed. Growing up in Guayaquil exposed me to a lot of poverty and exploitation from early on, as well as exposing me to a different culture than the one when I arrived to the United States. Even though the cultures were completely different, I was still able to recognize from an early age the similarities between both cultures when it came to both women and men and their gender roles. I read The Second Sex when I was in eighth grade, and ever since then I have had an interest in women history, especially in the history of women that are both visible and invisible in this society. I want to be able to empower them even more, and I feel that taking this course would aid that.
I have read, understood, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus and blogging protocols.
With kind regards,
Nicky
