“The Lone Soldier”—Being the Only Advocate in the Room

To quote myself from the start of my first semester here at UMBC, “I have somewhat of a unique position in that I often find myself standing in the middle of the line–I am biracial, bisexual, nonbinary, and have lived below the poverty line in an upper middle to high class area. I straddle many…

Navigating my Identity as a Pakistani-American

By Tanzila Malik Growing up as a second-generation Pakistani-American, I never had a strong connection to my culture. My dad’s family immigrated to Nebraska from Pakistan in the early 1970s when he was just a year old. My mom lived in Pakistan until the age of eight. Then she moved to England, and then later…

Navigating Through Relationships

Image description: Rachael smiling while standing in front of a UMBC building. She is wearing a brown, long-sleeved top. Positionality statement: This post is written by Rachael Joslow, a third-year and student staff at the Women’s Center. In addition to my experience growing up as an only child with a single mom, this blog will…

A Further Reflection on Adoption and Ambiguous Loss

Image description: [Photo shows Rachael dressed in black attire, one of the Women's Center interns, smiling in front of one of the UMBC buildings.] Content Note: This post is written by Rachael Joslow, a third-year student at UMBC. I am a transracial adoptee adopted from Vietnam who grew up in Georgia for most of my…

To My Immigrant Parents

The following post was written by Ojuswani Phogat, a third-year student at UMBC.  Positionality Statement: The letter below is a message from me to my immigrant parents. It is reflective of only their experiences and mine but is being shared with you all with an understanding that the immigrant experience can be a wild, scary, intense,…

Anti-Trans Bills

Positionality Statement: This post is written by Marybeth Mareski, a Returning Women’s Scholar and social work intern at the Women’s Center in her final year at UMBC. I am a gender nonconforming lesbian in the queer and trans community, and I am in social work school with the professional goal of providing therapy to primarily…

Diet Culture v. The Cultural Diet

Image description: A formal headshot of the author. Positionality Statement: This post is written by Ojuswani Phogat, a second-year student at UMBC and a student-staff member at the Women’s Center.  I am a South Asian American woman who has felt the persistent effects of diet culture first-hand. In writing this blog, I hope to identify…

Microaggressions: an attack on belonging and identity 

Image description: shows student, Jane, smiling in front of a UMBC building Positionality Statement: This post is written by Jane DeHitta, an adult learner in her final year at UMBC, who works as a student staff and social work intern at the Women’s Center. I am a first generation Filipino-American student who seeks to be…

My Experience as an Undergrad Adult Learner During the Pandemic

This post is written by Sandra (She/Her/Ella pronouns). She is a student staff member and a social work intern completing her field placement at the Women’s Center. Content Note: This blog post will discuss my personal experience as an adult learner student before and during the current pandemic. The content and images shared may not…

Reflecting on My Nigerian Community: Learning How to Be an Ally to Survivors of Sexual Violence

Arifat (she/her/hers) is a Senior majoring in Social Work and Political Science. She is working in the Women's Center this year for her social work field placement. Content Note: This blog is written from my experience as a first-generation immigrant and a Nigerian-American. After reading I encourage to think about your own identities and communities…