I was born and raised in the Central Florida area and chose to go to UCF after completing my A.A. at community college. I came into UCF wanting to study Sociology but was led to focusing on Women\u2019s Studies. I am appreciative of the learning experience the Interdisciplinary Studies \u2013 Women\u2019s Studies Track provided me with, as I was able to take courses that focused on women and literature, women in society, mental health, social justice, feminism, and so much more.<\/p>\n
People who fight for those who aren\u2019t able to- for those who have no voice, whose voices have been silenced, and\/or who society deems as unimportant. My mother, for letting me be whoever I wanted to be. My amazing friends, who believe in justice and love.<\/p>\n
I learned about YWLP in my Intro to Women\u2019s Studies course; it was too late for me to join my first semester at UCF, but I made it a priority to be involved in Spring.<\/p>\n
My experience in YWLP shaped me into the person I am today; I met amazing women, worked with powerful young folks, learned valuable things about both myself and others, and created some everlasting friendships.<\/p>\n
That empowerment looks different for everyone, and that you should never be obligated to be around people who don\u2019t make you feel great.<\/p>\n
The Mud Walk! It was exciting and disgusting and full of laughs. Any time you have to duct tape your socks to your pants is going to be a memory you never forget. The Big Sister dinners at Dr. Santana\u2019s house were always great, because all the big sisters got to unwind and get to know each other in a different light.<\/p>\n
While I am a much different person today than I was 3 years ago, I believe that YWLP helped me find my voice. I came to UCF as a passive individual, always muttering \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d, and being afraid to speak my mind. But now I am assertive, unafraid to speak up, and I know what I want, expect, and deserve from people. I recently graduated with my master\u2019s degree- something I never thought was possible- but the tools that YWLP equipped me with made me realize that I am strong, powerful and smart, and I can do anything.<\/p>\n
I graduated with my MSW (Master\u2019s in Social Work) from UCF in May and have been working at SafeHouse of Seminole, a domestic violence shelter in Seminole County, for about 3 years. I\u2019ve found that while I am passionate about social justice on a macro scale, I enjoy doing work with individuals and families and want to continue that.<\/p>\n
Maybe a Ph.D. one day. But for now I am focused on becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker so I can focus on doing therapy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Please give us a little background information about yourself (where you were born, what brought you to UCF, hobbies, what you studied at UCF, etc) I was born and raised in the Central Florida area and chose to go to UCF after completing my A.A. at community college. I came into UCF wanting to study…","protected":false},"author":"","featured_media":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/womengender\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2015\/10\/HeatherGravesYWLPAlumni.jpg","template":"","categories":[9],"tags":[13],"dept":[],"class_list":["post-467","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-ywlp"],"acf":[],"approved":0,"site_name":"Women's and Gender\u00a0Studies","yoast_head":"\n