The Department of Women and Gender Studies would like to congratulate WGST student staff member Ayanna Jennings for earning a scholarship offered by The National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL).
By earning this scholarship, Jennings fees for attending this year’s conference, scheduled for May 29th to June 1st, are paid by the organization, as well as costs for traveling to and from the conference.
Since its conception in 1983, The NCCWSL has paved the way for hosting an annual conference for collegiate women in order to empower them in their studies and student advocacy, while emphasizing career-readiness and post-grad success for their attendees.
Jennings joined the WGST center this past fall as an Office Assistant, and was given the role of Programming Assistant after her supervisors noticed her commitment to leadership and advocacy within the center and on campus.
“Since joining the center, I’ve been afforded a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had or known about otherwise,” said Jennings. “I was involved in the STEP program this summer, and a staff member at ODIME helped me find this job on campus.” She said.
Jennings is on the pre-med track as a freshman Neuroscience Major. She enjoys learning about human anatomy and brain functions and wants to become a surgeon working in neurology.
“I’m a member of ‘Women of Color STEM (WOCSTEM)’, an organization on campus. We all lean on each other for support, especially in finding opportunities, and we look to empower women in STEM to find resources and career opportunities,” she said. “It’s difficult being a woman in STEM, especially a woman of color”.
Additionally, Jennings is affiliated with Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-med focused organization, GMU’s American Medical Student Association (AMSA), as well as the Mason Student Symphony.
“I’m involved with a lot of pre-med organizations on campus, and I was newly interested in Women and Gender Studies at Mason”, said Jennings. “I didn’t realize there was such a major academic component to it, and helping execute events through the center made me recognize the need for intersectionality the discipline involves”.
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April 26, 2019