dispatches from quilt city

Well I have just recently returned from the American Association of University Women's National Women Student Leaders Conference. For all of you confused, the AAUW is a feminist organization composed primarily of older women who have graduated from college (the average member is around 60). The organization is dedicated to equity through education and has just recently tried to start reaching out to younger members. One way they have done this is by hosting the conference. The other is by forming a National Student Advisory Council which I am on. As a member of the council, they paid for me to come to Providence, Rhode Island and not only participate in the NWSLC but also participate in a panel/workshop at the National Convention which was held simultaneously with the Conference. It was really a very rewarding experience in which I got to meet other women my age but also network with women older and wiser than myself.

Of course the highlight of the Conference was meeting the matriarch of the feminist movement Ms. Gloria Steinem. She was receiving an award from the AAUW Educational Foundation at a dinner on Monday night. Before the dinner, she did a booksigning which is where I got to meet her. My friend and I almost missed it however because we got the times confused. Luckily we made it right at the beginning and the line wasn't very long. As soon as I saw Gloria, I started to cry. I was just so overwhelmed that this person I had admired and respected for so long was only a few feet away. Then I promptly started to freak out because I realized I was going to have to say something to her. By the time I actually got up to her I was really crying and really freaking out. I was crying so much that she stood up and hugged me and told me it was okay. I told her I had been worrying about what to say for weeks but all I could think to say at that moment was thank you. I also told her how much I admired her and how I promised my mentor I would ask for her contact information so I could write her for advice. Then Gloria Steinem, one of the most powerful women in the world, gave me her personal email address! I couldn't believe it. Of course now I actually have to think up something to write!