Gender and Women's Studies Alumni
William Donahoe ‘08
Copywriting Student at VCU Brandcenter
Web Developer, Projects by Chi/Donahoe/Thompson
My GWS minor has very directly affected my work life: I helped re-brand the Feminist Majority Foundation this summer with a fellow Bowdoin alum (now we’re working on Ms. Magazine!). More importantly, my GWS classes taught me how to empathize with people. Now I'm studying to work in advertising–an industry that would greatly benefit from men who understand women better. If you learn to understand what affects and motivates people’s beliefs then what can't you do well? What change can’t you affect?
Saira Toppin ‘09
Fashion & Culture Editor, Women's Mafia
GWS helped me land this job! I was on an interview for another position and that was not working well, so I was able to maneuver my way out of an okay situation into a great one. At Women's Mafia, I apply my major because I write on a daily basis for a primarily female audience. At Bowdoin, I read and wrote a lot and I do the same now. I had four years of practice that is being put to the test today. Studying women's history has showed me that women are the foundation of everything, especially the household. I took the time to write a story on domestic workers, and in this space I was able to highlight the sometimes mistreatment of women and show that change must take place now. I am doing my part and having fun at the same time.
Lindsay Buntman ‘06
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at NYU
Masters Candidate in Higher Education Administration at NYU
I've always believed that it is not what you major in that matters, but that college is about learning to love learning, and finding mentors that teach and challenge you in order to become a thoughtful and engaged citizen. While at Bowdoin, I did an independent study on Bowdoin’s process of becoming coeducational in the 1970s. I also took courses on the LGBT movement, Gender and the Suburbs, Women in Horror Films and other interesting topics.
After having such an incredible experience at Bowdoin I decided to stay in higher education and work at a university where I have the opportunity to speak with prospective students about the college application process and assist the university in finding students who are good matches for the school. Outside of work, I mentor a 12 year old girl from Brooklyn through a non profit organization called Girls Quest. The goal of the organization is to use New York City as a resource to guide and mentor girls through different stages of adolescents. My involvement in Girls Quest is a way to draw on my gender and women studies work with self image and adolescent development in order to empower my mentee.
I also draw upon my gender and women studies major in how I think about the world and choose to live my life. I think of myself as a woman first in all situations and am constantly aware of how I am treated as a result.
Jess Walker ‘09
Gender and Women’s Studies Major
Career Explorations Coordinator for Hard Hatted Women
When looking for jobs in the non-profit world I focused specifically on organizations that assisted women in some way. Because I am a Gender and Women studies grad I knew that issues like poverty, health care, and even criminal rehabilitation uniquely effect women in this country. In my current job, I am able to address a range of barriers that keep women in poverty and out of high wage jobs. This gives me a chance to apply the knowledge I gained in Gender Studies classes to activism on the ground.
Camilla Yamada '03
Disaster Medicine and Management Student at Graduate Intern Natural Hazards Center, UC Boulder
Instructor, Outward Bound Denver
Disaster Assistance Team, Red Cross Denver
I graduated from Bowdoin in 2003 with a double major in what was then Women's Studies and History and a minor in Art History. Bowdoin's GWS program taught me how to critically reflect on perceptions of women in society. I remember walking home after my Feminist Methodology class with Professor Scanlon and realizing that there is not one black and white answer for how I want to be perceived as a woman. Some day's I want to be smart. Other days I like feeling mysterious. Professor Fletcher's Modernism and the Nude class introduced me to the artistic representation of women while Professor Ghodsee's Women and World Development lectures made me want to jump out of my seat and fight my beliefs with actions. These defining classes and all the other ones that informed my abilities to speak and think confidently continue to drive my current passions and make me grateful for my liberal arts background. As I delve more into disaster research with school and work, I find myself immediately drawn into studying the unique circumstances facing women during the stages of a disaster. I feel like Bowdoin helped me uncover the power of women, my professors gave me the knowledge to form my own opinions, and my classmates inspired me to be any woman I want.