About Me Letter

Dear WST 3015,
My name is Jennifer Ackerman but I pretty much always go by Jen. I am currently a freshman at UCF if you look at my credits, if you don’t look at my credits I’m a sophomore, apparently UCF is the not best with accepting transfer credits. Which is also something about me, I transfered here last year from Emerson College in Boston. I went there thinking I could handle the distance and weather and was wrong about both. I am a huge Florida fan, and by that I mean I love this state. I would like to travel in the future but see myself dying here.
I took this class because I am currently on the hunt for a major or subject that I actually care about. I am currently a film major and see myself using film merely as a media tool for social change and progress. From there I realized I don't actually know much about anything. I thought Women's Studies would be interesting considering the political and social climate we are currently living in.
I like to think of myself as somewhat of an activist. In Boston I was very involved with various Queer issues including adoption rights, Transgender Domestic and Employment rights and of course the ever popular Gay Marriage. Most recently I participated in Washington DC’s Equality March this past October with about 250,000 other supporters. In the past I have done a lot of work raising money for and also protesting the horrible situation in Darfur. I find activism extremely important, and regardless of the cause or issue I really believe its something everyone should take part in at least one. I think the hard thing about activism is because it is such an vast word and includes so much, I don’t think people realize when they are participating. I guess I just find it a very fulfilling and very important part of living in this day and age.
On a very different topic, I am excited to take this class because the different genders and gender roles, gender in itself has always been an interest to me. Realizing I was lesbian at such a young age really shook things up for me before I had any stable grasp of what men and women were all about. I will admit though, I do not get along with most men. Now this is not because I am some man hating lesbian (those lesbians scare me), its honestly just something I have noticed and I would like to understand it more. I think I deep down I never paid much attention to gender roles because I never saw myself following them. I would say my knowledge goes as far as the regular stereotypes, women clean, men work, and so now. I’m thrilled to be learning more and becoming more aware of this topic and others like it.
If I haven’t said it enough I’ll say it again, I am very happy to be in this class and am looking forward to taking on the different challenges of the class. And on that note I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus and the blogging protocols.