Good Evening everyone, my name is Aydee Garcia, this is my last semester at BMCC ( if things work out for me ). I am a History major, with a special interest in ancient history. I enjoy historical literature and ancient art. Aside from history i also practice indoor gardening, of which I treat as therapy. I’m currently growing a lemon tree of which i’ve had for about 5 years, and not once it has flowered…. I’m kind of a failed gardener at this point.

I was born in the Domincan Repucblic and immigrated to the states when i was 12, leaving my friend and some of my family members behind. I have adapted the way of life here and i don’t see myself living anywhere else in the world. The opportunities that are granted to young girls and women general, here in this country, are essential to our development, growth and independence.

At any rate, I’m looking forward to spending my time in this class and learning as much as i can from it.

Hello,

  I’m Ayleen Zapata, and I’m 21 years old. My birthday is the 1st of November. She/her/hers are the pronouns I use. I’m half-Peruvian and half-Mexican. In Mount Vernon, I live with my family. I’m the oldest of three children, but also the shortest. My favorite colors are blue and yellow. When I’m in a new environment, I’m the shyest person you’ve ever met. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and watching anime. My major is Psychology, and this is my final semester at BMCC. I plan to continue my education after graduating from BMCC.  A big aim I’m now pursuing is graduating from college with a strong grade point average. If I achieve this objective, I will be the first person to do so. I want my siblings to know that if you put your mind to it and work hard, everything is achievable. I was never particularly bright in school. I found it difficult to understand what was being taught. On top of that, I was having trouble with my speech. It made pronouncing words difficult, making the concept harder to grasp. I’m different from others, what others can grasp quickly, I require a little more time to completely grasp. Having a learning disability makes me unique. It demonstrates that I will not give up on my ambitions no matter what.  College is not the same as high school. If you didn’t have an assignment in high school, the teacher would come for you and treat you like a child. College is different in that the professors treat us as young adults, which I guess I’ll have to get accustomed to. In high school, I had an IEP that permitted me to take tests/quizzes or complete work on my own schedule. I now have more time for tests and quizzes. I just need to get acclimated to the new adjustments that are an impediment to my progress. Shyness will always be a barrier for me. I’ve become a timid person as a result of negative events. Diabetes is another challenge for me. If I don’t take care of myself, I’ll become really unwell and have to go to the hospital. It won’t be good news for me because it’s difficult for me to focus on work while I’m at this stage. This would be a step backwards in my efforts to reach my aim. There are a lot of ways to not let these obstacles get in the way of achieving my goal. Even though my learning disability wouldn’t disappear, there are ways to understand the concept better. I could make a study guide, ask for help from my professor, ask family to quiz me, watch videos, go to one-on-one meetings with the professor, read the textbook, make flash cards and many more. I would try to be more social and think that it would bring me one step closer to my goal. As for my diabetes I would just have to take my medications. My back-up plan is to take summer classes. Just know I wouldn’t give up and it’s ok if you take more than 4 years to finish your education. Take your time but never give up. This course sounds very interesting just by the name. Out of all the classes I had the chance to choose, this course caught my attention the most. As a woman, I’m not sure what role they play in society. We were taught as children that this is a man’s world. This course is for me because I want to learn more about gender and women. There are many issues concerning women that I am unaware of but would like to learn more about. So, good luck this semester and I hope to get to know everyone better.

Hello everyone, my name is Amirah. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I’m currently a sophomore studying criminal justice. I’ve always wanted to study criminal justice, but I do have interest in other majors/subjects. I think business and fashion will always be something that catches my eye. Some of my hobbies are going to the gym, reading, and shopping. I try making the gym a priority even with work and school to stay active and healthy. I’m from New York and I love it here. I appreciate the fast paced environment and the city vibe. I value my family, myself, and my passions. I believe valuing yourself is incredibly important, especially as a woman. Misogyny being so active in this era can make it hard to see your self worth and dim your confidence, but I made it a goal to prioritize valuing myself this year. My hopes and dreams (long term) are to experience pure happiness and success. Specifically, I’d like to eventually graduate law school and live out my dream of being a criminal lawyer. I see a prestigious career, traveling, and a healthy lifestyle in my future. I’m taking this course because although it does not connect to my major, I am very passionate about women’s studies. I feel that as a woman, it is important to study my gender. Femininity and taking pride in your sexuality is significant to me because it has helped me be more confident in who I am and understand that respect is everything as a woman. As I mentioned earlier, misogyny can make many women feel undervalued. I’m looking forward to learning more about what it means to be a woman and learning more about other genders. A show I would recommend is The Handmaid’s tale. Many people may see this as just a show that strips women of their rights, but there’s a bigger message behind that. Although going through extreme oppression, they still choose to work as a team to escape the town, showing how women can conquer against the odds. Legally Blonde is also a movie I’d recommend, even though most have already given it a watch. I remember feeling empowered at a young age seeing Reese Witherspoon work in a man dominant field and maintain her femininity at the same time. Always made me laugh and gave me a confidence booster at the same time! Well, I’m looking forward to this class and good luck to everyone this semester!

Hello everyone my name is Melanie Velez and my pronouns are she/her. I am a Liberal Arts major but I’m very interested in the social sciences. I am a Capricorn and I’m very interested in astrology. I was born and raised in the Bronx , New York and my parents are from Puerto Rico and I’m a first generation college student. I have many interests such as reading and writing.I love poetry, especially spoken word. My favorite poem that I recommend listening to is called ‘ My Favorite Little Seed ’ written by Dakota Wint.  I really enjoy reading theories and finding out if they’re true or not. I love music and value art a-lot since it is very subjective. I listen to any and every type of music genre but I heavily listen to punk rock/rock. My favorite bands being Bring me the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, Dayseeker, and Motionless In White. I value respect and honesty the most because I know what it feels like to be disrespected and lied to. I also value intelligence in people and interesting people because those are the ones with the most interesting stories to tell. I also value stability and those who have their lives planned out entirely. I dislike those who can’t respect other people’s opinions. I also dislike those who are clumsy , messy , lazy and I hate those who romanticize real life serial killers. When I was younger I really wanted to be a doctor but as I grew I got more interested in forensic/criminal cases. I love reading murder cases and unsolved mysteries and also love watching documentaries of serial killers because its always fascinated me how they think differently then others which is why I also got very interested in psychology. My dream right now is to go into the forensic psychology field and work for the FBI as a behavior analyst/criminal profiler. I’m taking this course because to begin with I am a Feminist but also I’ve been interested in gender studies and how something so small as gender can affect everyday lives and even future generations as well. I hope to broaden my perspective of gender as a whole and learn new facts I don’t know. A topic I hope we cover is sexual regulations and inequality and how gender can affect work environment. I don’t have any recommendations for books or movies but I’m open to read and watch anything that is recommended. However a person I do recommend everyone following on social media is a woman named @drewafualo. Her content is based on responding back to those who are misogynist and bigots in a comedic way.

Hi everyone, my name is Tanya. I just turned 28 years old on Friday 1/28! I was born and raised in Washington Heights, New York. I love to travel. It’s become a mission of mine to go somewhere at least once a month. I almost did it last year but I need new friends! I am very flexible with work due to working nightlife. I am a bartender. I work Friday and Saturday majority of the time. I actually just came back from Punta Cana for my birthday. I took this trip alone for the first time because again I need new travel friends. My friends don’t have the flexibility I do because they work during the day and they have young kids and husbands. I am literally that friend you call to go to Africa tomorrow! Lol. I was working in a dental office for 8 years before I decided to quit and go back to school. I was 25 at that time. I am a high school drop out so for me to even go back to school in the first place is a really big deal to me and my family. I have a son that’s about to turn 13 years old and I want to give him a better future. I would take him on my trips when he’s not in school. I’m thinking about taking him to LA to watch a basketball game for his 13th birthday. His dream is to be a NBA player. He was in a basketball team but due to covid they now require the kids to be fully vaccinated and I’m not ready to do that to him yet. He is a 6’2 12 year old! Most people can believe it. I do have a giant lol. This is my last semester at BMCC. It’s been a long two years and I’m so happy it’s coming to an end. I was majoring in nursing but then switched to liberal arts due to financial aid. I still want to pursue nursing but not in BMCC. I am going to apply to Lehman college after I graduate in the spring. Their nursing program is one of the best so hopefully I get accepted. *fingers crossed* My goal is to become a CRNA which is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. It’s always been a dream of mine but again, I procrastinate a lot and tend to take my time for everything. I am happy in the path that I am right now and proud of myself. The pronouns I use are she/her/hers. I am taking this course because I want to learn more about gender and woman. Especially now with everything that’s going on, women empowerment, women equality, feminist, sexuality, sexuality, sexual difference, and gender roles. I’m excited about this class and everything we’re going to learn/discuss.

Hey classmates my name is Naomi, I am currently in my second year of being at BMCC. I am currently majoring in studio art, although I don’t plan on doing freelance art as a career. Art is more of a hobby to me and a form of expression. I chose to do art because I still have no life plans or career choices yet. I am currently on a path to find myself and what I want to do with my life. I look forward to learning in this course and reading everyone’s writing and opinions.

Hello classmates, my name is Arielly Vargas. I use she/her pronouns. I was born in New york but lived most of my childhood in Ecuador. I came back when I was 15 years old. I am majoring in science for health, looking forward to get into Nursing. This semester will be the last one at BMCC. It has been difficult for me to divide my time as a student, as a mother and as a worker, but with effort I am achieving it. My main motivation is my son. I’m taking this class because my major requires it but I also im happy to be able to learn something new.

Hello classmates my name is Dariany Delrosario I am majoring in Science pursuing my Dental career. This is my second year in college and to be honest I didn’t think I’ll get this far with being a full time worker and mother. Especially with covid hitting us It has been a challenge but I am striving into the right direction of getting my degree. Even though Covid has hit everyone hard I can say that it has gave me the opportunity to get my education from the comfort of my home. When I graduate from bmcc I hope to transfer into NYU to pursue my Dental Hygienist career. My hopes and Dreams are to become the perfect example to my son and show him whatever you put your mind into you will success in no matter how hard things gets. I currently live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn parents come from the Dominican Republic but I was born here. I use she/her/hers pronouns. I’m taking this class because my major is requiring me to but I am also excited to learn something new. Very excited to meet you all and wishing everyone a successful semester.

Hello everyone. I am Rowena Tayor and I use she/her/ pronouns. I am originally from Guyana which was once known as British Guiana. I was a business major in high school and my favorite subject of all was French. After completing high school, I went off to university which I did for one year. I worked as a television operator for about 5 years before I migrated. I migrated to the US in my mid-twenties with my oldest daughter. Upon my arrival it was not what I’d expected but I had to get adjusted to my new environment since it was going to be my new home. I adopted very fast and within a month I was enrolled in school to become a medical assistant. Transitioning from business to science was pretty much interesting for me, but I liked it. From there, I realized that I wanted to be a nurse. I’ve started college in my mid-thirties and still on my journey of becoming a nurse. It’s my aspiration. Presently I am working with one of the best gastroenterology team in the country and number 3 in the world. Although I want to become a nurse, I love learning new things. For instance, taking this class is all new to me but it sounds very interesting, and I am happy to learn about Gender and Women Studies. My favorite thing to do is traveling. I have visited quite a few countries, but the ones I loved the best were England, Aruba and Barbados. London is always a go for me with my girls, but I love the sun and beaches.

Hi Everyone my name is Dashira Del Rosario, I’m 20 years old, Dominican and born and raised in the bronx. From kindergarten to 8th grade I went to school here in New York but then I moved to Connecticut and did my 4 years of High school over there but when I graduated I came back to New York for college because I didn’t like Connecticut. For my free time I work at Zara in 42nd & 5th Ave I spend most of my time there. I Would like to get into the gym for this semester to keep myself really busy because it keeps my mind busy from thinking so much. Some things I like to do are, spend time with my boyfriend, my family and my friends. I like to try new foods that I’ve never had before. Some accomplishments I had in 2021 I had set for myself that I accomplished was getting my first job. Getting a job during covid was exceedingly difficult, not many were hiring and if they were requiring experience. But once I got the job, I felt like I finally had an actual responsibility, that gave me strength to get motivated to try my best to get into college. College was my second accomplishment. I graduated from high school in 2020, but I applied to colleges late, so I was not able to start in the fall semester. I almost did not make it for the spring semester either due to my high school not sending my transcript on time but luckily, they received it on time. Once I started college, I felt proud of myself because I did not have the actual college experience everyone had because of covid. I have not been in school since March of 2020. It has been two years that I have been taking classes online, I finally got that college experience I wanted. This is the most important accomplishment I had in 2021 because in my family no one had made it that far, only my mom, but she only stayed for one semester and dropped out after. This is my third semester. One future accomplishment I have for myself is being able to get into nursing for pediatrics or becoming an ultrasound technician. But overall being able to experience being in college and studying for the major i want is my biggest accomplishment so far. The pronouns I use are she/her/hers. Im taking this course because i’m curious to learn cultural and historical production of sexual difference, and the impact of feminist research.