Pavithra Venkataraman’s Testimonial

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Pavithra Venkataraman is a graduating Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies B.A. with a Specialization in Gender and Social Change and a Minor in Political Science and Philosophy. As graduation approaches, WGSS seniors reflect on their time in the department.     

What made you pursue a Women’s and Gender Studies (WST) major/minor?

I came in as a freshman AMS major and quickly realized that I did not want to spend all my time in math classes. I took WST 102 with Suzanne Staub (amazing class!!) for an SBC requirement and fell in love with the content and the style of learning. I enjoyed being exposed to different issues and perspectives every week through a variety of readings and having the opportunity to discuss them with our class in a respectful way. I realized that it was important to me to make sure that I was learning as much as I could about the way the world works and how people are impacted by these systems, even if the topics are a little difficult at times. As someone who identifies with a few different minority identities, being able to learn about people like me as well as people not like me at all is eye-opening and has led me on a journey of personal growth as well as academic learning. 

Are there any professors and/or classes that had an impact on you?

I have been fortunate enough to take many WST classes at SBU under some wonderful faculty, as well as related electives that fit into a WST curricula in some way. Something that I really enjoy about the program is that there are a wide variety of outside department classes that can correlate with other majors and minors that fulfill requirements and are extremely enjoyable classes themselves. SOC 340, taught by Cathy Marrone, is a class that I think every person who plans on being a parent in some way should consider taking. It completely changed my perspective on motherhood and parenthood and made me consider things that I didn’t even know there were to consider! Similarly, POL 330, taught by Juliette Passer, is an excellent introduction to the legal sphere of gender considerations and Professor Passer does a great job at giving you a general law overview without being too jargon-heavy. Within the WGSS department, I loved WST 398 with Nancy Hiemstra and have found myself referencing certain themes and patterns that we discussed in several other classes. Lastly, I took WST 408, the senior-thesis writing class, with Liz Montegary, and produced a thesis that I am extremely proud of. Professor Montegary is one of the best writing mentors I have ever had and expertly assisted our entire class in creating superb papers and projects. 

What was your experience like in the WGSS department?

The WGSS department has been one of my favorite parts of attending SBU. The faculty and advisors are the most caring, understanding, and supportive and there is never any doubt that they are looking out for your best interests. Classes are focused on making sure we learn something valuable, rather than grades and numbers, and that is reflected in the participation you see in each class. Advising is personalized, easy to access, and useful and has been a blessing to me many times when I had a quick question or concern. I do my best to convince everyone I know to try out a WST class or two, and have even converted a few minors and majors! I always say that the WST major has taught me about the things I didn’t even know there were to learn about, and I wouldn’t want to go through life without actively seeking out as many of these topics as I possibly can. I’m grateful to the program for providing me with these opportunities!

What do you plan on doing in the future?

When I graduate, I plan to attend law school and pursue a legal degree. I have always wanted to work with and help people, and my time at SBU has shown me that law is the place where I can use my skills to make the most change and help the most people. I want to work within the government and pursue public interest opportunities in such a way that I can help create change that helps to balance some of the discrimination that exists in our world. The WST major has shown me that injustice can exist and act in nuanced ways and that it takes an open mind and a willingness to learn to understand and combat this injustice. If you are on the fence, I would definitely recommend pursuing Women’s and Gender Studies or at least dipping your toes in the water! I guarantee you will learn something from it. 

Cassandra Skolnick’s Testimonial

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Cassandra Skolnick is a graduating Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies B.A. with a Specialization in Gender and Social Change and a Minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. As graduation approaches, WGSS seniors reflect on their time in the department. 

What made you pursue a Women’s and Gender Studies (WST) major/minor? 

 I discovered myself living through a viral pandemic, one traversing centuries before I was born. A pandemic that privileges the few and oppresses the many. I knew these inequalities existed, but I found why they existed to be incomprehensible. I was ecstatic when I learned about the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies major at Stony Brook University, feeling that I might finally be capable of answering the question we have all asked at some point in our lives… why? My passion is for genuine social change, establishing an alternative society that raises us all up and leaves none of us behind. The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program incorporates interdisciplinary methodologies that prepare students for critically assessing the world around them. These skills are something I knew would be invaluable for my future pursuits!  

 Are there any professors and/or classes that had an impact on you? 

 Professor Hiemstra has been a mentor and inspiration to me throughout my time at Stony Brook University. Her passion and knowledge of feminism, borders, and immigration has peeked my own interests in how the concept of borders permeate everyday life and create racialized and gendered divisions, maintaining heteronormative hierarchies. Professor Montegary also had a significant impact on me as I researched and prepared my senior thesis in the Fall 2021 semester. She encouraged me to delve into the unknown and unexplored, making significant contributions to academic conversations. The result is a senior thesis that I am proud to stand behind.  

What was your experience like in the WGSS department?

 I found my experience in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department to be invaluable, gratifying, and rewarding. The professors are experts in their field, providing insightful and consequential discussion, and encouraging students to step beyond their comfort zone. The program is inclusive of students from all backgrounds and intersectional identities. I identified with many of my peers, feeling not so alone in a world that has discriminated on me and oppressed me. The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department is like an extended family, and I have so much appreciation and admiration for all my extended family!   

 What will you miss most about the WGSS department when you graduate? 

This is a tough question, but I am going to miss Professor Hiemstra the most. She has supported me in my academic and activist pursuits since I transferred to Stony Brook University. She has involved me in research projects, peer mentoring, and graduate studies, greatly influencing my future academic pursuits, research, and career decisions.  

 What do you plan on doing in the future?

I launched a nonprofit organization called, Society of Advocates Fighting for Equality (S.A.F.E.), with aspirations of engaging in meaningful advocacy work and community education, targeting the foundations of the heteropatriarchy. I also plan on attending law school to earn a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, using the judicial system as a platform to breach the crevasses of our capitalist society. I have also considered authoring a book, connecting what I learned from historical feminist philosophers with my own lived experiences and personal theories for evolving feminism.  

 

Interview With Scholarship Recipient Marcela Muricy

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Marcela Muricy, a senior Biology and WGSS student here at Stony Brook, is the recipient of The A. Sanchez Award for 2021. We are proud to have such an ambitious student from our department be presented with this prestigious award! We interviewed her in regards to her achievement and other aspects of her education. Congratulations Marcela! 

What does receiving this scholarship mean to you?My mom has been pushing me to be successful for as long as I can remember, teaching me (age 8) how to take notes on biology, to teaching me (age 16) how to manage my finances and work hard. She’s the most motivated person I’ve ever met and (fortunately) my best friend. It’s been a pleasure of mine to make her just as proud as she’s made me, and this scholarship is nothing short of that. I’m also a very goal-oriented person, which is very hard as a pre-med student because your primary goal is only 15 years from now. So, you have to set mini-goals of understanding gene regulation in bacteria and memorizing 15 different molecules in a biochemical pathway. This scholarship, then, is very valuable to me as something I worked hard for in the short-term. They say “behind every great man is a great woman”, and I believe it works the other way too — at least for me personally. My boyfriend and best friend, Joshua Gershenson, has been my right hand man through everything and given me the grit to persist and be passionate in all I do. He’s really pushed me to succeed, and I’m sure it won’t stop anytime soon, so this scholarship, to me, is also a sign of gratitude to him.

What are the qualifications to receive this scholarship?  You must be someone who has shown outstanding academic achievement, scholarly promise and service and leadership to the community, a Latino/Latina juniors and first semester seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. The application requires a current undergraduate transcript, C.V. indicating any relevant academic prizes, community and work experiences, two faculty letters of recommendation, and a brief (2-page maximum) essay that explains your accomplishments, major academic interests and how your current studies relate to your future professional or intellectual development.”

What was your reaction when you learned you received this scholarship?  I was very surprised. I personally know so many incredible Hispanic students at this school and was grateful to even be in the same space as them. I felt so proud not just of myself and the work I’ve put in, but also of the sacrifices my mother’s made in my name.

The happiness hasn’t died just yet, and I’m not sure when it will. My mom’s face every time she tells someone new in our family (there’s a lot of us lol) is priceless and unforgettable.

Are you putting your award towards school or something else?  I’m putting my award towards my school loans and any other academic costs I need to cover.

What are you looking forward to/ what are your goals after receiving your degree(s)?  After receiving my degree, I hope to attend medical school and become an MD. At the moment, I have my eyes set on gynecology and endocrinology, but I’m open to other passions I might find on the way. I’m also very interested in conducting research (hopefully on a global scale). I believe the overlapping skills of research and medicine to be the true step forward and the future of innovative treatments and accessible medicine for underprivileged communities. I constantly struggle between my passion for Brazilian culture, and my horror at the pain their poor citizens must endure. I do not wish to feel that same pain in the US, but rather to take action against it. It is not just to provide quality services only to those that have found a way to play the game of capitalism, while others are suffocated by it.

What made you decide to pursue the WST major?  I decided to take an introduction to WST course my freshman semester with Dr. Cristina Khan, which just piqued my interest so much. It fed my curiosity on hidden histories and a broad perspective of what it means to be human— I didn’t want to stop learning about it.

What has your experience been like in the WST major?  It’s been a pleasure. Every single WST professor is incredible, not just in how passionate they are but also in their ability to teach and convey that passion to their students. I’ve bonded and learned from Dr. Khan so much since first taking her class, and am very grateful for that opportunity. I’ve also had the chance to explore my interests on the diversity of humans, not just in the racial sense, but also in the way of thought, sexuality, gender, and protest. Every bit of it has been a chance of discovery and broadening of perspective. I want to give a huge thank you to Dr. Khan and everyone in the WST department for an amazing past few years 🙂

WGSS Academic Excellence Award 2021: McKenzi Thi Murphy

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Professor Victoria Hesford on McKenzi Thi Murphy:

It is my great pleasure to introduce the recipient of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) 2021 Academic Excellence Award, McKenzi Thi Murphy. McKenzi is graduating with a 3.96 GPA—a very impressive achievement for someone who is majoring in two subjects—WGSS and Communications and Journalism—and minoring in Theater. You might have listened to McKenzi’s contribution to the WGSS Pandemic Playlist on this blog. If not check it out below—she chose a live performance by Elaine Stritch of “I’m Still Here” by Stephen Sondheim. McKenzi’s explanation of her choice might help you get a sense of how McKenzi, like Stritch, can command a stage: “Look, I’ve got a whole playlist with musical theatre songs about women going absolutely feral, but this one seems appropriate given *everything* that’s happened. “I got through all of last year, and I’m here,” indeed.”

For the WGSS senior seminar, McKenzi combined her interest in queer studies and theater by writing a very impressive paper on queer female representation and absence on the Broadway Stage. McKenzi organized the paper around an analysis of Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori’s Fun Home, and Marsha Norman’s The Color Purple in order to contrast their complex representation of queer femaleness with the simplistic or absent queer femaleness of mainstream and queer male centered theater. McKenzi was interested in exploring how the theater can be both a “queer artform” and a creative space which routinely marginalizes queer female experience. According to Professor Diedrich, McKenzi’s presentation of her thesis for the seminar was “very smart and very funny.” As one of her classmates declared, “McKenzi is the boss!”

McKenzi took two upper-level WGSS classes with me, Sexual Citizens: Sex, Publics, and Space in the US, and Fantasy Worlds: Gender, Race, and Class in Twentieth Century American Mass Culture. I always looked forward to reading McKenzi’s comments and papers and hearing her incisive, always engaged, and often amusing responses to the course materials. For my fall 2020 Fantasy Worlds class, McKenzi created a Voicethread presentation on the 1997 film of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, starring Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella. Not only was McKenzi’s presentation a super smart analysis of the race and class dynamics of the film, it also showcased McKenzi’s talents as a performer with the last slide a rendition of a song from the film sung by McKenzi. It was amazing! So, as someone who has witnessed McKenzi’s sharp intellect and droll wit in the classroom on more than one occasion, I can confirm that McKenzi is indeed “the boss”!

Congratulations, McKenzi, on being the 2021 WGSS Academic Excellence award winner!

Terry Alexander Award in WGSS: Lucy Gordon

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This award is in honor of Terry Alexander, the mother of Courtney Alexander, a Women’s Studies major who graduated from Stony Brook in 2006. Terry Alexander worked in the New York City public schools, she was an active member of the Brownsville Community Baptist Church, and she was a community activist with the Bed Stuy Park Lions Club in Brooklyn. Terry was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1982 and, from that point forward, she and her family were regular participants in the annual MS walk to raise awareness about the disease and money to further the research. Terry attended the WGSS graduation in May 2016 to watch her daughter graduate. Sadly, shortly thereafter, she became very ill from MS-related complications, and she died on December 7, 2006.

The WGSS Department is grateful for the Alexander family’s continued support, and we are honored to give the Terry Alexander Award each year to students planning to pursue a career in health care or health advocacy. Our hope is that this award will generate interest among our students in examining the complexities of caring for people with chronic illnesses while also providing us with the chance to acknowledge the importance of a parent’s love, encouragement, and commitment to education and community work. Terry Alexander is a shining example of all these things.

Photo on left is of Terry Alexander and on the right is Lucy Gordon.

Professor Liz Montegary presents the 2021 Terry Alexander Award in WGSS to Lucy Gordon:

It is my pleasure to announce the winner of this year’s Terry Alexander Award: Lucy Gordon. The department unanimously selected Lucy for this award, as her research interests, professional goals, and community activism reflect her investment in imagining new ways of organizing the world that would undo heteropatriarchal modes of oppression and improve health outcomes for racially marginalized communities. Over the past few years, Lucy has worked closely with the Center for Civic Justice at Stony Brook University. In addition to helping coordinate this past fall’s student voter registration drive, she organized community workshops on pressing matters of health and social justice, including an event on environmental racism and another on trans health care practices.

But Lucy is not only a skilled community organizer; she is also a dedicated feminist researcher. This year, she worked on two major research projects. Lucy joined a team of psychologists on campus to assist in a pilot project designed to increase access to mental health care for children. On top of making time for this ongoing collaborative project, she also completed a truly excellent WGSS Honors Senior Thesis entitled “Parenting in a Pandemic: Re-Imagining Childcare after COVID-19.” Drawing on quantitative survey data from and four in-depth interviews with parents from Long Island and New York City, Lucy explores the major challenges parents have faced over the past year and illuminates how the process of navigating these challenges has changed the way her informants think about the work of parenting and caregiving more broadly. She concludes her thesis by calling for a care work economy – a new way of organizing society where care work is not devalued as unskilled, feminized labor and relegated to privatized family units. Instead, she outlines strategies for building a world where caregiving of all kinds is actually valued and materially supported in the name of public health and economic justice.

Lucy is graduating from Stony Brook this month with BAs in Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. As a feminist thinker committed to racial, gender, and disability liberation, she is considering careers in psychology, counseling, or social work and plans to apply to graduate school in the very near future. I have been consistently impressed by Lucy Gordon since I met her as a first-year four years ago, and I am 100% confident that she will continue impressing us in the years to come. Congrats, Lucy!

Vivien Hartog Graduate Student Teaching Award 2021

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We are very pleased to announce the 2021 recipient of the Vivien Hartog Graduate Student Teaching Award: Carlos Vazquez

Congratulations Carlos!

 

First, we want to introduce this award and Vivien Hartog. Then Carlos’s advisor, Lisa Diedrich, will introduce Carlos.

This award is named in honor of Vivien Hartog, a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies graduate certificate student who died before she could complete her Ph.D. in Sociology. It goes to the graduate student instructor we think most exemplifies Vivien’s lifelong commitments to activism, teaching, and learning. Here’s a description of Vivien written by her family that captures something of the kind of person we are honoring with this award:

“In Vivien Hartog’s 55 years, she went through more identities than most could imagine. An incomplete list would include: rebellious daughter; actress in training; young mother, wife (3 times); scientologist; scourge of scientology; business woman; domestic help in a hotel; undergraduate; radical feminist and lesbian; graduate student in sociology and women’s studies. At every point she both threw herself into her new identity and at the same time, remained herself. And one way that she always remained herself was in her commitment to social justice and to human rights. She remade herself regularly, but she always understood her remaking as struggles on a larger stage. Particularly in her last decade, she saw her life through the lens of an international women’s movement.”

Professor Lisa Diedrich on Carlos Vazquez:

I am delighted to tell you about Carlos Vazquez, a most-deserving recipient of the 2021 Vivien Hartog Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Instructor.

Carlos’s scholarship and pedagogy are deeply intertwined. The work he does in the classroom is linked to his recognition of the need for structural changes in higher education and society more broadly. In his research, he is interested in practices of what he calls “queer of color pedagogies of care,” which he describes as “an ethical mode of care that preoccupies itself centrally with a future-yet-to-come, mobilizing a praxis that enables the transmission of knowledge geared towards nurturing the future and diminishing the vulnerability of trans and queer of color communities to come.” In his classroom, he puts this ethical mode of care into action, centering both race and disability and the experiences of Black and Latinx communities. His impact on students at Stony Brook has been nothing short of profound.

Carlos has been an influential and popular instructor for our department, teaching a range of courses, including Introduction to Queer Studies and the timely and important topics class that he created, Race and Disability in Contemporary Culture. He also stepped up and volunteered to teach in the Writing Program in only his second year at Stony Brook. I mention this not only to show the breadth of Carlos’s teaching experiences at Stony Brook, but also to give a sense of his willingness to stretch and challenge himself pedagogically, as well as his recognition of the centrality of developing his students’ capacity for creative expression in multiple genres and modalities.

Carlos is a Turner Fellow and he takes seriously the Turner fellowship’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through the teaching and mentorship that Turner Fellows provide to undergraduate students, especially underrepresented minority students. This commitment is apparent in both the form and content of his courses. He is especially good at getting students to analyze a wide range of media—music videos, TV programs, films, advertisements, memes and gifs—using a multiplicity of theoretical and methodological tools from the intersecting interdisciplinary fields of gender and sexuality studies, critical race studies, and critical disability studies. I can’t tell you the number of times he has dropped by my office to show and tell me about something that he and his students had just discussed in class. In one instance, the text he had his students discuss was one of the large Far Beyond brand murals adorning various buildings on Stony Brook’s campus. In another, he excitedly relayed to me how he and his students discussed the swimming lesson scene from Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight as an enactment of a queer of color pedagogy of care.

Comments on Carlos’s evaluations frequently mention his kindness and compassion. One student noted that, “such compassion from the professor motivates me to do better and…try instead of giving up. I want to thank him for being an inspiration on how to be a good professor.” In relation to the difficulty of going online in spring 2020, another student said Carlos “was incredibly understanding of the situation and tried to alleviate our stress as much as possible.” I know as well that he is particularly good at reaching out to students who are struggling, giving them specific ways to get back on course, showing care and concern for their well-being and lives beyond the classroom.

In his letter of application for the Vivien Hartog Award, Carlos wrote that he hopes “these cares, and commitments, and concerns…align [him] with the aims, objectives, and aspirations of the late Vivien Hartog, and the Award bestowed in her name.” I think Vivien and Carlos are indeed kindred spirits.

WGSS @ URECA 2021

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We are pleased to showcase work by WGSS majors at URECA’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, this year in a virtual format. This year two WGSS majors submitted posters for the event: Lucy Gordon (supervised by Prof. Liz Montegary) on “Parenting During a Pandemic: Re-Imagining Childcare after COVID-19” and Nicole Vion (supervised by Prof. Lisa Diedrich) on “The Politics of Female Rage in Queer Music.” Check out their amazing research projects below.

Pandemic Playlist: WGSS@SBU Mixtape #1

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We are now one year into the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, we closed the WGSS office at Stony Brook University and went into lockdown. All classes went online. We started this WGSS blog in order to create a virtual space of celebration for the graduating class of 2020. We will use this space again to celebrate #WGSSGraduation2021.

We decided it would be fun to create a #WGSSPandemicPlaylist that brings together music that has helped WGSS faculty, students, and alums during this difficult time. This will be on ongoing project, so please be in touch should you want to contribute to the playlist (Lisa[dot]Diedrich[at]stonybrook[dot]edu).

Happy listening!

McKenzi Thi Murphy (Journalism/Theater Arts/WGSS (Class of ’21))

I’m Still Here: Elaine Stritch

I’m Still Here by Stephen Sondheim, sung here by Elaine Stritch for Sondheim’s 80th Birthday Concert (the best version). Look, I’ve got a whole playlist with musical theatre songs about women going absolutely feral, but this one seems appropriate given *everything* that’s happened. “I got through all of last year, and I’m here,” indeed. Elaine Stritch is no longer with us, but there’s something inspiring about watching a then-85 year old woman belting out a song and jumping up and down just relishing in the fact that yes, she’s still here.

 

Mary Jo Bona (Professor of WGSS) and Stephanie Bonvissuto (PhD candidate)

The President Sang Amazing Grace: Kronos Quartet and Meklit

Mary Jo: We talked about Leonard Cohen’s passing and we both later played “Hallelujah” all that month. I was at JFK the day after the 2016 election, off to Montreal for NWSA. We connected by phone. I told you I could hear a pin drop at the gate; it reminded me of being at the airport after 9/11. And then the years after that day in between: poetry, lyrics, and song. And then: listening more, weeping, and healing.

Stephanie: I would not hear Cohen’s haunting anthem again until Saturday Night Live’s cold open a few days later. Kate McKinnon sits at the piano as a white pantsuit-clad Hillary Clinton to play to a hushed audience, giving us permission to weep in and for the moment. As the last note fades, Kate/Hillary faces the camera to say, “I’m not giving up, and neither should you.” Mekit and The Kronos Quartet elicits the same for me, wrapping the ethos of a powerful moment as an ephemeral gift for us to similarly hold and to hold us and our tears.

 

Nur-E Ferdous (Health Sciences Major, WGSS Minor (Class of ’22))

Fine Line and Treat People With Kindness: Harry Styles

In my opinion, the two songs are like two sides of the same coin. Fine Line is much slower and somber, and to me it kind of recalls the numbness of life in the pandemic but also towards the end the way he almost is begging and reassuring at the same time that “we’ll be alright” helps me think that we will be alright after this and that it’s okay to be scared and sad because of this. Treat People With Kindness is much more upbeat, and it is literally about being kind and generous to others and celebrating each other for being who we are. I linked the music video of TPWK because there’s a lot of analysis of the video and Harry’s gender identity in it. That also kept me patient during the pandemic and also positive because it was difficult many times to handle our own emotions as well as the emotions of others’.

 

Callias Zeng (WGSS Major, Environmental Studies Minor (Class of ’21))

The Beauty of Being Deaf: Chella Man

I’ve followed deaf, trans, queer activist Chella Man for a few years now. He’s very vocal about addressing ableism and celebrating the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community. He posted a video today called, “The Beauty of Being Deaf.” It is a wonderful video, so I wanted to share it!

 

Teri Tiso (Associate Professor Emerita of WGSS)

Let’s Talk about Sex: Salt-N-Pepa

We cannot talk about our bodies and health without talking about sex. Our basic understanding of physical characteristics is always skewed by our social and cultural beliefs. When we talk to each other (all of us) about blood, breasts, penis, vagina, sperm, eggs we are able to learn about menstruation, puberty changes, pregnancy, and how we are taught to interact as females, males, intersex, and queer humans.

 

Julie McGovern Carballo (Biology Major, WGSS Minor (Class of ’21))

Keep It Gold: Surfaces

This song is a reminder to always look at the brighter side of things!

 

Lisa Diedrich (Professor of WGSS)

Budapest Concert Part VIII: Keith Jarrett

Music has been so important to me during the pandemic. I have really loved that many musicians performed live on social media from their homes to entertain us—a gift that emerged out of isolation and fear. The person I have listened to the most is Keith Jarrett. I love the melancholic virtuosity of his live performances. We also learned this year that because of health issues caused by a stroke in 2018, he may not be able to perform live again. So, this recording of a concert in Budapest released in October 2020 is bittersweet.

 

Joy-Louise Gape (History/WGSS (Class of ’21))

I Won’t Give Up: Jason Mraz

This song has been in my playlist for years because of how powerful it is. This song is a very strong reminder about how important it is to never give up and always look up as well as look to those around you. It also reminds you how necessary it is to adapt to the surrounding circumstances and how much stronger that can make you. Most importantly, this song reminds the listener that you are worth it. Given the times that we all have been through recently, I think that this a powerful reminder about our inherent worth and strength as well as the power we can draw from those around us.

 

Victoria Hesford (Associate Professor of WGSS)

Honey: Robyn (on Later…with Jools Holland)

I chose this song because, first of all, it’s just a great pop song. But I also chose it because Robyn explained in an interview that she wanted to create a song that didn’t end. So, it seemed a fitting song for the pandemic. You really don’t want this song to end, unlike the pandemic, which has already gone on too long.

 

Nicole Vion (English/Studio Art/WGSS (Class of ’22))

Salt in the Wound: boygenius

Boygenius is a collaboration of the artists Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus (I love this album so much). This live performance is one of my personal favorite versions of the song:

 

It’s Okay to Cry: SOPHIE

The artist SOPHIE was a trans woman who recently tragically died and the loss of SOPHIE has impacted a lot of people, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. This is SOPHIE’s song titled “It’s Okay To Cry” and the visual that went along with the track:

 

A Pearl: Mitski

Mitski’s lyricism really solidifies her as one of my favorite artists, and this song definitely falls under that category.

 

Jackie Donnelly (WGSS ATC & GPC)

Coldplay: Everyday Life (Live in Jordan)

Jackie added to the playlist on Twitter with this comment: I’m late to this party, but I’m posting a live album here by Coldplay performed at a citadel in Jordan at sunrise & sunset that I stumbled upon. I gravitate back to it over and over to listen & watch. Beautiful guest vocals, instrumentals, & views. [Editors note: No one is late to this party!]