PEEPS Luncheon-WGST Event

A few weeks back, I attended the informational "PEEPS and Pizza" luncheon that the organization PEEPS (People for Education, Equality, and Promoting Scholarship) hosted for those interested in learning more about the Women's and Gender Studies program here at SLU. I attended not only because I got free food, or that by doing so I would fill the requirement for this class, but because I was genuinely interested in learning about what the department has to offer.

At the meeting, we first addressed what exactly PEEPS means. PEEPS, unlike the student feminist group UNA, is directly sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, and instead of activism, it has more of a scholarly purpose. PEEPS is meant to teach and guide any student who is pursuing a major, minor, or even just a slight interest in Women's and Gender Studies. PEEPS offers mentoring to the students already in the program, sparks discussions about diversity around campus, and prepares students who will be graduating with a degree in Women's and Gender Studies to enter the workforce or graduate school.

Then came what I thought was the most interesting part of the meeting! We started talking about all the different courses that the Women's and Gender Studies Department offers. To me, this was a completely eye-opening conversation. I absolutely love our current Women's Studies class; I took it on a whim and it's turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. To me, the class is like history, English, sociology, and political science all rolled up into one course that also happens to focus solely on women. Once I learned that most of the WGST classes were cross-listed with other departments, I knew I wanted to minor in Women's and Gender Studies. The people who were at the luncheon were so kind and excited to meet me, and really eager to hear about my own experiences and opinions. Being in that sort of educational environment for the next four years is really appealing to me, and so I decided to add the minor, and join PEEPS! I'll actually be coming to another PEEPS event this next Wednesday, I was so impressed with the first meeting.

After the PEEPS meeting, a fellow peer, and good friend of mine, stayed with me to listen in on the WGST departmental meeting. This was an amazing experience! There were professors I was able to meet who were interested in hearing my ideas and perspectives. For once, I didn't feel like another faceless, nameless student wandering around campus. I felt included. That's something that was really special to me about meeting with the department. Not only did I get to see the inner workings of the Women's and Gender Studies program, but I got to meet real professors who I'll be interacting with these next few years. It was a fantastic way for me to start dipping my toes in the WGST waters.