The University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) has selected 9 scholars to join its 2020-2021 class of faculty fellows. For the first time, NDIAS programming has been organized around a theme, with this year’s fellows focusing on the Nature of Trust.
Dear graduating students, we, in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, are proud of you and your accomplishments. You never lost sight of your scholarly goals, yet at the same time, you continued to be some of the most socially conscious and politically alert students at this university. We salute your commitment to the welfare of the world we live in. We admire your unflinching dedication to the creation of a non-violent world for all. Go on, my friends, be a seeker after knowledge and enlightenment, after compassion and justice.
To the WGS Graduates of 2020–
This is undoubtedly a challenging and stressful time, but I encourage you to remember the words of Wilma Rudolph, three-time Olympic gold medalist in 1960:
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
Thank you for sharing your greatness and your spirit with WGS; you have inspired us with your dedication and passion. Hold onto those dreams and make sure you stay in touch in the months and years to come.
Congratulations, WGS majors and minors! As you graduate, think of your WGS degree as helping to prepare you for life beyond your undergraduate education. While those voices questioning your choice in WGS may be powerful, feel confident that your WGS degree has helped prepare you for life after graduation. WGS students are particularly good at questioning and troubling standard modes of practice - think about your WGS training as providing you with these exemplary critical thinking skills. Oh, and try to celebrate - congrats, you made it!
Angela Davis said, "It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism." Remember the powerful collectives that you formed during your time at UVA, and let them nourish you as you venture off into new worlds. We are our greatest asset in the face of injustice. I will keep fighting for your liberation, opportunities, health, and success and I know you will keep fighting for mine. Congratulations and welcome to the next edition!
It is OK to take time to figure out what you want to do in life! Keep researching and learning! There are many opportunities to use your knowledge from WGS, such as reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racism work, or fighting against sexual and domestic violence. And remember, if you ever feel like you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito! You all rock! Congratulations!
"Congratulations class of 2020! I hope we have taught you to think critically, act responsibly, engage politically, and dream with a utopic impulse. It has been an honor and a pleasure to teach and work with you. My best wishes to all of you in the future! Now go out there and shake up the world!"
The class of 2020 has shown remarkable resilience, creativity, and brilliance completing courses online. Though you’ve missed graduating in person, your talents and accomplishments shine bright. Congratulations!
"I’m a believer in the power of knowledge and the ferocity of beauty, so from my point of view, your life is already artful—waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art,” Toni Morrison
WGS is thrilled to announce that Dr. Tiffany King will be joining us this fall as Associate Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality!
In fall 2022, she will assume the Barbara and John Glynn Research Professorship in Democracy and Equity.
