Being a part of the Women of Images has really allowed me to consider this campus my second home. Initially, I understood that there were not many people on this campus that looked like me, and that worried me because I feared that I would have no one to relate to on the issues that I endure on a daily basis.
After learning about Women of Images, I was reassured in knowing that I would be able to finally find comfort on campus. Women of Images is an organization that promotes the mentorship of women of color on campus. Mentorship is an important tool to help students find their way on any college campus.
Going to college, for many, is an isolating experience that, combined with not knowing what to do or how to do anything, makes it really hard for first years to succeed. A program like Women of Images steps in to help ease this transition. Mentors provide a lifeline to students, providing them with advice and comfort. Someone who is on the same path as them but has a head start is the most beneficial.
Although mentors can be found through professors and advisors, a student-to-student bond is stronger. Everything from what professors are good or bad to where the best spots to eat off campus are, mentors’ knowledge can be vital to a mentee. This symbiotic relationship also brings benefits to the mentor by giving them practice in interpersonal relationships and a satisfaction that they are making a difference, no matter how small, in someone’s life.
The need for safe spaces is also provided through the Women of Images and Colonial House. Women of Images utilizes the ability to create a safe space so that minority groups have the chance to freely feel like they can “let their hair down.” Colonial House has created an atmosphere where people of all shades, personalities, cultures and races can go and be themselves.
This space allows women of color especially to express their concerns about whatever thoughts they have on campus and solutions for improvement without the fear of judgment. The safe space atmosphere in Colonial House has allowed many individuals of color to come together with those who have either similar or contrasting worldviews and create a comfortable place to converse on life.
Organizations that are dedicated to women are important. Images provides a support system to women of all races and allows them to grow and achieve their goals. Living in a world dominated by men, it is easy for women’s health and well-being to be pushed to the side and ignored. Women of Images is here to acknowledge, encourage and aid in the actions of women claiming their power to change anything they are passionate about. Women of Images always makes it their goal to provide guidance for every female on campus so that it can one day inspire them to do their best in everything they do, recognize their power and use it!
Jasmine Herd, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at JHerd19@wooster.edu.