Upon graduating from
PLU in May of 2007, my next step unexpectedly and gratefully fell right
into my lap. I had done my WMGS internship about women and sustainable
agriculture at Mother Earth Farm, an 8-acre organic farm in the
Puyallup valley that grows food explicitly for food banks. It is part
of the Emergency Food Network, and produces roughly 140,000 pounds of
fresh, organic produce each year that goes directly into the hands of
people in need. During my last semester, the farm manager offered me a job for
the season (June-November), a job which has gracefully put to use my
Women's Studies and Environmental Studies majors. So not only do we
provide healthy food for many voiceless and otherwise "invisible"
people, but we are also gifted with the help of work crews from Purdy,
the women's correctional facility in Gig Harbor. Generally a group of
6-8 women come out Monday through Thursday and help us to plant, weed,
and harvest our crops. It has been an incredible experience seeing some
women turn a complete 180 degrees from not wanting to touch dirt or
insects or plants, to taking ownership of the farm and learning about
sustainable agriculture. It has also been incredible to know them as
human beings, not just inmates, cons, or trouble-makers shunned by
society.
My time at the farm has embodied my WMGS experience
on many levels, from working with the women from Purdy, to respecting
and observing those whose voices go unheard (women in prison, insects
in the soil, bees without whom we would have no food), as well as being
a part of the sustainable food movement that is being lead largely by
women. My job ends in November, and my next step will honestly be to
take some time off. Rarely in our lives do we have the chance to really
observe the world around us and take the time to relax and explore
passions and interests. So my next step is just to be, and listen to
other people, to the land, and to myself very intently.
Prepared for a life of
making good choices and getting what she needs and wants, Alexa confidently navigates her way.
"Confidently navigates her way where?" one might ask.
"Where?" she echoes, "well...anywhere!"
Learning how to draw connections in unknown environments in order to create insight and meaning in her life,
and now teaching that particular skill-set at the Tacoma School of the
Arts (SOTA), Alexa has turned her Women's Studies readings, writings,
and conversations into tools for navigating her life. Building
something-out-of-nothing, as a program developer for SOTA's Alternative
Learning Center, she is currently working on a school-wide, integrated
curriculum that sets Social Competencies as drivers in all academic
subjects. Alexa thanks PLU's Women's Studies Department for
beginning
the process of Learning Between the Lines, as we all challenge
ourselves to build more bridges between what appear to be unrelated
topics.
Alexa is also the Executive Director of MLKBallet - a
tuition-free ballet program - which she started with three other PLU
grads in 2005.
Tomieka graduated from PLU in 2002 with majors in History and Women’s Studies as well as a minor in Philosophy. After graduation she joined Teach For America which she soon left because she did not feel her life philosophy meshed well with the organization’s actions. Tomieka soon began work with the Washington State Achievers Scholarship program at a local high school in Tacoma, WA and entered the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies graduate program at the University of Washington. Her background in Women’s Studies prepared her for her work with the Achievers Scholars in being able to identify the varied issues in which low-income students and students of color encounter in an educational setting. While she was working with the high schools she worked relentlessly to help deconstruct the myths and stereotypes her students had internalized and/or those that were thrust upon them by others. Although, she is currently working at PLU as an Academic Advisor, Tomieka continues her efforts in working with the Achievers Scholars.