Safe Space!

I recently found myself trying to come up with some "words of wisdom" to dispel to the interview candidates coming to visit UGA in a couple weeks for my program. I struggled to find something to say that seemed important but didn't make me seem like some wise, omnipotent being who could claim all this knowledge simply because I've been here for 6 months. In the end, I settled on a few things including encouraging the incoming folks not to lose sight of their interests and passions and to try and get involved in other things outside of class and assistantship responsibilities. I have been trying to heed my own advice by training for the half marathon and exploring other interests. One of those is becoming a Safe Space Facilitator at UGA. I went through the Safe Space training in November. In a nutshell, Safe Space is a program sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center to educate the community on issues LGBT students face and provide spaces all over campus where students in the LGBT community can go to speak with support networks.

After participating in the training last fall, I wanted to get more involved. Luckily, I was able to speak with the Director about becoming a facilitator and serving on a committee down the road to revamp the curriculum of the program. It's exciting to be part of something else and to know that the work is impactful. It's something else to add to my already overflowing plate of responsibilities but one I am excited about!

Cheers.