Student Profile: Jessica Paige
Jessica Paige doesn’t need a swift kick or a sharpened stake to battle forces of darkness.
Instead, the Charlevoix junior is earning a program of emphasis in women’s and gender studies. After taking History 130: Women in European History, she felt inspired to pursue this academic path.
“That first women’s studies class changed my entire perception of gender, not only in history, but also in our current culture,” she says. “Suddenly, all the feelings I had about gender inequality growing up were validated and given a name.”
Following that class, Paige found herself doing women’s and gender research projects in other classes. She says because women’s and gender studies is interdisciplinary, she has been able to take a close look at women and gender in nearly all of her classes.
She also researched the rhetorical construction of female power within “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for her Eleanor H. Currie Scholarship. Through the TV show, she explored the interaction between traditional notions of femininity and feminist models of empowerment.
“Academically, my interest lies in exploring media and popular culture and its interaction with gender,” says Paige. “I also am a big fan of Buffy, so the scholarship was a great opportunity to explore both interests. I hope to continue studying and completing similar projects in graduate school.”
She is a member of the MacCurdy House, the Gay-Straight Alliance, Kappa Iota, the Women’s Issues Advisory Board and the National Organization for Women, the largest feminist organization in the nation.
