Hello! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, seeing as this is my first of many blog posts that will be documenting my McNair Scholar journey, as well as the rest of my undergraduate career. My name is Aja St. Germaine, I’m a third year Critical Studies Major, with a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.
After I took a tour of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, I knew that this school was the right fit for me. The professors were hands on, passionate about their subject, and the class sizes were small enough to be personal. My first semester, my academic advisor, Dr. David Shih, suggested that I pursue the McNair program once I became a little more comfortable with college. That scared me a little bit. Being white-passing, it was difficult to hold two truths in both hands: in one hand, I have many of the white privileges upon first glance. In the other hand, I am not white, and the idea of me going to grad school seemed absolutely incredible. It took me two years to realize that grad school was something that was very important to me, and after prompting from one of my English professors, I applied for McNair.
Fast forward, I am now in my first semester of the McNair program, and I am anxious to start my research. My two mentors, Dr. Jonathan Rylander, and Dr. David Shih are both incredibly intelligent and passionate regarding what I am passionate about: marginalized identities, BIPOC activism, and Queer activism. I have been working in the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center since my first semester at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and I have, with certainty, found exactly where I want to be working for the rest of my life. Queer activism work has been the most satisfying and rewarding work I have done thus far in my life, and I would like to continue working my way up to finding a career.
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center has provided me with a lot of opportunities to explore the type of work that I enjoy doing. It has also given me the opportunity to add many things to my resume that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. For example, I am currently the coordinator for both the Out. Magazine, the only queer publication at UWEC, and Q’nnect, a queer mentorship program that connects queer faculty, staff, and students. I have also worked Fireball, the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center’s annual drag show, for the last two years, prior to Covid19. Inspiring and fertilizing queer excellence has proven itself to be a very captivating and rewarding form of activism for me. As a nonbinary, queer person myself, it’s so important for me to focus on our strengths and our rights before anything else. Because of that, I am choosing to focus my research on Queer Resources in Higher Education, and where we can increase those resources.
It is very nice to meet you, and I am so excited to continue my blog!