Girls, how has your first month at Tech been? If you’re not a freshman, I hope your first month of this fall semester has been great. To celebrate our first month here together, slaying and doing whatever else, this post is gonna be for the girls.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR BOYS:
Hey boys. If you’re reading this, thank you so much for reading my blog. Also, I would like to invite you to keep reading this post, even though the title indicates it’s for the ladies. It won’t hurt you. Actually, if you choose to keep reading, I hope it helps you to see how strong your female peers are. All girls love guys who understand our strength. Now, granted, you never really will understand our strength. Who does? We don’t even understand it ourselves. All I’m saying is this: don’t completely disregard this blog post. I invite you to keep reading and enhance your knowledge of the mind and capabilities of a Georgia Tech female.
Girls. Yes, we are indeed outnumbered. But oh, do we have power on this campus. Without us, so much would cease to exist. What did Georgia Tech do without us girls? Yes, we are outnumbered, but we are powerful.
Ladies, I hope at least one of you is reading this as you sit in your GT 1000 pre-engineering class, as you represent one of the only two girls in the class, surrounded by boys. (Samantha, you know I’m talking about you). This post is not to put down the male population, no. Because we all know that we need boys sometimes too, and they can help us as well. We don’t always need them, but they make us stronger in many ways. Thank you boys! I want you to know that your presence in your engineering-track course, a class in which you are one of only two or three girls, is powerful.
What makes you powerful? Well, to start, you are already incredibly strong in your will. No matter what major you are, you came to Tech. Good for you! You got in, you made the decision, and you showed up, even though most of your girl friends most likely went elsewhere. You knew about the boy-to-girl ratio coming in. For some of you, the ratio was something you were excited about (hello, boyssss), but for some of you, it was seen as a challenge. You decided to put yourself on one of the most male-dominated campuses in the South. Good for you.
What’s something else that makes you powerful? You’re fearless. This relates to the boys too. You have heard the horror stories about Georgia Tech and its challenges. You probably saw the average scores and stats of a student admitted in Spring of 2016 and said “holy CRAP I did NOT make a 33 on the ACT, and I most CERTAINLY didn’t take 14 AP classes in high school!” You came anyways. Your fear didn’t come out higher than your desire to succeed. Good for you.
Something else? You do so much, and you’re still killing it at Tech? Good for you. Boys, this one applies to you as well, and you KILL IT at everything you do too, but lemme just praise the girls this time around. I have friends that are cheerleaders, gold rush members, sorority girls, band members, TA’s, or anything else, and they’re still killing it in what has been traditionally known as a man’s world. Some of you show up to football games in 5 inch wedges and a Lilly dress, and you’re training to become one of the world’s finest biomedical engineers, doctors, businesswomen, computer scientists, diplomats. Some of you are up early on Saturday morning, red lipstick and pom-poms ready, cheering for our Jackets as they storm the field (I’m talking about cheerleaders), and just the day before, you killed your Math 1552 test AND your Chem 1212 test. Good for you.
Yes, you are all of these things, and that makes you the most beautiful girl in the world. You shine like a diamond. You radiate energy. Along with your pretty face, you are brilliant, resilient, confident, and mighty, because you are here. You chose to come to Tech, and that was hard. Yeah, this week was the hardest one yet, with tests and papers due daily. Even if it hit you like a bus, and you didn’t come out in one piece, you’re thriving in my eyes. You made it through, and you’re still going. Good for you.
Why do I generalize so much? I didn’t say “Most of you are…” in many of my descriptions. Well, I truly do believe all of these things about EVERY GIRL HERE. In my past month here at Tech, I’ve met girls on my hall, in my sorority, in my classes, and everywhere else, and I’ve noticed that the girls at this school have this “air” to them.
After getting to know a lot of the girls here, I just always seem to feel this strength in their personalities and the way they carry themselves. I think this comes from the kind of person that Georgia Tech attracts. It’s in every student, male or female or whatever, but in girls, the light shines in a different hue. It takes a certain type of strength to be a woman and to thrive on this campus, and I’ve gotten to see it in so many of you. You are confident in your ability. You know your strengths, you know your goals, you know your heart. That’s why you came here. Good for you.
I apologize about the length of this post, but I can’t help myself when praising the women here on campus.
Ladies, I have a challenge for you. I hope you recognize the light you give off a little more after reading this post. Here’s the challenge. Band together, and let that light you all radiate shine even brighter. Squad up. Get with your girls and HELP each other. I don’t care if it’s in a sorority, a club, your hall on your dorm, whatever it is. Come together. Let your light reflect off each other. If one of your girls is struggling with a relationship, help her see how strong she is again. If you failed a test, spend some time with your girls and let them help you see that you are still capable, even after one or two failed tests. If you need time just to breathe, walk over to Sublime Donuts (open 24 hours, always walk with a group) and grab some fritters with your girls late at night and just eat and talk, like I did on Thursday with two of my closest gals.
Do what you can to respect each other. Find the power in each other, rather than the differences. RESPECT THE GIRL CODE, and don’t let issues with a guy keep you from being strong women alongside each other. We’re outnumbered, remember? You need your girls.
I decided to address the ladies in this post because I saw you struggling this week, and I wanted to remind you of your power. Girls, remember you are strong. To my friends specifically, I love you all. Thank you for helping me see my own light this past month. I hope that I have been able to help you see what you’re capable of as well. You make every day brighter.
Boys, thank you for reading. The men of Georgia Tech are some of the strongest and most respectable men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with. I’d like to thank all of you for helping me see my strength in many ways as well after a month here.
Keep up the hard work, ladies. You’ve made it through a month, and you’re doing great. Good for you.
