Ericka's blog

As Women’s History Month winds down to its final days, the celebration of women and their achievements doesn’t have to end.

The female voice is all around us. Strong, independent, persevering and triumphant. As a woman, I feel like our impact in society has many faces, holds many truths and is capable of many great things. I am empowered by my right to choose my role in this world. I can be a college grad, I can be CEO, I can be a soldier, I can be a congresswoman and I can choose to simply be a mother and housewife. Each of these roles takes tremendous character to fulfill. Some of us can become all, some of us will struggle to find our balance between many and neither one is more important than the other. It’s simply a matter of personal happiness and it’s our choice to follow the opportunities we believe will make us whole.

Gaining respect and recognition for the female voice in society was just the first step for women to cement their achievements into history. As they began to reach out into the world and explore their potential, a plethora of female firsts increasingly followed.  

The courage, the curiosity, the determination and the sheer talent it took for history’s women to enlighten others of their worth continues to speak to generations of women today. It’s never easy to step outside of the box. Pushing oneself beyond the brink of society’s boundaries is risky, yet for some women in history it was nevertheless rewarding.

Throughout the decades, women have come to embody many roles. From submissive housewives to working class employees, entrepreneurs and world leaders, the female position in society has blossomed far beyond the importance of sheer motherhood. Honoring the legacy of the woman’s journey and the path today’s women continue to blaze for future female generations is precisely what Women’s History Month aims to celebrate in the month of March.

Life is what you make it.

These simple words have gotten me through many challenging situations in my lifetime. They’re actually helping me now as I keep my eyes on the prize of reaching my career goals after graduation. We took the time to see how our glass was half empty in respect to reaching our dreams in this dwindling economy. So now let’s take a look again at the dilemma we grads find ourselves in but with a more optimistic pair of eyes.

For recent grads, no matter what you majored in, odds are you’re trying to figure out how to conquer this economic monster known as the recession. It threatens to leave you jobless, hopeless and aimless in the pursuit of your independence and career happiness. 

I know the first time I stared the demon in the eyes, I felt paralyzed. How do I get my foot in the door to becoming a journalist? Who’s really hiring writer’s right now? What type of pay should I expect? Is writing really going to pay the bills? Did I pick the right major to bet my life’s stability on? Doubt, fear and uncertainty became an overwhelming cocktail of emotions to take down.