| Eagle Endowment awards $1,500 for community service projects The Eagle Endowment for Public and Community Service has awarded three grants totaling $1,500 for student projects. Jes Therkelsen, a graduate student in SOC, received $750 for a documentary that focuses on the development of a Southeast D.C. neighborhood and its effects on residents and the Washington Sculpture Center. Students for a Better Anacostia Community Boathouse received $500 for environmental clean-up projects. The group will also host a regatta on Earth Day for university crew teams. Finally, Kristen Apa, a senior in CAS, was awarded $250, which will go toward the creation of a children’s arts program at the D.C. Village Emergency Family Shelter. “These three projects will create a positive influence on the AU community as well as the greater D.C. area,” said Mark Seaman, executive director of the Eagle Endowment, a student-led initiative. “The applicants were passionate about their work and making a difference through their projects.” According to Seaman, a record number of students—eight—applied for grants this year, up from five in 2005. WCL alums speak on women’s rights work Two recent alumnae working in fields that promote women’s equality spoke at the Washington College of Law (WCL) last week on their professional experiences and some of the current strategies and challenges in women’s rights work. Courtney Chappell ’04 is policy director and fellow at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). For many women of color, the concept of “pro-choice” is problematic, she said. “The terminology doesn’t really resonate. Choice implies options,” she said. “Choice doesn’t mean anything if you can’t understand your doctor or don’t have money to pay the doctor.” Asian women are the second-highest users of abortion services, she said, and the only group among whom abortions have not declined. This raises a number of questions, including the awareness of contraception and the way it is being used, she said. Colleen Renk Zengotitabengoa ’01, managing attorney at Tahirih Justice Center, spoke about the center’s work with gender-based asylum claims for immigrant women. There is currently no gender basis for asylum, she said. Lawyers must struggle to fit into the existing categories the cases of women who fear returning to their home countries because of domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Chappell advised law students hoping to work for equality and social justice to broaden their résumés with a wide range of internships and to “find a good mentor.” “Hang tough,” said Zengotitabengoa, who said it took her about a year to find her current job. When student loans are too onerous to look for a low-paying job, she said, “go to a firm with a good pro bono culture. Be strategic. Be patient. And just hang in there.” The talk, “WCL’s Feminist Roots: How Far Have We Come?” was part of the Justice for All Founders’ Celebration. |
