Final thoughts - Alison

I have sat here with an open tab, trying to think of what to write to sum up the past nine months of work with WomenNC. Finally, I realized I will never be able to adequately described the great amount of learning, growing and challenges I've gained thanks to this fellowship. With that said, this is my small attempt at tying everything together.

From that group interview with other WomenNC finalists in Beth's living, I felt surrounded by an incredible number of inspired and passionate activists. I distinctly remember sitting in the library around 11 pm the following week when I received the WomenNC acceptance letter--I was so nervous to open the email and then overjoyed I had actually gotten the fellowship (something I had been thinking about for the previous two years).

Then, throughout the progression of the workshops I gained confidence in my own work, continuing to feel amazed by the idea of attending and presenting at the CSW. While no fellow was perfect, I know we all devoted many hours to writing our papers and polishing our presentations. The give and take of the various fellow-mentee relationships and balancing personalities taught me so much about the working of organizations, especially all volunteer organizations. The fact that WomenNC has consistently brought groups of fellows to the UN is staggering, and I am in awe of all the board members' hard work and dedication that made this happen!

Finally, we had our life-changing UN trip and subsequent global-to-local presentations. Bringing the CSW experience (blogged about previously here) back to North Carolina was so rewarding. First, presenting at the Global Center was a great honor--where I've worked since freshman year on UNC's campus--and getting the Carolyn King scholarship was truly surprising. I then enjoyed sharing our lessons with Wake County's UN Association, the group was very engaged and asked excellent questions. Lastly, I attended North Carolina Women United's Women's Advocacy Day. This was my first time visiting state legislators and the power of so many groups in Raleigh was certainly felt--I especially enjoyed hearing the group press conference.

Beth and I at the Women's Advocacy Day press conference.

In sum, I know I will stay connected to WomenNC and will eternally be grateful for this whirlwind experience. I can't wait to share with readers of this blog and all WomenNC supporters my future adventures and I eagerly anticipate hearing about WomenNC's coming successes. Goodbye for now!