Agency, Voice, and the Evolution (AVE) of Women at Saint Mary’s, 1920-2023: Spring 2023

Introduction to Voice

Voice is defined as a wish, choice, or opinion openly or formally expressed. Throughout its history, Saint Mary’s College has been devoted to giving students the opportunity to share their voice. Female voices and perspectives are prioritized in the school's core curriculum, and as a result, students become more aware of women’s contributions to the intellectual and artistic world. Saint Mary’s College’s students are given the opportunity to express their voices both creatively, through artistic expressions such as poetry and prose in the Chimes, and politically, through symposiums and student-run organizations. Saint Mary’s College students today participate in events, such as “Raise Your Voice,” which brings students’ attention to complex social issues such as sexual violence. There are also many student-run organizations that give students the opportunity to share their voice. SMC Votes is an example of a student-run organization devoted to improving voter awareness for students and to encourage more women to vote. These opportunities equip students at Saint Mary’s College to become responsible members of society because they are able to pay attention to injustices and respond to them creatively and constructively.

Our project features a sampling of student voices from the 1920s and 1970s expressed through journalistic prose, poetry, creative prose, visual art, and photography. As we looked through the archives, we selected several pieces which represent the experience of being a woman, each using diverse yet powerful language, strong rhetoric, and intriguing creative techniques. The following pieces represent a wide range of student’s educated perspectives and personal creative responses to the world around them. 

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