I am learning so much during this research experience thus far, it’s been a very fun and educational experience this summer! I feel I am getting to build a very foundational base in reproductive justice and all the people that need access and care. I have been challenged through spending almost full time each week conducting research work. Before this fellowship, I’ve only had part time experience, so it’s been great to push myself and build up my research skills. Something that I’ve been thinking about is how my social identity influences the way that I conduct research. Some of the identities that I think about most often are my age (30!), gender (Woman), and Socio-Economic Status (Working Class). These identities are ones that I refer to often and the lens through which I view a lot of the world through. The identities that I think about least often are my religious affiliation (Agnostic) and National Origin (United States). I don’t feel I strongly identify with either of these, but acknowledge that they still have an impact on me. The identities I would like to learn more about include my Race/Ethnicity (Latina and Irish) and my social disability (Neurodivergent). While I’ve had these identities for most of my life, I have spent very little time getting to know them. I’m very curious about these aspects of my identity and want to learn more! I feel that the identities that have the strongest effect on how I perceive myself include my gender identity, my age, and my socio-economic status. I think it makes sense that the identities I most think about are also the way that I perceive myself. I’m really not sure which of my identities have the greatest effect on how others perceive me, I’m really curious to know! I think I feel that this depends on the context. We are constantly viewing people through our personal lens and the experiences that we’ve been through. This is something I will be spending some time self reflecting on.
