In the Center for Women\u2019s Studies<\/a>, postcards detailing the center\u2019s impact decorate the room\u2019s pillars. Written by students and alumni, they express the authors\u2019 appreciation for a space that made them feel safe and changed their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This postcard initiative was part of a semester-long series of events in honor of the center\u2019s 25th anniversary.\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe women\u2019s studies center is the place I was able to find my voice,\u201d said Dena Robinson \u201912 during a Nov. 5 brown bag panel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Robinson was joined by panelists Sarah Sillin \u201905, Gabriella Jones-Casey \u201909, Emily Ha \u201909, Poppy Liu \u201913, and Tess Cumpstone \u201915. Dominique Hill \u201905, the A. Lindsay O\u2019Connor Chair of American Institutions, moderated the event. The alumnae addressed the changes they fought for while on campus as well as how the lessons they learned through women\u2019s studies shaped their personal and professional lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the women spoke on the duality of their undergraduate years: time split between the empowering and accepting women\u2019s studies community and time spent at an institution that was, in some ways, hostile to their identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They spoke of their gratitude for the reprieve East Hall\u2019s basement provided as they grappled with queer and minority identities as well as learned to navigate privilege on a predominantly heterosexual, white campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA lot of my journey at Colgate was being able to step into the fact that I do deserve to be here,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The alumnae attributed women\u2019s studies with giving them the language to understand and express their feelings, in addition to providing a safe space and sense of community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Ha, a first-generation college student and young mother at Colgate, these attributes proved vital. \u201cIt\u2019s not an exaggeration when I say the women\u2019s studies center saved my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As undergraduates, the women organized and tackled issues ranging from racism to rape culture, preparing them for careers as feminist scholars, community organizers, authors, and activists. They emphasized their desire to sustain the center and give back to students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have a lot of power, and you can change environments through collective action,\u201d Jones-Casey told students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Later in the week, an evening reception took place. Susan Thomson<\/a>, director of women\u2019s studies and associate professor of peace and conflict studies, thanked those who helped shape the center \u2014 from current and former students, to center interns, to previous directors and professors. She then invited key members of the community and advisory board to speak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n