Introductions

Hello everyone! My name is Erica Hoffman, and I am so excited to be in Girls and Leadership this semester! I am currently a senior at UCF, I should have graduated last spring but I decided to stay one extra semester and do a minor in Women's Studies. This December I will be graduating with a Bachelor's in English Literature, a minor in Women's Studies and a Service Learning Certificate.

I moved to Orlando (Winter Park) from Gainesville, but I grew up in South Florida (Jupiter). I am currently in the process of applying to graduate schools for Masters programs in Literature. Two interesting things about me are that I absolutely love cats (and have three), and that I love to sing. Hopefully one of these days I will actually audition for some sort of singing competition.

I am interested in girls studies because I believe that the only way to gain equality and respect for all women is to start with today's youth, as they are our building blocks for the future. Without learning about and working with young girls we are unable to contribute to their development and education, which is necessary for change. I feel very passionate about reaching out to girls of all ages and backgrounds and showing them that their opportunities are endless if they embrace education and leadership.

This semester, I want to learn about the many ways I can be actively involved with girls in our community and around the world in order to guide them, support them or just make a difference in some way. I want to learn about how girls are treated and have been treated historically, why they may have been treated this way, and how they are currently dealing with it. I also want to learn about how these things affect the community, as well as how girls leadership affects women.

I have read the blog terms and protocols and thoroughly understand them. I agree to all terms of the online blog as well as the course syllabus.