Emma Gilham Transfers to UMKC and Joins Women’s Center Staff

By Emma Gilham

Hello! I am Emma Gilham, a new transfer student here at UMKC. As I packed up my things to move, the notion of new beginnings swept over me. Summer break, along with quarantine, changed my perspective on many things. I previously attended Missouri S&T as an environmental engineering major. I knew I wanted to help people, and I had an idea of where I wanted my career to go. I simply couldn’t place which was the best route to achieve my goals. I want to work in communities to educate and advance the health and general well-being of its residents. With this clarity, I decided engineering school would not be the place to learn the tools necessary for this goal, and I transferred to UMKC to pursue a major in public health. I’ve always liked Kansas City, and I am excited to live here!

I have special interest in social justice, and the blogs I write will hopefully reflect that. This summer, I began addressing my own white-washed, patriarchal education and started the never-ending process of unlearning/relearning. While these failings jarred me at first, I look forward to continuing to learn and sharing topics pertaining to current woman’s and gendered issues. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to expand my understanding of intersectional feminism from my supervisors and colleagues through working for the Women’s Center.