Irene Marie in East Hartford, CT

My name is Irene Marie, and growing up, my father taught me that women shouldn’t go to school — he reinforced that as a woman, I should know how to sit in silence, look pretty, and be sure to have dinner ready on the table.

Instead, I learned how to sit in silence as I studied the pretty words covered across my books’ pages, and I fell in love with language.

My mother didn’t have the money to send me to college, but she gave me unconditional love and support, and that was all I needed.

I moved 14-hours away from everything I knew to attend the oldest women’s institution in America, which reinforced that my voice mattered.

I earned my bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in creative writing. I am now the Marketing Content Writer for a local university in my hometown community. I am a first-generation graduate.