Women's History Month: Student Spotlight Interview

Silkisha Sneed a current student at Old Westbury.  Twenty-four- years-old from the Bronx, she is a senior, and her major is psychology.   People may know her on campus as Kisha. On campus she help empowers women by participating in Women United and at the Women's Center.

What type of community service do you do in your spare time?  In my spare time, I intern at Campus C.A.R.E.S.S on Old Westbury Campus and at Planned Parenthood. When I am interning at Campus C.A.R.E.S.S., I mentor freshmen by helping them create programs on campus around sexual education. At Planned Parenthood, I fight for women's reproductive rights and justice.

Why is it so important to have clubs such as Women United and facilities such as the Women's Center on campus?  It is important to have Women United on campus because it empowers women and bring forth a lot of social problems that deals with women on and off campus. The Women's Center provides a safe space as well a great resource that provides information, hotlines and condoms.

What do you want to do when you graduate from OW? Why?My long-term goal in life is to open a non-profit organization that is geared toward teenagers. I think that adolescents need a lot of motivating, guidance and help. I want to be the one that provides the support system they need as teenagers.

Why is it important for women to get tested regularly?  It is important for women to get tested regularly because a lot of women are at a health risk (sexual/nonsexual) that they do not know they have.  In addition, there are a lot of Sexually Transmitted Diseases that people do not know, so it is imperative that women get tested.

Why is it important for young girls to have positive mentors/ role models?Young girls face a lot of difficulties and challenges just because they are women. There are a lot of people trying to take away women's rights, so it is important for women to have mentors/role models that can help them through the challenges they may face.

What is feminism? Do you think we need it?Feminism has been a never ending movement to get all women the equality that they deserve. I think that we need feminism more than we have because women's rights are human rights.