May, 2015
Dear Sistahood Mentors:
As faculty adviser of Sistahood, I am pleased to report that at the completion of another year, we continue to move forward. We base our success in part from narrative responses of the spring 2014 Sistahood survey where students describe their experiences and remind us of why we do what we do. “A sister is someone who you can connect with, trust, confide in.” “She is someone who can understand your struggles, help to support and guide you. She is a lady who is helpful and an inspiration to other young ladies on campus.” “A sister is a fellow woman of color, a supporter.” “She is a Black woman who carries herself with confidence and is proud of who she is.”
We are certainly moved by these testimonials of our young ladies and as such we are grateful that they landed on Sistahood. Our desire to assist our African American/Black female students is evident in the fact that they keep returning to the USU week after week to get their dose of fellowship and connection. We are fully aware that our young ladies need the sisterly bond outside of the classroom in order to claim their sense of belonging, remain engaged and reach academic success. Experts tell us that “Strong social networks are key to the emotional well-being and academic success of African American women,” (Bradley & Lipford Sanders, 2003).
The biggest success of the academic year has concurrently been our greatest challenge. We have transitioned from a social/support group to a CSUN student organization per the students’ request. The change has been successful in that the club’s executive board is learning what it means to be leaders and experience all of the growing pains that come with it. The challenge is evident in that developing leadership skills takes time, energy and dedication on the part of both mentor and mentee.
We are grateful to all of our mentors who had either a direct or indirect hand in assisting our young women whenever they reached out for help. A special shout-out goes to the following mentors: Mika Williamson and Danisha Lawrence for taking time to be present at numerous Wednesday gatherings; Dr. Sandra Darden for her dynamic workshop on women’s health; Professors Raquel Kennon, Theresa White, and Marquita Gammage for the fabulous panel on “Flawless, Black Women’s Body Image;” Debra Hammond, Sharon Kinard, Shante Morgan, and others for their behind-the-scenes work. A special thanks to “Cat” Jermany, the first Grad Assistant of Sistahood, for her focus and enthusiasm that went a long way to help the club stay on-course when the young ladies needed her guidance.
Looking forward, the hope is to identify ways to involve more mentors in club activities. That includes more out-of-classroom modules of learning comprised of mentors’ areas of expertise that are of interest to the members. Some of the expressed interests from members include the following: Resume Building & Cover Letters; Mock Job Interviews; Leadership Development – Budgets & Programming; What is Academic Success; Impact of Media Images of Black Women; The Intersectionality of Gender & Race of African American/Black Women; Plain Talk about Women’s Health, etc. Sistahood may call on a number of you in the fall as these skills of yours are valued.
I wish all of you a productive and rejuvenating summer. Please continue to be that beacon of hope for CSUN students everywhere and especially for our young ladies wherever you encounter them. Remember, when referring to Sistahood, it’s about “Our Lives, Our Experiences, Our Education, Our Place.”
All the Best,
Paulette Theresa, PsyD, MFT
Staff Counselor
University Counseling Services