Campus organizations represent vast interests, beliefs, and ideas. They are led by strong, intelligent students who embody the core values of their organization. Among these leaders are several women who are pushing the boundaries of gender roles and restrictions, especially in the political field. These four women are changing the way that Capital looks at politics, one year at a time.
Jackie Niese – Business management and leadership major, senior
Many might recognize Jackie Niese as the president of Student Government (SG). She is, of course, the one spearheading discussions and putting plans into motion regarding parking, dining, the presidential search, along with many other aspects of campus.
But campus politics isn’t the only thing that defines Niese.
From the very start of her college career, Niese has been involved heavily in service. During her first year at Capital she interned with the Make-A-Wish Foundation where she worked in the communications department. She describes the internship as one of the “best experiences ever.”
In that same year, she also founded the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, which gained around 50 members soon after its inception. Since then, she has stepped down from her role within the fraternity to focus on other character-building groups and positions.
After two years of interning with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Niese interned with Ohio Health during her junior year. She is currently with the communications and marketing agency Fahlgren Mortine.
She has also been an active member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority all throughout her college career.
During her junior year, Niese became the vice president of communications for SG. She was later elected president, becoming the third female president SG has had in four years.
“My life consists of service, student government, and Greek life,” Niese said.
All these roles will benefit Niese in her future career endeavors. She plans to use her experience and business management and leadership degree to enter the field of client engagement. People in this field work with companies to set up projects to reach larger goals. Niese said that while she is not necessarily a fine-details person, she loves looking at the big picture and providing direction.
“I want to look at what can we do to make a company better and create lasting relationships,” she said.
Niese hopes to do this type of work within the healthcare field so that she may improve hospitals’ environments. To do this, she plans to work on patience excellence and awarding employees for good behavior and performance.
“This way, you end up having this great experience for both parties,” she said.
Ultimately, Niese hopes to become the director of a nonprofit to make an even bigger impact.
As an intern, Niese said she has had great female mentors. She said that the agency atmosphere is forward thinking.
However, she admits that that are still problems that arise for women in the workplace. While working with different companies, she has witnessed differences in pay between men and women as well as sexual harassment.
But Niese is not too concerned about her gender affecting her role as a leader. She grew up on a farm with three older sisters. Her parents never played into the gender stereotypes. She was expected to go out and work on the farm just like everyone else.
“When I got to college it was weird that some people didn’t have that same concept,” Niese said.
Niese said she focuses on her leadership skills rather than her gender. She said that if a woman walks into a meeting with the right mindset, she can make the room her own.
“I don’t think it is about gender … but [about] who has the right concept and who is going to make that concept work and put it into motion,” she said.
Arielle Johnson – Sociology major and ethnic studies & philosophy minors, senior
As someone with a lot of passion and the determination to make social change, Arielle Johnson has become heavily involved on and off campus.
Her main area of focus is intersectionality.
She is the co-founder of the Socialist Student Union (SSU) and the co-chair of Aletheia, Capital’s philosophy club. While both activities reflect her studies, these environments also allow her to understand how students feel, what they think, what they experience, and what they need. SSU and Aletheia give everyone the opportunity to discuss gender, class, race, oppression, love, and a multitude of other topics.
Johnson is also the former president of the Students for the Advancement of Afrikan-American Culture (SAAAC). She has since stepped down from a leadership position because she felt she could no longer give the organization the attention it needed because of her other responsibilities. She still works with the organization often, assisting any way she can. She expressed that it is still a group she holds close to her heart.
Along with her heavy involvement in organizations on campus, Johnson is also the manager at the Capital Fund, an annual giving program that deals with alumni outreach and relations. She has worked with the Fund since her first year, originally as a caller, then as a supervisor, and now as the manager of the student-based job.
Outside of school, Johnson has a fellowship through the Columbus Foundation, a large nonprofit that serves as a middleman between nonprofits and donors. After finding out about the opportunity through Career Development, Johnson became a fellow to the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio.
This experience links closely with Johnson’s time working with Working America as a canvasser organizer. She spent her summer going door to door asking for small donations.
“It was great experience because now I know how to fundraise face to face as opposed to just over the phone,” she said. “I learned skills that I could apply here at Capital.”
Johnson plans on centering her future career on fundraising. She hopes to work in fundraising and development to help groups obtain and retain donors. She emphasized that these tasks take much more work than many initially think, but they are necessary.
“Unfortunately, you cannot make a difference in this world without money,” she said.
Taking on these roles as a female has provided Johnson with both positive and negative experiences. She points out that in certain settings, her gender can be beneficial.
Johnson said setting an example for other women is an important aspect of being a female leader. She cited the philosophy club as a particular group where she feels that women are not always represented to their full capacity. She said that a handful of strong female figures in the meetings set good examples for women who may not feel they have a voice in a male-dominated space.
Being a woman with male counterparts allows both genders to bring different perspectives to the table. A difference in opinion or ideas is not always a bad thing, said Johnson.
However, with these different viewpoints come many strong feelings.
“I have a lot of passion, and I can get really emotional about things,” she said. “That can be okay, but it can also shut people down.”
Some people may often think women are driven by too much emotion, and this stereotype can be viewed as a weakness.
“It is not a bad thing,” Johnson said. “I just care about the groups I am a part of.”
Abby Wosinski – Political science major, sophomore
With the 2016 presidential election fast approaching, understanding politics is important as ever. One female on campus working to make sure that students have the opportunity to be well-informed is Abby Wosinski.
As a self-proclaimed “hardcore democrat,” Wosinski felt compelled to start a democrat group after one of her professors mentioned the lack of one on campus. While remaints of an organization remained, it did not become an official organization until this semester.
Wosinski hopes to use the Campus Democrats as a way to educate students on politics and better prepare them for discussions and future elections.
“Once you are more politically educated, then you can make the decision [about] what political party you belong to,” she said.
While she would love to see students identify with Democrats, this is not her main goal. She believes it is important that students understand where their beliefs and ideals align and how to make educated decisions.
The Campus Democrats held a “Love Being Liberal” week in September. Members also participated in last night’s political panel hosted by Women’s Empowerment Alliance. Wosinski also mentioned plans to bring in different politicians to speak.
Wosinski said she plans to go to law school after she graduates to study advocacy law to potentially become a lobbyist. Her main goal for the future is to help others and work for those who do not have a voice.
Along with her work with Campus Democrats, Wosinski is a resident assistant is Schaaf. She is also a peer advocate for student success as a liaison between first-year students and their professors. Last year she was part of the Leaders Emerging and Developing (LEAD) program.
As a woman planning on going into law, Wosinski is aware that there may be moments when her gender may cause people to view her differently.
“People have a stigma against it,” she said.
Whether it be in her leadership roles on campus or her future career, she said that she is aware that some men may not believe she can lead as well as they can. However, she is prepared to prove them wrong. She is not worried that her gender will affect her career.
“I intend to do what I want and not let anybody tell me no,” she said.
Wosinski is excited to see what will come of women in politics as their presence continues to grow. She hopes the increasing number of female politicians means good things for her future career.
“I am happy to be a part of it,” she said. “I like to have people not only watch me do it but also come help me.”
Alexis Frantum – Political science and English major, first-year
The first year of college can certainly be intimidating; however, this is not the case for Alexis Frantum.
As a first-year, she is already heavily involved on campus and dedicated to her work.
As one of three first-year representatives in SG, Frantum has been inspired to be a voice for Capital’s students.
“Knowing we can actually make a difference on campus is really exciting,” she said.
Frantum hopes to continue working with students and take on a higher position in the years to come.
Frantum is also involved with Fuller, a nonpartisan group of students who strive to talk about issues and bring awareness to what a liberal arts education really means. The organization existed years ago and is now being revived. She hopes to grow with the group and stay involved throughout her four years.
Frantum is also heavily involved with Residence Hall Association as the representative for Cotterman Hall. She appreciates the organization because it puts forth a good deal of effort in easing the transition to on-campus living.
Frantum is also in the Catholic student group on campus and participates in intramural yoga. From talking with Frantum, her passion is evident.
“They all bring something different to the table for me,” she said.
After graduation 2019, Frantum hopes to attend law school. Her ultimate goal is to become a judge. She loves the legal system and the power it can hold.
Frantum feels that being a female in these certain positions of power can hinder some success, as it can result in people not taking you seriously. However, she also said that through confidence, her gender should not be much of an issue.
“Once you establish yourself as a force to be reckoned with then it does not matter if you are a female or male,” she said. “I have always known that I am a strong leader and a strong person, and I think that anyone can do that.”
As long as you can prove that you have the drive and power to do something, Frantum said, you can really make an impact.
