If you are a returning Her Campus member here at Kent State University, the name Izzy Stewart may sound familiar. Last semester, those of us who attended the last Her Campus meeting held in November were fortunate enough to get to know Stewart when she came to Kent’s campus and gave a presentation on the importance of storytelling and community involvement. If you are unfamiliar with the name, here is a dive into the life of the dedicated and optimistic Kent State Graduate. Â
Hometown and the importance of community
Stewart grew up in a richly diverse community and was able to find support as well as encouragement from those around her. Her hometown community still plays a huge part in her ever-growing passion for advocacy and politics, and when asked how that community impacted her activism, she responded saying, “From a young age that community has shown me what it means to have a voice and to stand up for what you believe in.”
Stewart then went on to say that many of her values stem from the individuals she grew up around and how they unintentionally, but effectually, set the standard for her to not only show up for herself but her community as well. She hasn’t forgotten her high school teachers who have shown her what it truly means to value community, and credits her family for not only hearing her dreams out and encouraging them, but holding her accountable for her words and actions.
To close out her answer she beautifully states, “Every day it’s my family—they’re always willing to listen to my ideas and to dream with me.”
Advocacy and storytelling
When Stewart came to Kent State to present for Her Campus, she spoke heavily on how voter registration and voter rights were two things she is a huge advocate for. Though those are two deeply important focuses of hers, they are not the only ones that hold her attention.
She’s an advocate for climate change, affordable healthcare and that the citizens of democracy are at the forefront of policy shifts and changes—as they are the ones who have to live with the detrimental effects that these policies can have within their community if not handled properly.
Stewart has worked with non-profit organizations and says that they are “a way to directly impact people.” She is a board member for Leaders of Today, which is one of the amazing ways she’s able to continue supporting her hometown.
Stewart has also worked on projects with Planned Parenthood, which has led her into partnerships and collaborations that have ultimately benefited the greater good of Ohioans all over the state. As a communication specialist, storytelling is a huge part of Stewart’s life. In her words, the “sky’s the limit” with storytelling. There’s no shortage of stories that need to be amplified or individuals that want to be seen and heard.
They too would like to vocalize their intercommunal social issues and concerns with the public. Stewart helps those individuals get their stories seen and heard, and if necessary—when necessary—will use her voice to, as she says, “paint a picture” for those who struggle to convey or understand an issue.
She believes that storytelling allows people to connect and I couldn’t agree more. It’s important to remember that words hold power. Use your voice, no matter how small you think it is, and like Stewart does every day, think of a way you can help make a change.
Advice: Being a woman in the field
If you hope to go into public services, advocacy or any type of political route for a future career, here is a bit of advice Stewart offers. She states that “it’s very tough work and most of the time it’s pretty uncomfortable.” You will have to interact with so many different types of people and may come to find that not everyone communicates in the same way you do.
Regardless of that fact, Stewart urges you to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and in embracing it, may find yourself learning something you’d never know otherwise. She goes on to say that doing things where you find yourself at service to your community is necessary.
Volunteering, connecting, communicating and having a good overall understanding of what’s going on within your community will not only strengthen your ties with the people in it, but will help you figure out what you value, and how you will go about enacting the change you want to see in the world.
The community within her profession is nothing short of talented and full of caring individuals. When asked what it’s like to be a woman in her field, she speaks on how she’s fortunate enough to be surrounded by strong and inspiring women.
They are not the only inspirations for Stewart, though, as she also credits female athletes, who have historically shown so much resistance in fighting double standards, all while breaking records and making history. Stewart also notes that the previous state representative of Georgia, Stacey Abrams, is one of her many inspirations. Abrams is greatly associated with advocacy for voter’s rights and accessibility.
The standards these women set and the examples they lead by are like beams of sunlight through a dark tunnel at the end of a long journey. Forever being beacons of hope and proving that even in darkness, the light that you choose to shine can be seen from miles away. What Stacey Abrams is to her, Isabelle Stewart is to me: A woman who sees value in herself, her words and her actions. Which causes me to see those same things within myself.
Isabelle Stewart is a Kent State graduate, so to anyone in the area who feels hopeless or that change won’t come anytime soon, know that it is happening in your backyard. Know that people like Stewart will fight for you and with you, so don’t be afraid to use your voice because it’s powerful in ways that can never be measured. In her last words of the interview, Stewart said that she wants young women to believe in themselves and to know that “Knowledge is power and the things that you believe in are worth fighting for.”Â
To Izzy Stewart: If you ever find yourself approaching a roadblock or feeling burnt out, just know that all the way in Kent, Ohio, your words have impacted so many women and that the chapter of Her Campus at Kent State is rooting for you. Never stop betting on yourself!