Alexis Rickmers, a UNT senior double-majoring in political science and english, is no stranger to ambition. With dreams of law school, working in a Title IX office, and redefining the “crazy woman” narrative, Rickmers is the quintessential tenacious woman.
So you’re double-majoring in political science and english literature, what led you to this choice?
I chose Political Science because I love government. In the nerdiest way possible, I absolutley love it. I especially love political theory and learning how all of those old theories on human nature translated into an infrastructure that runs entire countries. I also have always loved English classes, so I decided to make it my other major for fun!
What specific job, career plan, or goals are you currently working towards? Any specific plans for the future?
I am currently working towards law school! I want to do Civil Rights or Education law to do Title IX work. Title IX is one of the federal statutes in the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 and it protects against sex discrimination in any federally funded institution of activity. It’s more commonly known to be used in campus rape cases such as the fiasco currently happening at Baylor.
Why does this specific career interest you and what are you hoping to accomplish through it?
I initially became interested in this issue when I watched the incredible documentary “The Hunting Ground,” which is about the rising campus rape epidemic. I am extremely passionate about this issue, so going to law school would help me get a job in a Title IX office on a campus, or to obtain my dream job of working for the Department of Education.
What organizations are you a part of?
I’m in a few organizations on and off campus! I am an Executive Councilor for Moot Court, Advocate General for Student Government, and a Board Director for the League of Women Voters Denton chapter. I’ll start with Moot Court, which is essentially Constitutional Law debate. Every year we get a hypothetical Supreme Court case and partners (my partner is Kristen DeWilde) create 10 minute arguments that are then presented in front of a panel of judges that acts as the mock Supreme Court at tournaments across the country. This year, our case is about voter ID laws and whether or not they are discriminatory to certain groups of people. One thing I love about Moot Court is how it focuses on pertinent issues, which makes it constantly challenging and interesting. Last year we looked at immigration and the year before that was an abortion case modeled after the Texas sonogram law! In a non-hyperbolic way, Moot Court is my favorite thing in the world. It’s been so incredible to learn about Constitutional Law and dive into it with a group of people that also find debating the Constitution fun. Kristen and I have had a really successful partnership and were ranked 9th in the country at Nationals last year!
In addition to the amazing experiences that you just outlined, what else have you gained through these organizations, either personally or academically or in any other human-y way?
Through the League of Women Voters I have gained a really unique insight into local elections and government that I don’t believe I would have seen without joining. Every month we have a board meeting and general meeting where local women politicians speak and we discuss the current challenges to voting policies in Texas/Denton. One fun thing is that I am the youngest member of the Board, so all the older women have hilarious stories and anecdotes that are different from people my age.
Outside of school and work, what are some goals that you have for yourself? What are some interests or hobbies?
Well, I love school so this is hard, but I love reading! I am trying to read all the “classics” of literature currently so I do that in my free time. I’m also re-watching Gilmore Girls! Which, to me, is very important. As far as goals go, I am trying to intern at the Department of Education in the summer of 2017. This past summer I interned for the Senate Majority Whip, John Cornyn, and it was so incredible being in D.C. that I want to go back as soon as possible!
You are incredibly driven and ambitious. Who are some women that inspire you? Why?
Oh wow, this is an awesome question. So the first person that comes to mind is Andrea L. Pino, who is one of the main women in “The Hunting Ground” documentary that began a nationwide initiative to report rape on campus and help students file Title IX suits. I was definitely a feminist when I watched that documentary 2 years ago, but it literally put everything I had been trying to figure out in focus. What they did was so incredible for thousands of women and it was motivated by personal experience from being treated horribly by their colleges. She is so amazing to me and always will be, that documentary is the reason I want to do Title IX work. The next women that I think of are all of the women on the Supreme Court. Since constitutional law is a big interest of mine, it’s incredible to watch three powerful women give the collective narrative of women in America a voice at the highest entity of law. Especially Sonia Sotomayor, who is hispanic and has an active voice for the treatment of women of color in our country.
What do you think it means to be a feminist in 2016? Why is feminism so important to you?
I love love love this question because I think about it a lot! If I had to sum it up, being a feminist in 2016 is about community. Every time I meet another woman I’m looking for a chance to lift her up and talk about how we can make it better for all of us, and I’m really lucky to have this in different areas of my life. In Moot Court I’ve met so many incredibly intelligent woman, and we always have a mini-celebration when a woman, even if she’s from a different school, wins Top Speaker or Top Team at a tournament. These fields, law especially, are so male dominated that it’s an awesome feeling watching women prevail in them. My roommates last year, Darby McMakin and Michelle Larva, were also incredibly helpful in working through feminist ideas and how I can be better at it. We would all get home at the end of the week and sit in our living room discussing things that happened to us, good and bad. It’s all of those little achievements and support that make me realize how feminism is a collective movement that everyone needs to be working towards together. I’ve actually taken up a new project for myself and my friends to focus on this year, and that’s to end the narrative of the “crazy woman.” I grew up thinking that it was normal to be called crazy and to put down other women for “acting psycho,” but sometime earlier this year it just hit me how damaging that is to women, and how damaging it was to me at one point. So as far as my personal feminist goals in 2016, it is to eliminate that narrative from my lexicon and make others around me conscious as well. Lastly, I have had some amazing men in my life support feminism and I think that’s incredibly important in 2016, especially when a misogynist is running for President. My dad has always been a feminist, and has made sure I knew how important equality was growing up. When I was in high school, he sat my brother and I down to watch “Miss-representation,” which is a film on how women are hyper-sexualized in the media and magazines and how wrong that was. Going through high school with a dad who was so unlike the other dads my friends had was an awesome experience.