This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WPUNJ chapter.
Name: Tara Felten
Hometown: West Caldwell, NJ
Major: Gender Studies and Broadcast Journalism
Year: Sophomore
Involvement: Vice President and Public Relations Officer of The Feminist Collective; member of Young Democratic Socialists; member of CHOSEN; works on the school’s radio station, WPSC Brave New Radio.
Fun Fact: She and her sister (another WPUNJ student) have matching Deathly Hallows mark tattoos (from Harry Potter)!
Tara has made her presence known on WPUNJ’s campus. She’s either in class, fighting for a cause dear to her heart, on stage, or in front of a camera. Wherever you spot her, you are sure to catch a glimpse of her infectious smile because this girl knows how to be happy and leave a positive influence. Tara was able to share with HCWPUNJ some of her highlights of her time here at WPUNJ and what she’s got planned next!
HC: What is your favorite part of being a student at WPUNJ?
TF: Definitely the diversity! This has been my first year attending Willy P, and I have already met so many different kinds of people, and it has really broadened my perspective; I am very grateful for that.
HC: It is no secret you advocate for social justice, especially when it comes to issues about sex, gender, and sexuality. What has been your focus in terms of educating the WPUNJ community on these issues?
TF: It’s hard because I truly have an interest in so many different aspects of social justice, but trying to raise awareness for everything could be slightly overwhelming at times, so I would definitely say that this year I’ve done a lot with The Feminist Collective, and I’ve worked really hard at making our campus more aware of the issues of Feminism. I’ve done this through our general meetings, our events that the Fem Collective e-board works so hard on, and through posting on our social media different articles for people to read.
HC: What has been your favorite class to take?
TF: So far my favorite class has definitely been Gendered Lives and Society. It was my first Gender Studies class, and I loved every minute of it. I felt really safe expressing my opinion in class, learned a lot, and Professor Scillieri was just great.
HC: Spring semester is winding down; what are your summer plans?
TF: Lots of great plans, mostly involving music. I plan on attending Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Forest, Hudson Music Project, Warped Tour, and hopefully a few other festivals as well as many other concerts and events. Also my best friend from Denmark will be visiting for a month, so a bunch of great road trips and crazy fun times are definitely in store! I also picked up hula hoop dancing recently so I will be practicing that and reading a lot of fantasy novels, as well as prepping for next year’s Feminist Collective to make it as great as it can be.
HC: Do you have any advice for someone looking to become more active in raising awareness for something or to advocate for a cause?
TF: As simple or cliche as this may sound, my best advice is to just go for it. We don’t go to a huge school, but there’s a high chance that whatever it is that that you’re passionate for, somebody else is too. If you have the time and are willing to deal with all the responsibilities, start a club to advocate for your cause. Or if you can’t do that, there are many progressive clubs on this campus that would be thrilled to throw an event to cater to what it is that you care about, such as The Feminist Collective, YDS, Secular Student Alliance, Earth First, CHOSEN, and so many others!
HC: What do you hope to do after graduation?
TF: It’s still kind of hard for me to pin point exactly what it is I would like to do, but in a general sense I know that I want to do something that involves being in front of a camera of some sort, be it TV or radio. I also want to do something that involves social activism. But above all, I just hope that after graduation I find happiness, have the opportunity to travel, and can make the world a better place.
Be sure to like The Feminist Collective at facebook.com/wpufc and follow them on Twitter and Instagram @wpufc!