South women’s symposium explores options for females
by Mary Barrera, south news editor

    The first Women’s Symposium was a great success, according to Triesha Light, counselor and coordinator of the South Campus Women In New Roles program (WIN-R).

   The event attracted over 70 attendees to celebrate women and their roles in society.

   General session speaker, Desiree Livingston, presented Passage to India, emphasizing coming together as a global community.

   Livingston recently returned from living in India for the past two years, where she and her husband did a research study and she taught English in a remote village school.

   India and the United States have many cultural differences, Livingston said.

   One major aspect of Indian society is the caste system, a class system in which each caste has its own rules of conduct and behavior, Livingston said.

   “One place where the caste system is still well entrenched is the choosing of marriage partners in arranged marriages,” she said.

   Arranged marriages comprise approximately 99 percent of marriages in India.

   Boys in India are considered more desirable than girls, Livingston said.

   “Seventy-five percent of women live in villages with little education, few rights, strenuous and poorly paid jobs and little prospect of anything better,” she said.

   Despite the many differences, the two cultures share many similarities. Each woman has dreams, desires, wants and goals.

   “Indian women experience birth, marriage, children, death and in-laws just like we do,” she said.

   It is important to become a member of the global community and get to know other people and cultures, Livingston said.

   “It gives you a new appreciation for life, the wonderful opportunities and the freedom that you have as a U.S. citizen,” she said.

   The symposium also featured speakers Dr. Marisa Garcia-Luna, SE Campus director of counseling, and Tina Jenkins, South Campus counselor with transitional programs through continuing education.

   WIN-R and SE New Horizons sponsored the Women’s Symposium.

   For more information on these programs, contact Light at 817-515-4740 or visit www.tccd.net/win-r.