Continuing the Fight

Officers of the Dickinson College AAUW accept an award during a March 28 ceremony. From left: Maddie Jones ’19, vice president; Margot Abrahams ’17, president; and Angelica Mishra 19, secretary.

Officers of the Dickinson College AAUW accept an award during a March 28 ceremony. From left: Maddie Jones ’19, vice president; Margot Abrahams ’17, president; and Angelica Mishra ’19, secretary.

Award recognizes student organization's inaugural year

As Women’s History Month drew to a close, an iconic grassroots organization shone a spotlight on a Dickinson club devoted to improving the lives of women and their families. The Carlisle, Pa., chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) honored Dickinson’s AAUW chapter during an on-campus ceremony recognizing exceptional work throughout the student organization's inaugural year.

Founded in 1881 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AAUW is a national nonprofit organization with an extensive network that includes approximately 1,500 branches and 500 higher-ed partner organizations. At the beginning of March, in conjunction with International Women's Day, local AAUW branches announce the recipients of the organization's annual Gateway to Equity Awards, honoring individuals, groups, organizations and businesses that have advanced AAUW goals through advocacy, education, philanthropy or research. 

Representatives from the Carlisle, Pa., chapter presented the award to Dickinson AAUW President Margot Abrahams ’17, a women's, gender & sexuality studies major, Vice President Maddie Jones ’19 (environmental studies, international studies), and Secretary Angelica Mishra ’19 (women's, gender & sexuality studies, political science) during a March 28 ceremony in the Holland Union Building. Abrahams and Jones had co-founded Dickinson's AAUW chapter with help from Mishra and under guidance of Becky Hammel, associate vice president for student leadership, in 2015-16, and in the months since, the Dickinson AAUW launched a voter registration campaign, helped build coalitions on campus and co-sponsored awareness-raising events, such as public-policy discussions on wage gaps and gender discrimination in the workplace. 

“The founding members all wanted this club to make an impact on our community and bring empowerment to all women on campus, and it seems we are heading in the right direction," said Abrahams, who noted that the skills, national resources and connections student members gain can reap benefits well after graduation. "This award will help to give AAUW more momentum to continue to fight for women's rights and equality."

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Published March 30, 2017