#13. Attend the annual Lighting the Way welcoming ceremony put on by The Center for Women and Gender

I am a third year at RIT, however until this fall I had never gone to the Lighting the Way ceremony. The ceremony is to celebrate women as a minority, and inspire strength and a drive to succeed.

Initially, I may have only wanted to attend the ceremony for the amazingly cool LED brass lantern (when you literally "light the way"), but as the years passed at RIT, I became ever more aware of the shortage of girls. When I started school, the ratio was 2:1, but sometimes it gets overwhelming and feels far worse. This was one of the major reasons I joined a sorority on campus. The support from the women of Delta Phi Epsilon cannot be compared to anything. These women have become so integral to my success and involvement on campus, I can only hope to give an adequate portion back.

Anyway, this fall during Orientation Week, on of my sisters brought up the Ceremony, and wondered if anyone wanted to go. This was my chance, and the Ceremony was truly amazing. Students spoke about their experiences, one of the heads of the Center for Women & Gender gave a hilariously impactful presentation, and finally I got my lantern (see right).