Jennie Erekson

My name is Jennie, not Jennifer. Remember it! I grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts and I wouldn't change that for anything. Living in such a diverse place has shaped who I am today and taught me to accept all kinds of people.

I left my urban city in Fall 2012 for UMass Amherst, a large university in rural western Massachusetts. It was a big change but that is exactly why I chose it. I had no idea where my future was headed when I came here, and that was okay. My first semester I became interested in business, and by second semester I knew it had to be marketing. I love the idea of figuring out how to attract people to a product or service, and finding the right target audience to do so. As I continue my studies I'm becoming more and more confident in the path I chose. I'm now very eager to find opportunities in market research and/or advertising.

My interest in business is not the only thing I have gained from my experience at UMass. I took a number of social diveristy and women's studies classes, mostly for general education requirements. Those classes taught me more than I ever thought possible. I became very aware of the many different kinds of oppression that affect our country and world. The form of oppression that I feel most passionately about stopping is gender oppression. Women have internalized the notion that they are inferior to men whether they realize it or not. The gender oppression women face breaks my heart and I make it my duty every day to remind the women around me that they are capable and worthy of doing anything they want.

I would love to combine these two passions in my future career. Wherever I end up working I will do anything possible to make sure women are treated equal to men. I will be aware of what is going on around me and I will speak up if I see gender oppression in the act. I will do this while pursuing my passion for marketing and I can't imagine anything making me happier than that.