Who Am I? 24601?

24601!

Les Miserables reference aside, "who am I?" is such a large question wrapped up into a seemingly simple package.  From the looks of some of the other posts fellow students are in agreement.  After all I am still in the process of figuring out "who am I?" not to mention the fact that fitting someone into a few paragraphs on a public blog is never really a sufficient way of getting to truly know someone.  Maybe I am overanalyzing the assignment.  Maybe I have a tendency to put this sort of assignment off no matter how deceptively simply.  For the sake of the reader's sanity I'll just agree to both and continue.




I am a petite Italian Irish girl who grew up in Westchester County in a town that is two miles long and connected to the city by Metro North.  My parents both are from the city and moved to this town after I was born.  In many ways it was Stepford like and although I am of "white" descent I was treated like a minority because I didn't choose to conform into the Abercrombie lifestyle of my peers.  I wanted more than to be a housewife or defined by my husband's position in the world and unfortunately many of my town's mothers were passing on this legacy to their daughters.  These are just a few of the reasons why I am forever grateful I moved to Manhattan.  In terms of "what I wanted to be when I grew up" I originally thought movie star or fashion mogul but from early on I saw how those industries treated women and I was not comfortable going down those roads because I knew once I "made it" I would not like what I found.

Me overlooking Rio de Janeiro on top of Dois Irmaos

Eventually I did find my calling in Model United Nations where I not only got an opportunity to interact with diverse students outside my community but learn so much about ongoing events around the world.  My parents have always prioritized travelling in my life and my brother's and that has opened me up to the how beautifully diverse and multifaceted our planet is.  To date I have visited over 30 countries thanks to the effort of my parents. These trips made me more cognizant of cultural similarities and differences and how the same historical events can be viewed from multiple perspectives.  I developed a passion for human rights and helping others and as a result study International Relations and Romance Languages because I one day hope to work in International Diplomacy.  I have recently decided to solely pursue Portuguese studies and will probably live in Brazil all of next year.

The new question by now is probably, "why women in media?" To put it simply after an incident over the summer feminism saved me.  I was so afraid to speak out (and had remained silent for over  six months) but through devoting my energies into research on feminism and the movement I have grown into a stronger person who is no longer afraid to label herself a feminist.  People should not be scared to call themselves feminists without caveats or explanations that they are not that kind of feminist.  It should not be a dirty word people fear using because they think it will make them seem "too radical."  Egalitarianism in general should not be a radical ideology but the norm.  There are a number of things wrong with society and for a while I let society and fear dictate my emotions and whether I deserved to feel pain over what had happened to me.  I refuse to accept that and now fight to make people aware of the current issues that have silently permeated for far too long.  Misrepresentation of women and men in media is one major issue that must be addressed if we want to grapple this collective mentality that everything is fine the way it is.

I am not a statistic.  I am not a number.  My name is Sarah Settineri and I am passionate about travelling, baking and cooking (birthday cakes are a specialty), watching movies, learning new languages, writing, exploring the city I love, and intellectually stimulating conversation is what drives me.  I am more than my past and I believe that a better future is possible as long as we are no longer afraid to fight for it.  I currently work for Hunter College's Radio Station, WHCS, as Office Manager and the Assistant News Director and have received a number of amazing opportunities through my involvement.  It has also given me a forum for my voice.  Although media can cause some of the issues we will address in class I also feel that media has the potential to draw awareness to these issues as well.  I am looking forward to an amazing semester!