It’s no small feat to be selected to speak on a panel at the United Nations, yet that’s exactly what Maya Krishnan has accomplished.
Krishnan, a senior studying business management, is one of four students to receive a Commission on the Status of Women Fellowship this year from the local nonprofit organization WomenNC.
Students who received this fellowship have the opportunity to attend and participate in the Commission on the Status of Women conference at the United Nations in 2016. Here, they will present the research they conduct on local women’s issues as part of their fellowship as well as attend meetings and discussions.
“Looking at the book of [conference topics], it’s like going into a candy store,” Krishnan said.
Krishnan plans to conduct her research on gender inequality in positions of power.
“In politics, in businesses, why is there a disproportionately small amount of women in leadership positions?” Krishnan said.
Krishnan said she hopes to work with Lillian’s List, a local political action committee with the goal of getting women elected into leadership positions.
The theme of the 2016 conference is women and sustainable development, which Krishnan believes women in positions of power “is a big part of.”
In addition to doing and presenting hard research, fellows will develop policy recommendations related to their topics. For example, Liv Alvarado, a fellow chosen last year, did her research on women in the military and proposed policy to ensure their access to “female-specific healthcare, motherhood rights and family planning.” Fellows work with local nonprofits such as Lillian’s List, among other resources to help develop these policies.
Krishnan attributes some of her interest in women’s issues to a student-led honors seminar she took at NC State on societal perceptions of gender and sexuality.
“I had never looked at gender from an academic standpoint before, and it was absolutely fascinating,” Krishnan said. “I started getting really into issues of gender inequality and learning more about gender and sexuality.”
Though Krishnan was only very recently awarded her fellowship, she’s already excitedly thinking about her future with WomenNC.
“I hope I can contribute and give back to the organization, even after the fellowship is over,” Krishnan said. “They’re doing really great work.”
Former Commission on the Status of Women fellow and NC State alumna Katie Starr, who now works as WomenNC’s public relations chair, seems to have had the same idea.
“My experience with WomenNC as a fellow informed my work and what I did after graduating NC State,” Starr said.
Starr said advocacy and leadership are the two biggest goals of WomenNC.
“Our leadership development focuses on training and teaching students about gender issues in North Carolina and how those issues relate to global women’s issues,” Starr said.
Aside from the fellowship, WomenNC offers leadership training and advocacy opportunities and hosts events such as rallies and film screenings.
“The women involved in the organization are inspiring — they’re strong, they’re dedicated and they know their stuff,” Krishnan said. “Being in a community of women like that, people like that, is very motivating.”
