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Mindi Lane

My name is Mindi Lane and I am a rising senior at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. My majors are sociology and women's studies, with minors in political science and religion. I moved to Ohio from Minneapolis, MN at the age of eighteen. I am committed to social justice and thinking creatively about solutions to socio-structural problems of inequalities. I have worked in a variety of organizations and settings to enhance communal social change. I have led numerous workshops ranging from how media affects women's body image to the topic of fear. As editor of Wittenberg’s newspaper and as an intern in the office of admissions, I have learned invaluable lessons on leadership, establishing goals, and persistence.

This spring, I actively coordinated a pro-women project on campus. I urged students to sign petitions on causes such as pro-choice, prevention of hate crimes, and aid to women in Afghanistan. I also invited a speaker to lead a forum on how women can have more power in their lives. I am the tutor in the sociology and philosophy department, and recently I was inducted into both of those departments' honor societies. I am dedicated to bringing about social change through action. I believe that in our society, equality exists only in theory. I will continue to fight to make equality an undeniable reality.

My experience at SpiritHouse under the direction of Ruby Sales has been one of my most life-altering experiences. For the first time, I have been allowed the room to draw connections between theoretical framework and real-life experience through positive contributions to a community. Activism is not just a job; it is a way of life, and that has been reinforced by my summer as a Daniels and Younge Fellow. I have lobbied on the Hill, primarily against the USA Patriot Act, but I have also touched on the Homeland Security Bill. I have sharpened my writing and analytical skills and used those skills in a meaningful and provocative way.

The hands and hearts of the people that I work with have wonderfully laid a solid foundation for my future. I have learned how to be an active thinker, an active listener, and an active participant. My time here has been one filled with action, as well as reflection and contemplation. I feel prepared to go out into the world and be a leader in the community. My calling to a life of activism and social justice has only been made clearer by believing in the mission of SpiritHouse.