Senior political science student Eva Rodriguez is one of 10 students selected to serve on a national advisory council with the Association of American University Women. The group promotes gender equity at universities.
“As a first-generation student [and a] woman of color going to Boise State," says Rodriguez, "there are a lot of issues that impact me personally and I would just like to be part of the organization that can facilitate things for the next generation of women students.”
Rodriguez says after college, she wants to take lessons she’s learned from the council in creating gender equity. She’s thought a lot about what’s keeping women away from politics.
“They kind of doubt their qualifications for public office, they think that they need more degrees, more work experience than maybe their male counterparts. So that’s an issue that we’re hopefully trying to address.”
But instead of aspiring to elected office, she wants to focus on public policy. After graduating in the spring from Boise State, Rodriguez wants to go to grad school at UCLA to study urban planning, and give back to the community in L.A. where she grew up.
She hopes to see more women get involved in public service careers at all levels as her generation comes of age.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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