Class Year
2021
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
3-29-2019
Department 1
Center for Public Service
Abstract
I am a physics major. Or at least, I was. My class year was an average-sized group of majors; mostly cis men, mostly people I do not feel comfortable around. Jokes straight out of a Big Bang script were constantly being cracked; and though I tried to join in on the fun, I never seemed welcome in the conversation. I could act exactly like my male classmates, but something about my voice, my body, the way I carried myself, was not enough for them to accept me into the boys’ club. If I tried to be my authentic self rather than change myself to fit in, I was stared at or straight up ignored. Eventually I learned I should just be quiet. Having to spend five days a week with these classmates was not a great experience, but I had always been passionate enough about physics that I powered through. It was draining. Yet, up until last fall, I felt that I had to keep fighting through these difficulties and get a physics degree. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Perry, Anna K., "When You Love Physics, But Physics Doesn't Love You" (2019). SURGE. 344.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/surge/344
Comments
Surge is a student blog at Gettysburg College where systemic issues of justice matter. Posts are originally published at surgegettysburg.wordpress.com Through stories and reflection, these blog entries relate personal experiences to larger issues of equity, demonstrating that –isms are structural problems, not actions defined by individual prejudice. We intend to popularize justice, helping each other to recognize our biases and unlearn the untruths.