The Activist: Maggie

PROFILE:

Name: Maggie Goff
Hometown: Kenton, Ohio
Age : 21
Goals: Currently applying for PhD programs. Wants to work in violence prevention and would one day like to be a professor.
Music: "Lately I've been listening to a lot of electric swing music. I love the oldies, The xx, simon & garfunkel"

When you see Maggie, you probably first notice how cool she looks. Usually in High waisted trousers and docs , Maggie stands out from the crowd. However, in Manhattanville most people know Maggie as that girl, the one who is always behind a cause. That's great because the world needs more people like that but it's also sad because she is held to a higher standard. I hope whoever reads this is able to walk away knowing Maggie to be more than "that activist girl" but as that girl who genuinely cares.

QUESTION TIME:

1.) Is it safe to say people consider you an "activist" stereotype? How true is that and how does that make you feel?

-"Um, yeah I think that's accurate that people stereotype me that way and I mean yes, activism is a huge part of my life because it makes you think a lot. Particularly as a white person, it makes you think a lot about like power and privilege and what that means and how you fit into that system. Um, as a white person how do you stop perpetuating that system of white supremacy? And..I mean it does change a lot about the way that you think and you live your life but there are other sides to me...um, I don't know . I mean, I don't necessarily know how that makes me feel. I think it can sometimes put really high expectations on me and it also makes me feel really accountable to other people."

2.)How do you think your style , fashion and music wise even your room perpetuate the stereotype?

-" Yeah, I mean I think most people walk into my room and expect...well, I did have a tapestry I put up one time but usually I have more posters up in my room but also my room reflects something really simple. I wanted my life to be more simple. I mean my books are obviously all about theory and justice. I don't know, I'm pretty nerdy but I do like clothes my closet is really full and I have a lot of shoes...a fair amount of shoes ."(laughs)

What you don't know is Maggie is always impeccably
dressed

A couple of Maggie's shoes

Some of Maggie's books which are almost all about social theory

3.) On coming to Mville, did you think you would find your niche?

-"Yeah, I was hoping to find more people like me in college and I have found people here. I think you change a lot in college, and that changes the kind of people you hang out with and the people you seek out.

Maggie's "chest" she got from her grandmother

4.)How has Manhattanville helped you discover more of who you are and separate you from the crowd?

-"Yeah, I've had really amazing classes and professors here, who have really I guess challenged me academically and to think more critically and gave me a lot of tools and a lot of perspective on the world, I hadn't encountered before. Also, a lot of the classes I've taken have also affirmed with theory and with actual readings the ideas I already had and it makes everything I've thought and the way that I  see the world and the lens that  I use , it made it all make a lot of sense. It was like hey! I'm not the only one who thinks this way!"

"In my spare time, I like to make sentences with the random word magnets on my fridge,
 It's fun." 

5.) What about you do you think people will be surprised to know?

-"Um, surprised to know? Hmm...that's hard. I don't know. I'm a pretty what you see is what you get person. I guess I have kind of an artsy side that isn't very talented but I have that side and that's probably not very surprising." (laughs)