{"id":58713,"date":"2014-03-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-student-group-helps-women-find-their-way-on-campus-and-thrive\/"},"modified":"2014-03-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T00:00:00","slug":"uri-student-group-helps-women-find-their-way-on-campus-and-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2014\/03\/uri-student-group-helps-women-find-their-way-on-campus-and-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 student group helps women find their way on campus \u2013 and thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tWOWW, or We\u2019re Offering Women Wisdom, instills confidence, nurtures friendships, engages in community work<\/p>\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2014 March 6, 2014 \u2014 When Aimee Barone first arrived at the 溏心vlog免费B站, she felt both elated and distressed. Happy because she was finally in college, overwhelmed because she was alone, away from family and friends.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI remember feeling like I didn\u2019t have anyone to turn to,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s a tough feeling when you\u2019re in a new place.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tThen one day, when life was just trudging along, she heard about a student group that helps women find a home away from home on campus. Barone went to a meeting and \u201cinstantly felt the love and sense of community\u201d in the room.<\/p>\n


\n\tWOWW, or We\u2019re Offering Women Wisdom, brought her into the fold \u2013 and changed her life. Now a junior, Barone is secretary of the group and one of its biggest fans, crediting it with giving her and other female students a sense of community. <\/p>\n


\n\tOne of the reasons the group is so successful, Barone says, is that older students in the group guide younger ones. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors remain in the organization after joining as freshmen to mentor newly arrived students.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cThat mentoring is so important,\u201d says Barone. \u201cIt definitely helps having that older girl who has gone through what a new student is going through. They can listen, or just give advice on where to take a shower or eat in the dining hall.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tFounded in 2004, the group has grown from a handful of students to an average of 35 to 50 today. Members meet every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Women\u2019s Center, 22 Upper College Road, on the Kingston campus. No one is turned away, and that appeals to Barone. \u201cIt\u2019s non-judgmental and welcoming,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Barone, of Johnston, was a shy freshman when she came to the 溏心vlog免费B站 campus three years ago. Although she knew her roommate in her residence hall, she didn\u2019t connect immediately with other students on her floor. Greek life and athletic groups were not for her. A friend suggested she check out WOWW.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cAt that first meeting I liked what the girls were saying,\u201d Barone says. \u201cThey seemed caring and generous. It was a great community.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tShe went to the next meeting, and the one after that. She teamed up with a mentor, Amelia, who helped her with the ups and downs of college life. The two bonded over coffee and burgers. Amelia even helped Barone cope with a close relative\u2019s breast cancer diagnosis. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what I would have done without her,\u201d says Barone. \u201cShe was there for me, just to talk to. It was really great to have an older girl to confide in, and one who really cared.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nBarone thrived among other \u201cWOWW girls\u201d and now relishes her role on the group\u2019s executive board. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be alone on this huge campus,\u201d she says. \u201cI love it when I walk around the campus and see a WOWW girl. It gives me a sense of community. I feel like I fit in.\u201d

\nCommunity service brings members together and gives them a way to reach beyond the University. This year, members made Halloween bags for children at St. Mary\u2019s Home for Children in North Providence, donated Christmas toys to a single mother and her four children, made Valentine\u2019s Day cards for an assisted living complex in North Smithfield, and raised money for cancer research during a campus walk.<\/p>\n


\nMembers also talk about timely topics relevant to students\u2019 today: study habits; nutrition; time management; stress; campus involvement; sexual assault; domestic violence, and substance abuse. <\/p>\n


\nOne of Barone\u2019s favorite events is \u201cBreaking Boundaries,\u201d during which members meet in a quiet room and discuss personal issues in a safe and nurturing place. The bonding is unique \u2013 and treasured, says Barone.<\/p>\n


\nThat inclusiveness is why Emily Wacha, of Teaneck, N.J., joined when she transferred to 溏心vlog免费B站 as a sophomore two years ago. Transferring to a college is tough, says Wacha, since most students have already made friends.<\/p>\n

WOWW came into her life when she walked over to a booth not long ago at a student event. The members were welcoming, but not overbearing. \u201cThey wanted to take me under their wing,\u201d she says. \u201cFirst impressions are everything and I thought, \u2018These people are just like me.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n


\nHer mentor, Ericka, eased the homesickness with her kindness and generosity. She introduced Wacha to other students, let her stay overnight in her apartment if she wanted a break from dorm life, and offered advice about everything from academics to restaurants.

\n\u201cEricka was my family away from home,\u201d says Wacha. \u201cI always had a place to go.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nNow Wacha is the self-confident and enthusiastic recruitment co-chairwoman for the group. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cWOWW is part of me,\u201d says Wacha. \u201cI feel like what makes me a part of 溏心vlog免费B站 is WOWW. It\u2019s a place where you can grow and develop. It\u2019s a place where you can be who you are, and what\u2019s more important than that.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe group has about 100 alumnae, including many who return to campus every year to honor a former member. On April 12, members will gather to remember Lindsay Anne Freeman, of Clinton, N.J., a 2009 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate who died in a car accident in 2011, at the age of 24. The group hands out a \u201cLive.LAF.Love\u201d award to a current member who embodies Freeman\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cA lot of the alumnae come back for the event,\u201d says Wacha. \u201cIt brings us even closer to WOWW and what it means: unity.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nPictured above

\nMembers of We\u2019re Offering Women Wisdom, or WOWW, at the 溏心vlog免费B站. For information, please email WOWW@etal.uri.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\nOn left, Aimee Barone, secretary of WOWW, and Emily Wacha, recruitment co-chairwoman for WOWW. Barone, a junior, is majoring in elementary education and psychology. Wacha, also a junior, is majoring in business administration.<\/p>\n


\nLindsay Anne Freeman \u201909, a former member of WOWW who died in a car accident in 2011 and is honored every year by the group.<\/p>\n


\nPhotos courtesy of Aimee Barone.\n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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