Coming Together: Analysis

                Family has come to mean more to me than just the people I live with or who I’m related to. Throughout this semester, “family” has come to mean the people I learn from, the people I love, the people I share memories with, and the people I know (and the people who know me) better than anyone. Seeing my family through the lens of cultural artifacts has helped me see a new side of my family and build a greater appreciation for them. Through understanding my family better, I’ve been able to see more of who I really am, and how I’ve become the person I am today because of my family.

            One of things I have come to realize and appreciate is how much my parents have prepared me for the “real world” and how they’ve helped me to cultivate my interests and personality, both of which have helped me to be able to be happy and successful. They have encouraged me to do things, and make habits that will be in my benefit. They allowed me to make the decision to do the things they encouraged me to do, so that I could continue to do those things not because someone was forcing me to do them, but because I truly believed my life would be better because of it; to make the right decisions because I wanted to, not because they wanted me to. Because of this, I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of hard things.

            Something hard my family has gone through is having my Grandma Great move in with us. When my great aunt, who Grandma had lived with for much of the last portion of her life, passed away, Grandma came to live at our house. She was very comfortable at our house, because she would often come spend weeks at a time while my great aunt traveled to places too far for Grandma Great to go. After Aunt June’s passing, when she moved in with us, Grandma struggled a lot more to remember things. When she had come to stay at our house before, she was very independent, but now requires much more care. Because my parents encouraged me and my siblings to be independent, we have the skills we need to make it so we are able to help care for her. My younger sisters are able to make her breakfast in the mornings when my mom works, and my brothers help her make her way to and from the car, ensuring that she won’t fall. They are able to be sensitive to her needs, and take care of her in every way possible. We have been able to incorporate Grandma into our immediate family, and have been able to fulfill the needs that she has.

            The experience has taught my family a lot about patience. Because of Grandma’s waning memory, we have to keep track of whether or not she took her pills and answer the same questions multiple times a day.  My dad is a wonderful example of patience as he tucks her into bed each night. It has shown me the depth of family ties that can be formed, even throughout generations.

            I hope that in my future family, I will be able to raise my children in such a way that will prepare them to face the world and its challenges. I hope that I will be able to ignite a love of learning in my children, as my parents have in me. I want my children to be able to have deep ties to their grandparents, like my dad has with his grandma, as well as ties with their cousins and aunts and uncles. I love my family and I love the traditions that my parents have begun, the connections my extended family has, and I want to continue those things in my future family.

"Never Get Old"

I sit at my desk in school, anticipating going home. I know that when I come through the door my great-grandmother, who my family calls Grandma Great, will be there. She’ll be sitting in her chair crocheting or folding laundry, or she’ll be in the kitchen straightening up or doing dishes. I love the visits, usually a few weeks at a time, when she comes and stays at my house. When I get home from school, I’ll climb up on her lap. I tell her my stories, read her my favorite picture books, and in return she captivates me with stories of her own. She tells me about all my more distant aunts, uncles, and cousins- people I rarely see but am intrigued by because of the stories she tells me about them. She recounts to me her childhood and adolescence; she tells of the things she did with her kids, then later her grandkids.

I love to help Grandma Great. She lets me make her coffee in the mornings, and tells me it’s the best coffee in the world. I thrive off of her praise, thrilled that of all the people who make her coffee in the mornings, the coffee made by me is her favorite. She tells me how smart I am, and has me help her count her money, or find something important in her purse. I sign and address birthday cards for her, to be sent to all of her grandchildren and other great-grandchildren, all of which she knows the birthdays of and how old they’re turning. I’m honored that she asks me to do these things for her, instead of asking my mom or my dad to do it for her.

            Over the years, Grandma’s visits have gradually made her an integral part of my life. I share my room with her when she comes. She comes shopping, to the park, and to the zoo with my family- wherever we go, she comes too. Every time she comes, it seems as if she had never left. She’s awake when I get up in the morning, waiting for her coffee; she’s there when I get home from school, bustling around. She makes cinnamon rolls or bread with me, teaching me recipes and tricks she had learned when she was young. She always keeps track of where I’m going and when I’m supposed to be there. Her energetic presence is constant and predictable; a part of my life that makes everything comfortable and seem as though things will never go wrong.

            Now, a few years later, as Grandma arrives, we walk out to help her into the house, my mom on one side of her and I on the other. My brothers run out to grab her bags, including the large one that rattles with all the medications she now must take, as well as with the new addition of her “pink Cadillac”- the walker her doctor encouraged her to purchase. My brothers carry the bags to the bedroom on the main floor, where she stays because she can no longer climb the stairs. She carefully eases herself down into her chair in the corner of the front room, where she has always sat. She loves this spot because the sun shines through the windows on her and keeps her worn body warm, though now she keeps a blanket over her legs as well. I sit down next to her and tell her about what I’ve been doing recently, and she responds with questions I’ve already answered. While we talk, her frail hand grasps mine. Grandma soon falls asleep in her chair. Her cat-naps in the sun are quite frequent. Her crocheting, laundry-folding, and electronic poker have been exchanged for these peaceful, needed naps. In fact, her trips to the store or out to lunch- pretty much everywhere- have been replaced by these naps. Even just having company visit tires her quickly, let alone a trip to the store or out to dinner. Almost as tiring for her is trying to remember if and when company is coming that day, what she needs at the store, and when it’s time for her to eat.

            The next morning my mom is at work. I awake, make myself some breakfast, and wait for Grandma to get up. She comes in and I put her hot chocolate and half of a bagel at her spot at the table. She nibbles at her bagel and sips at her cocoa. She swallows her pills, taking painstaking care not to drop any as she shakes them out of the bottles, and looks over at me from the side of her right eye, the place where she has a bit of blurry vision left. “I’ve taken my pills,” she informs me. She continues to nibble and sip until her breakfast is gone. “I took my pills already, right?” she says with a lack of conviction. “Yes Grams,” I respond. As she makes her way to her room to put her pills away I remind her to let me know when she’s ready to shower. This is something Grandma Great has only recently begun needing help with, and something I have never had to help her with.

            She comes down the hall pushing her pink Cadillac laden with her shower supplies and clothes for the day. I follow her to the bathroom. She double checks to make sure she has everything she needs, then begins to undress her frail, wrinkled body. Once, when my brother was younger he had asked how tall she thought she’d be if we ironed out all her wrinkles. Seeing her exposed body now, I realize that she would be much taller than he probably thought. “Your mother usually starts the water before I get in, to make sure it’s the right temperature,” she indicates while she struggles with her clothing. I start the water, and get it to what I hope is the right temperature, and help her into the shower, handing her the soap.

            I always thought that Grandma would be around forever; that she’d never grown older and would never start to; that her memory would never fade. But it did. Old was something that it seemed that a person was. Old was something that meant you had gray hair, and told a lot of stories about the good old days. It was something you were, not something you grew to be, and it surely wasn’t something that continued to affect you and change you. But now, I see the toll time charges. Time had been waiting, and when it got its opportunity it had hastily snatched her body and her mind.

I see that old means change, that old is not just gray hair like I once thought it to be. A child grew to an adult, and then with age, that adult turned back almost to a child again. This rang true to me as I finished helping Grandma with a task she had been doing herself for ninety years.

            Soon, grandma is done showering. I help her out of the shower, and help her dry her back. Bare, cold and naked, Grandma seems so small. Just taking a short shower has exhausted her. As I turn to leave, she sighs, “Never get old, my dear.”

Branching into STEM: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

“Civil Engineering,” I say. “Statistics,” my roommate responds. Our dates pause for a second, before commenting that is not what they were expecting. This surprise is not uncommon and is frequently followed with comments about the male-domination of the field and questions about what it’s like to be one of few women in classes packed with men. 

Only half a century ago, women had very defined roles, particularly in the workforce. Women’s participation in non-traditional fields has become more widely accepted, and even encouraged. However, women’s participation in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) fields is still extremely low. “Increased access has not led to major changes in the degree to which women receive the educational preparation needed to broaden their occupational choices. We believe the limited impact... is due in large part to learned behaviors resulting from classroom instruction which subtly teaches "appropriate" behavior for boys and for girls” (Scott and McCollum 174). Gender stereotypes and biases, beginning in childhood education, have a substantial effect on women’s entrance and success in STEM fields.

Practices that dissuade women to enter into science and math-based fields emerge in elementary school, and sometimes earlier. The way the teacher responds to female and male students, the way the classroom is arranged, and the socialization that begins in the classroom have an effect on how girls feel about STEM fields and their ability to succeed in them. “Girl's everyday interactions with teachers and with other students contribute significantly to the slow change that has occurred in sex equity" (Scott and McCollum 174). Many factors of teacher-student interaction and student-peer interaction are to blame. "Too often, classroom dynamics are laced with unconscious sex stereotypes, as when teachers spend more time with boys in math classes and more time with girls in reading classes" (Vandell).

Stereotypes formed in elementary school are constantly reinforced by teachers, which drives students to mistakenly believe they excel in a subject or do poorly in a subject. In an interview with a female high school calculus teacher, she expressed that she believes these reinforced stereotypes play a huge role, even into her Calculus classes, in how students perceive their ability to do math. She said that often many of her highest performing students in the class are females, but that frequently they would tell her that they didn’t think they were good at math. She also observed the opposite of her male students; many males who were performing at an average level felt that they were excellent at math. How can this affect women’s entrance into STEM fields? People want to do something they feel that they can succeed in. When girls feel they are not exceeding in math, they will not want to go into math-based fields. However, if they were able to see past the deeply-carved stereotypes and see their ability to excel in math, they may choose a different path.

The slow chiseling of a girl’s perception of herself and her abilities in STEM, and desire to go into, and stay in, those fields also take place outside of the education system. "Some [sociocultural factors] included socialization experiences in the family, school practices that discriminate against girls, and societal expectations that girls and women were not "supposed" to be high achievers, or at least on these measures" (Pollard 92). These societal expectations play a large role, especially if a young woman has managed to overcome the many factors dissuading her from childhood. Some may suppose that women just aren't as drawn to STEM fields. This could or could not be the case, but the facts are clear that women who are interested in these fields are not pursuing them. "While only males of low competence dropped out of math and science courses, females of high competence were often also dropping out. These young women had experienced a loss of self-confidence prior to any exhibited loss of performance in their math and science classes" (Brainard 135). It’s not that women don’t have the brains, or the ability- or even the desire- to succeed in these fields; it’s that they don’t feel like they fit in to the group or don’t feel like they can succeed. There are definitely some societal issues causing bright young girls to feel like they cannot succeed in these fields, resulting in few women beginning a degree, let alone finishing a degree, in STEM fields.

The reality is that most women will pursue careers such as education and the humanities. Statistics just as staggering as how few women participate in STEM, is the percentage of women going into Health Science and Education areas. Over 75% of people participating in postsecondary education in those fields are women (“Gender Equity in Education: A Data Snapshot”). These fields are considered more "useful" to women, because many feel that they are more pertinent in a woman's traditional roles of being a homemaker and mother. Because of this, women who go into fields considered non-traditional can often feel classified as a "career woman" or more feminist, even though that may not describe her. "Before (and even shortly after) World War II, the proper priorities for women were widely held to be marriage and motherhood first and science second, and good science was believed to be all-consuming. The notion that women could simultaneously be traditional mother and productive scientists seemed to be patently absurd" (Cole 121). I would argue that this mentality still exists. Almost without fail, when people ask what I'm studying and I respond "Civil Engineering," they'll ask "and what do you want to do with that?" My response, of "be a mom" often brings surprise and questions about why I would pursue engineering "just to be a mom." Sometimes I do find the lengthy schooling ahead and the difficult classes for my major somewhat discouraging, but I remember that not only will I have an excellent set of skills to get a job if needed, but I will acquire problem-solving, patience, and perseverance. These skills, learned through sticking with it in Engineering will benefit me, my husband, my kids, and many others in the future. Though not "traditional," STEM areas provide wonderful opportunities to acquire skills that prove to be more beneficial then they first may appear.   

Not only can a degree in STEM be beneficial to a woman, a woman can be beneficial to the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Christine Inkley, a Mechanical Engineering student at Utah State, said she feels it’s beneficial for women to be in Engineering because “we can provide a different perspective” (Inkley). When a field becomes dominated by one gender, it loses the strength of having the perspectives, strengths, and ideas that both genders can offer. The stereotypes assigned to certain areas of study can greatly limit that field because the group becomes so homogenized and that lack of diversity hinders the field due to limited personalities and perspectives. Stereotypes, such as those that women who participate in STEM do not want to be mothers, build the foundation on which the lack of women in those fields are built. These generalizations obligate women to enter certain areas of study and occupations because they feel pressure because of societal expectations, thus hindering the woman and STEM.

Stereotype threat is “being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one’s group” (Stroessner). The effects of stereotype threat are huge. “In education, it can also lead students to choose not to pursue the domain of study and, consequently, limit the range of professions that they can pursue” (Stroessner). Stacie Gregory, a PhD student at Utah State, conducted research regarding women in the Engineering Department. She wanted to study the occurrence of stereotype threat in the department. She explored if stereotype threat was contributing to the lack of female students in the college, and the even more miniscule graduation rate for women in the College of Engineering. She expressed finding that the stereotype threat caused women, as the minority, to feel they had to “prove” themselves in their classes. This caused women who were performing at an average, or even above average, level to feel they were not succeeding.

Some of the factors Gregory discussed in relation to stereotype threat included interaction with male students, feeling isolated from other women in the department, and very importantly the woman’s interactions with her teachers. A possibly unforeseen effect of so few women graduating in STEM fields is that the male-domination present even among professors and teachers in those fields. The repercussions of this can have a detrimental effect on women trying to gain their education in STEM. Women who are already outnumbered by their male peers, struggle to feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help from male professors. When women don’t feel as comfortable asking questions as their male peers do, it can having damaging effects on their feelings about their success and their overall ability to succeed in those courses. Stereotype threat resulting from teacher-student interactions can occur when women feel that they don’t relate to these professors, or feel they are outwardly discriminated against by their professors. Some examples Gregory used included professors using only the pronoun “he,” a lack of effort to get to know students and connect with them, and addressing the class as if they were all male.

Gregory’s interest in studying this topic resulted from her experience with stereotype threat. She had graduated in engineering, and even practiced engineering for a few years, but due to the male-dominance of the field she quit because she never felt she “fit in” or was accepted into the group. So, she went back to school for another degree, this time studying Engineering Education, not because she did not like her career but because she felt out of place. She said that finding out about stereotype threat, and studying it, helped her understand why she felt the way she did and better deal with it. She hopes to educate more women in fields such as Engineering about this threat, so that they can cope with it, and feel empowered in their ability to succeed in the field.

As a female student majoring in Civil Engineering, I have experienced many of these same things, even early in my educational career. I excelled in math and science throughout junior high and high school; I did my elementary school science fair projects on concrete. It seemed Engineering was just the thing for me. But, I quickly found myself in engineering classes filled with men, with only a couple of other women. I found myself feeling the need to prove myself in the field, and finding myself feeling I had failed when I performed at an average, or even above average level. I quickly became discouraged and found myself wondering whether or not I should continue to pursue Engineering. Then, I participated in Gregory's study, in which we discussed stereotype threat and as she asked questions about how I felt about the field. I found that my feelings were common to other women in the field, and that there were ways to be successful despite them. I believe that educating girls, women, parents, and educators about stereotype threat for women in STEM fields can help more women go into and succeed in these fields.

It is clear. It’s not that women do not have to opportunity to succeed in STEM fields, or the opportunities to participate in the fields. Fifty-seven percent of postsecondary students are women. The percentage of girls and boys taking, and passing, AP tests are nearly equal. However, women made up less than 25% of students in STEM programs nationally in 2009-2010 (“Gender Equity in Education: A Data Snapshot”). Stereotyping and the resulting stereotype threat causes women to feel they are not succeeding or can’t succeed.

Works Cited

Brainard, Suzanne G. and Linda Carlin. “A Longitudinal Study of Undergraduate Women in Engineering and Science.” Frontiers in Education Conference, Vol. 1. 1997. 134-143. Web.

Cole, Jonathan R. and Harriet Zuckerman. “Marriage, Motherhood and Research Performance in Science.” Scientific American. 1987. 119-125. Web.

Inkley, Christine. Personal Interview. 15 April 2014.

Mahoney, Mark P. "Students' Attitudes Toward STEM: Development of an Instrument for High School STEM-Based Programs." The Journal of Technology Studies (n.d.): 24-34. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

Office for Civil Rights, and U.S. Department of Education. "Gender Equity in Education: A Data Snapshot." (2012): n. pag. Web. 1 Apr. 2014

Pollard, Diane. “Gender and Achievement.” Gender and Education. Eds. Sari Knopp Biklen and Diane Pollard. Chicago, IL: NSSE, 1993. 90-106. Print.

Scott, Elois and Heather McCollum. “Making It Happen: Gender Equitable Classrooms.” Gender and Education. Eds. Sari Knopp Biklen and Diane Pollard. Chicago, IL: NSSE, 1993. 174-190. Print.

Stroessner, Steven, Catherine Good, and Lauren Webster. “ReducingStereotypeThreat.Org.” Reducing StereotypeThreat.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 April 2014.

A Family Tree

Each of the generations of my family tree are quite similar. My parents are about the same age, all my grandparents are about the same age, and my great-grandparent were all born around the same time, with all of my great-grandfathers passing away long before my great-grandmothers. In fact, I have known three of my four great-grandmothers, but none of my great-grandfathers were still living when I was born. Because of this, I know little about these men compared to what I know about the rest of the names that appear on my family tree. Although, because of the similar ages and places in which my great-grandparents live, much of the information I know about those that were, and are, living can be extrapolated to the other ancestors.

                Another interesting feature of my four-generation tree is that only one of my ancestors was born outside of Utah; Edward Thomas Chbat Allam was born in Syria. This plays an important role in my family history because this line ends after Edward’s parents; the line from Lebanon and Syria can’t be traced further because of the political turmoil in the Middle East. It’s this line that’s responsible for the olive skin that is characteristic of my mom’s side of the family. The rest of my family comes from a mix of European blood, with the exception of Runolfson coming from Iceland. My Icelandic ancestor Runolfur Runolfson immigrated to Spanish Fork, which is why my family has strong roots there (and such a strange last name).

                Because my family has been in Utah for many generations, most of my family still resides here, which has created an emphasis on extended family in my life. This results in extended family dinners every Sunday, close relationships with my cousins, and strong bonds with my grandparents. This part of my family tree has been extremely important to me, because these relationships have shaped who I am and the way I live my life.

The Paper Trail

My little sister is a crafter. She carries with her, almost everywhere we go, a shoe box with paper, markers, scissor, glue, stickers, beads, string, and whatever other crafty items she happens to be obsessed with at the time (which for everyone’s sake, is hopefully not glitter). From this box, she leaves a little paper trail wherever she goes. If it weren’t for the wonderful little treasure she produced, these remnants of her projects would be enough to drive a person, especially a mother, absolutely insane. But my sister is a tender-hearted girl that tries to make everyone filled loved, and showing her affection often comes in the form of the projects that emerge from this little craft box. She’s constantly producing cards, pictures, origami swans and hearts, and any other things from her imagination that she can bring to life. For Father’s Day this past year, however, she had something a little out of the ordinary, yet very fitting planned for my daddy.

                My dad is a Coke drinker. Every day when he gets home from work, he sits down to read the paper and drink his Coke. Along with drinking Coke, his favorite T-shirt happens to be his classic, red, “Drink Coca-Cola” T-shirt, which my mom must replace periodically so he won’t continue wearing it even when it has holes in it. With this in mind, my little sister made dad’s Father’s Day gift: a coke can with a paper model of dad on it. She cut out a picture of his head, taped glued it to a cut out Coca-Cola T-shirt, glued to a pair of blue jeans, with two flexing arms coming out from behind the sleeves of the shirt. A perfect replica of dad, stuck on his favorite thing- a can of Coke.

                This homemade gift was perfect. In it you could see Abby’s meticulous craftiness- the pieces glued on together very precisely, and her desire to please dad by giving him something she knew he’d love, with her own personal touch added. The gift is a reflection of dad, both literally and figuratively- the can of Coke, his favorite outfit comprised of his T-shirt and blue jeans, his beloved muscles (which he likes to show off frequently), and the crazy face he’s making in the picture- are all of a physical likeness of him, but also show his personality. He’s laid-back and casual, funny and crazy to no end, and wants us to think he’s the coolest dad ever. Which of course, we do! This was one of the best gifts I have seen given and received, because it was a perfect reflection of both the giver and receiver, something no store-bought gift could have rivaled.

Formally Informal

My family is not a family that enjoys family pictures. At all. So when we’re forced to take a formal photo, ours doesn’t usually turn out like most families. This picture was taken a couple of summers ago, when the whole Runolfson side got together one night to get a big family picture. The photographer also offered to take a few pictures of each individual family: this was my family’s result.

                This picture tells a lot about my family. For example, you may be wondering “why are their heads tipped at a 90 degree angle?” My junior year of high school for the homecoming dance, my date and I were getting our pictures taken and the photographer insisted we tip our heads close to together. He kept insisting until they were tipped at an awkward angle, then snapped the picture. The picture looked horrendous. My parents, then, when we were taking this picture said “let’s take a picture like Marissa and Keven,” referring to the dance picture, and tipped their heads like that. That describes my parents perfectly: always taking an opportunity to tease, and laugh about things that have happened. The fact that my head and my brother Will’s head are tipped also speak about what we are like. My brother and I love to go along with a joke. Even when it may be one of us that’s being teased.

                Sitting in the front row, from left to right is Janie, Riley and Abby. Janie is a little, quite sassy girl, that likes to be in the loop. In this picture she has the expression that she knows something is going on that she doesn’t quite get, but wants to figure out. Riley, knowing this about her, is laughing at her expression. Riley loves to laugh, but is not usually in on “the joke,” as shown in this picture. Abby, sits there, still facing the camera and smiling, although blinking right as the picture is snapped. This represents a big part of Abby’s personality; she often is in her own little world, doing her own thing. She’s very sweet and obedient, and hence is still looking at the camera, even though the rest of the family is doing something completely different.

                This picture is a great representation of my family, and our love of laughter, and our ability to tease each other and have fun. I love the way it shows how my family interacts with each other, and I love that it really captures the moment, and captures us. It’s also quite the treasure, because although my dad is always smiling and laughing, quite the opposite usually occurs when a camera is in sight. Our genuine faces, and crazy personalities are all shown.