Sometimes, one course can alter a student’s life path. That’s what happened for Ashley Mckay (BA ’14).

Mckay began her Brock journey with the intention of majoring in Psychology and then attending law school. However, she quickly changed her plans and her career path after taking the Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies course in her first year and encountering some of the Centre’s “passionate, talented and engaging” faculty, she says.

“Women’s and Gender Studies changed my life,” says Mckay. “It not only helped me take important steps towards achieving my professional goals, but it also broadened my entire worldview.”

In addition to valuable critical thinking and communication skills, she says the program encourages students “to relate to and have compassion for people from all walks of life.”

Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST), Shannon A. Moore, calls Mckay “one of those rare students, that one comes across but a few times in a career, with fine personal qualities to match her intellect.”

“I had the great pleasure of watching Ashley’s development as a scholar and activist,” says Moore, “first as an undergraduate student at Brock and then as a graduate student at the University of Western Ontario.”

Mckay’s BA and MA research have been published in the International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies. (see links below)

She hopes to pursue a PhD in Sociology and become a professor herself so she can “inspire students the way that the Women’s and Gender Studies professors at Brock inspired me,” she says.

Moore is confident that Mckay will succeed.

“Ashley is conscientious to a fault and driven to tirelessly work for principles of social justice and equity,” says Moore. “I have no doubt that she will reach all her goals, complete her doctoral studies, and continue contributing to scholarship in Gender Studies and Sociology.

· Mckay, A., Moore, S. & Kubik, W. (2018). Western Beauty Pressures and Their Impact on Young University Women. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 6(2), pp. 1-11. http://ijgws.com/journals/ijgws/Vol_6_No_2_December_2018/1.pdf

· Mckay, A., Moore, S. & Kubik, W. (2019). Empowerment Without Feminism? Sexual Objectification Post-feminist Style. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 7(1), pp. 1-14. http://ijgws.com/journals/ijgws/Vol_7_No_1_June_2019/9.pdf