Undergrad Student Spotlight: Shanely Windish
Written by Maribeth Wagganer
Shanely Windish is pursuing an English degree at Webster University. Windish realized they wanted to pursue English after spending time helping fellow students edit papers, receiving feedback from their own work, and their love of literature. Windish found they enjoyed learning from different perspectives and that advice from peers was invaluable.
Windish had the opportunity to attend the National Conference for the College of Women in Maryland. Windish explained that the experience was a bit intimidating because not only was this their first conference, but they were the only Webster student in attendance. They were excited and grateful because it gave them a chance to meet new people, listen to different panels and hear from students who were pursuing various degrees of their own.
They met a student who traveled from California and is pursuing law and studying for the bar exam. “I wouldn’t have met these people if it wasn’t for the conference,” Windish said.
Outside of meeting like-minded individuals, Windish learned from various speakers. One panel taught the audience how to increase political and civic engagement, encourage community involvement, inspire others to be more outgoing and have a holistic and open mindset. Another panel spoke about the Equal Rights Amendment and how it applies to the present time. The final presentation Windish attended was called "It Starts with Compassion.” The presentation covered how important it is to be compassionate to one another and ourselves and how self-care is important when dealing with burnout.
Windish found this quote from the speaker especially compelling: “Be the compassionate catalyst.” In other words, there is a lot of hatred in the world, and one way to combat that is with compassion. Windish enjoyed the conference because it afforded the opportunity to learn from different people, make connections and create lifelong friends.
After graduating with an undergraduate degree, Windish is planning to attend graduate school and pursue a PhD. With an English degree, Windish has the flexibility to pursue any career that might be of interest. Right now, they find a wide range of topics interesting and are hoping that grad school will help narrow down their interests.
As a Webster student, Windish has enjoyed being part of the close-knit community within the English department. When first visiting Webster, the undeniable draw toward the community was compelling, and Windish loved how Webster emphasized supporting its students. In their free time, Windish enjoys reading books and baking desserts.