Empowering Voices: Spotlighting Women Who Inspire at UWGShare this page
Throughout history, women have challenged conventions, broken barriers and reshaped society. At the University of West Georgia, that legacy continues to thrive. This Women’s History Month, UWG honors the trailblazing students, faculty and staff whose contributions enrich our campus and the world beyond. Whether conducting groundbreaking research, mentoring future leaders or advocating for social justice, the women of UWG make history today – and inspire generations to come.
UWG’s social media team sat down with a few of these remarkable women to gain deeper insights into their journeys, achievements and advice for future generations.
Sanai Young
Major/minor: Health and Community Wellness/Biology
Campus involvement: UWG Volleyball, Blue Coats, Emerging Healthcare Leaders
What advice would you give to an aspiring college athlete? Never give up, and never think that a goal is too out of reach.
Tell us about an accomplishment that you’re most proud of. Being able to balance academics and athletics.
Tell us about a female that has inspired you. My sister, Indigo. She played volleyball at Clemson University. She’s two years older than me and inspires me because of how dedicated she is to everything that she sets her mind to.
Next steps? I plan to attend optometry school after graduation.
Blynne Olivieri Parker
What advice do you give to college students? Follow your curiosity! When you find something that you’re interested in, it helps you discover new things. You begin to learn continuously, setting you up to become a lifelong learner.
What do you love most about your job? Teaching the History of Information course. I get to connect with students and the in-person discussions with the students are so rewarding. I help equip students for academic and postgraduation success by fostering learning experiences focused on information, AI literacy and critical thinking. I also support campus research initiatives, oversee academic area assistance through the subject librarian program and curate unique primary source collections.
Tell us about a female who has inspired you. Ida B. Wells.
Molly Perkins
Major/minor: Criminology/Sociology
Campus involvement: Kappa Delta
What advice would you give to a young college student? Soak it all in. It goes by so fast. Love every single moment and do everything because it’s so fun.
Tell us about an accomplishment that you’re most proud of. I was nominated for homecoming court, and I am so thankful for that opportunity because I loved getting to meet people around campus.
Tell us about a female that has inspired you. Ruth Bader Ginsburg – she accomplished so much. I want to go into criminal justice, and she has been my biggest role model.
Next steps? I want to go to law school. My dream job is to be a lawyer, so I want to start as a paralegal. I also hope to incorporate sociology into my job by evaluating gender and race biases in the court system.
Dr. Lakiesa Rawlinson
Associate Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students
What advice do you give to college students? Never give up, no matter how hard it gets. Be kind, be kind to yourself and extend grace. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don’t but keep it moving.
What do you love most about your job? This may sound cliche, but I love being able to help our students achieve our goals. Everyone has their own path that they are charting and creating for themselves, and helping students figure out their “why” is so rewarding to me.
Tell us about a female who has inspired you. My mom! I am very much so the woman I am today because of her. She is a woman of faith, a businesswoman and a great mother. It is through her that I learned to put my faith first, prioritize my family and continue to be the best version of myself. If I stay rooted in the core values that she instilled in me, everything else will fall into place.
photography by Miranda Daniel, Julia Mothersole, Lauren O'Bryan and Hailey Wilkinson