Stories of Lee: International Women's Month - Mia Galaviz

"I'm very passionate about these kinds of things, women should really be allowed to express how they are without being looked at in a certain way." - Mia Isabella Galaviz

Meet Mia Isabella Galaviz from Saint Mary, GA. She is a freshman studying Music business

How do you feel about being a woman on campus and does that affect your daily life? Mia: I feel a little out of the whole general population with women. I feel like I am a bit more unique, a little bit different and strange. I obviously dress a bit different than most women here. My style is a lot different. I carry myself a lot differently, I am very outspoken, loud and out there. A lot of people wonder why I'm like that, why I am doing crazy stuff. That's because I'm just very weird and funny at times. I really enjoy being able to make that part of Lee different because I'm just very wild and outgoing. I love being a woman that's outgoing, funny and not scared to be different than the norm. I really love that about who I am as a woman. Women are really different from men, there are a lot of different expectations. I'm just realizing now of how much expectations there are just on women. I realize they are also expectations on men, don't get me wrong but like it's just in a different way in the way people see men and women. Although I'm a freshman, I am still getting used to the environment and vibes around, so I don't know yet. But, I feel like I am affected by that with everything. Everything affects me being a woman. Tell me one thing you want men to hear from you? Mia: I want men to realize that it's okay for a WOMAN to speak their opinion and not be afraid of it. I'm not saying it's okay for a woman to be like crazy, or hostile. It's okay for a woman to be very outgoing with their opinion. It's okay for a woman to be able to be funny, weird, and creative just as much as a man. As we can see, they are not a lot of female comedians. People sometimes have this idea that women should just be very pretty and just say lovey things and that we should not be funny. I'm very passionate about these kinds of things, women should really be allowed to express how they are without being looked at in a certain way.

What women do you look life or at Lee? Mia: I look up to my GREAT-Grandmother, she just recently passed away. She was lovely, she LIVED it. She lived the life. The reason I loved her so much is that she was nice and kind. She didn't speak it but her actions showed it. That was like the most beautiful about her. Her soul was gorgeous, she just acted the part of unconditional LOVE, and still being so funny, outgoing, and wild. I know where I get my side from now. Favorite verse/ quote: Mia: Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship." I really love that. Especially if I can connect it with being a woman. It just says offers your body as a living sacrifice, it doesn't specify 'who'. We are all souls, take away our flesh and take away everything. We are just souls that are trying to please God. I think it's also great because we have to be kind of open, you have to sacrifice yourself. You have to be open in this world. Its known as corny to be able to open up. That's the ultimate form of strength to me and that's what I like about women. They are not really afraid to open and that's STRONG. They are not afraid to be vulnerable, I think that's a good dorm of strength as well.