According to Asha Telang, the President of Triota Honor Society at U of M, her interest in Triota was initially driven by a desire to connect with other WGS majors outside of the classroom...
What does Triota do?
Triota is a professional honors fraternity geared towards connecting students studying women and gender studies. They hold a variety of social and academic events geared towards professional development, socializing between WGS scholars, and spreading pertinent information within the field of gender studies.
For many, Triota serves as a much-needed network outside of the classroom, where topics of gender, health, social inequities, and solutions to gendered issues can be discussed. By providing an academic network of likeminded peers, Triota offers a forum for exploration of women and gender studies in the real-world, as well as a network conducive to academic, social, and professional success.
What demographics does Triota serve?
Triota is recognized as a National Honors Society for gender studies students. The branch here at Michigan is open to anyone with a declared WGS department major/minor with a 3.4 GPA or higher (WGS specific, not overall). They look to serve the WGS community through professional, academic, and social facilitation while also looking to inform the broader U of M community about prevalent topics to Women & Gender Studies.
Mission statement/values?
Triota's overall mission is to facilitate professional, social, and community based events working to build an equitable community at Michigan. They also seek to uphold the organization’s core values of diversity and egalitarianism. Further, Asha specifically noted the organizations goal to encourage and support scholarship excellence in WGS while fostering an inclusive community.
Asha, what inspired you to participate in this club?
Asha shared that her original interest in Triota was piqued by her major in the Women & Gender Studies Department. She further explained that though she found many of her WGS classes to be immensely interesting and engaging, they didn't provide an opportunity to connect with her peers. Asha was interested in connection beyond the classroom where the ideas and knowledge she was exposed to in the WGS department could be discussed, shared, and applied.
Asha further cited that she was excited by the opportunity Triota provided to see applications of WGS in the real world. She found that the environment to connect with professionals and peers using WGS teachings in non-academic settings was something she had been looking for, and lacking in her classes.
What events/resources does Triota have available?
Triota hosts a variety of events for it's members including fun socials, resume building workshops, as well as professional events co-hosted by the U of M career center. They additionally hold coffee chats with professors in the WGS department as well as many other networking, social, and professional support-geared events.
In addition to the events Triota offers for its members, they also conduct various panels open to the public. Recently, Asha cited they hosted a panel with WGS alum who were invited to speak about why they chose WGS and how they're using it post-grad. They had a wide-range of careers represented and a wide-range of professionals. In the future, Asha additionally said she looks forward to potentially hosting a panel with women's health professionals.
Asha, what would you recommend for someone looking to get involved?
For someone looking to get involved, there is a baseline requirement of having a declared WGS department major/minor with a 3.4 GPA or higher (WGS specific, not overall). The application opens every semester fall and winter through WGS email. But, if you are just looking to see what Triota is all about panels and informational events are open to everyone!
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