While researching University in high school, I became discouraged as many people discussed the waste of an arts or humanities degree, especially after the rise of degree prices. But despite this, University (or more importantly, education), has always held an important place in my mind because of my Nanna and family history.

Raised in a patriarchal and sexist society, my great-great-grandmother had to deny her daughter an education. She used to tell my great grandmother “If you were a boy, I would scrub floors to pay for your education”. Instead, Nanna’s mum was sent out to work as a maid. The status quo meant that women going to school was less common than not.

When my Nanna was raised, her mother allowed her to have an education. made it a priority to send her to school and provide my Nanna with what she couldn’t get as a child. “I earnt my scholarship, I earnt my education”. Despite this success though, when my nanna got. good job, her mother asked for “half my wages because she ALLOWED me to have an education.” It was from here that the family values were built upon. Because of our family history and feminist values, my Nanna has always stressed the importance of education for women, paying for her children’s degrees and demonstrating support for our university experience.

I went to Uni for my Nanna and the values that she and my family history, has taught me. For me, going to Uni and getting an education is my feminist upheaval, the abandonment of the past’s patriarchal beliefs and a celebration of my past generation’s feminist history.

It isn’t often you can put a financial cost on your beliefs and values. But I can. Every subject I take is $2000 worth of feminism, upholding my family’s history and my nanna’s/my values.

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