By Betsy Rhame, '01

In the spring of 2005, junior Tiffany Stokes saw a need on Meredith's campus and began to fill it.

"I was disappointed that we didn't focus on our issues that really fight for women's causes," she explained.

Through the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization, Stokes organized a local chapter on campus, called the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA). Over the past year about 60 students have participated in its activities and events.

"The campus programs are really important to educate men and women on college campuses," Stokes said.

Lauren Thie, a junior, first met Stokes at an FMLA interest meeting.

"I wanted to be aligned with a group who supported women, especially one who was led by someone with such obvious enthusiasm for the cause," Thie said.

Stokes' involvement in the organization is tied directly to her two majors, women's studies and Spanish. Stokes wants to go to graduate school for public policy and later advocate for women's health issues in developing Latin American countries.

According to Thie, "bringing options and equality to women" is important to Stokes.

"That is the sort of achievement for which Tiffany strives," Thie said.

During the summer of 2006, Stokes got a taste of some of this through her internship with the Feminist Majority Foundation's national office in Washington, D.C. One of her primary duties was making the organization's web site more accessible to high school and college students. She was also able to attend political hearings and learn about lobbying.

"I'll really get into the political scene in D.C., which will be fun," she said prior to leaving for the internship.

Stokes was excited about her work with this national organization.

She said, "I think they're doing a lot of really good things and I wanted to be a part of that."