Profile Story Katherine Olivieri November 9, 2018

Amy Sharp: Her Dream Job as a Social Justice Warrior

Down a small narrow hallway, the sounds of students chatting away about their newest

adventure from the night before, the new Ariana Grande song playing in the distance and many

footsteps from people passing in the hall fills the offices. Amy Sharp sits at her almost antique,

very used desk, looks up and smiles as she begins her work day.

The women’s center did not always have the same vibrant, fun energy it does today.

Students of all walks of life now have a welcoming and exciting space on a very large college

campus. With a new paint job and her humorous, ready to say yes, attitude Amy transformed the

old, underfunded program.

Amy Sharp is the director of the women’s center and cougar safe rides at the Washington

State University (WSU) Pullman campus. She has worked at the women’s center for over a year

and recently reinstated the cougar safe rides program. The women’s center is a resource for all

students of all genders with an emphasis on women, according to the website. Cougar safe rides,

formerly known as women’s transit, is a program for students to receive a free, safe ride when

they are out late at night.

As director, her primary role is to make connections across campus, make sure all voices

are heard and bring a feminist lens to the university, she said.

“I make sure things aren’t too male heavy… I just want to be that social justice warrior,”

said Amy.

Since Amy started, more students’ hangout in the women’s center and have made use of

all the spaces available, she said. There is the lavender room, a lactation space, a bright yellow

study room, a library, which Amy hopes to turn into a knowledge room, and a living room.

“The center is less of a dentist office and more people want to hang out,” said Amy.

Amy and her team have also transformed the cougar safe rides program. A year ago they

were doing test runs with only one car. “They were so excited when they first got six calls in one

night,” said Amy, “now in one evening, there are 178 phone calls.”

Amy is constantly trying to improve the center to provide a resource and a space for

students to feel safe and empowered. Her team rearranged the office spaces to create a more

welcoming and comfortable environment. Most of the equipment and the space is old and very

used, however Amy sees the obstacles as a challenge to do better, said Jennifer Murray, the

program coordinator at the women’s center.

“I work with her, not for her. Even though she’s my supervisor, we’re a team,” said

Jennifer.

Jennifer said Amy has strong visions and fully trusts her coworkers. Before she was

director, the center lacked a leader like her and often did not have concepts on how to improve or

a plan for the future, she said.

New ideas and improvements start with what the group would think is fun and exciting,

instead of what is practical.

“Her instinct whenever we have a nutty idea is to say yes,” said Jennifer.

Amy strives to bridge the gaps with executive policy 15, regarding sexual assault and

harassment. She said she hopes the center will become a confidential space for students to report

these instances. She said she recognizes that this cannot change overnight but hopes to make this

a reality.

“I don’t think we’re doing the best and it is frustrating,” said Amy, “I plan on making it

easier for students.”

Amy was raised by her adoptive, single mother in a supportive community. In the 1980’s,

it was considered taboo for a single woman to adopt, especially kids of diverse ethnic

backgrounds, Amy said. Growing up in this environment, Amy was able to see a strong,

successful woman right before her little brown eyes. Her mother’s acceptance and progressive

beliefs allowed Amy to always be herself and later understand why equity issues are important to

her, she said.

“She was going to be a mother to two brown girls,” said Amy, “the sheer will of her

doing this was kind of unheard of.”

Amy described her community growing up as supportive, and they always allowed her to

practice her voice and spread her wings. All of this came at a price for her when in graduate

school she became more aware of identity issues. She then began to understand what it meant to

be Latina and how that would play a role throughout her life.

“I looked a lot different than others,” said Amy.

Amy recalled going to listen to feminist speakers, and her passion for equality and

feminism grew. She has a feministic lens and wants to provide a space for students to find their

own lens, voice and vocabulary, she said.

Amy’s involvement not only runs deep within the women’s center and cougar safe rides,

but also with the Commission on the Status of Women, her task force for parenting/pregnant

students and her service on the Gender Inclusion and Transgender Support Working Group, said

Mathew Jeffries, the director of gender identity/expression and sexual orientation resource center

at WSU. Her passion for this line of work is unwavering and even when it can become

overwhelming, she will always do her best to help the students, said Mathew.

“Because this work can be rather serious, and difficult, Amy is always there to make me

laugh, which is so important to me,” said Mathew.

Photo: Amy Sharp

Sources:

Amy Sharp- Director of the Women’s Center 509-335-5662amy.sharp@wsu.edu

Jennifer Murray- Program Coordinator of Women’s Center509-335-2572jennifer.murray@wsu.edu

Mathew Jeffries- Director of Gender Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation Resource Center509-335-8841matthew.jeffries@wsu.edu

Website: https://women.wsu.edu/resources/