Austin Sellman

Austin Sellman is committed to fighting for social justice.

That’s why the Hereford, Md., native chose to major in women’s and gender studies at Towson University.

Sellman, who transferred from a large, prestigious university because he felt TU offered an equally excellent education at a much better price, says the program is giving him a solid base of skills that will allow him to translate his passion into a career.

“The breadth of knowledge you can gain from the department prepares you to be in a multitude of different situations in the professional world,” says the junior.

That’s because the dedicated faculty focus on the application of theory and research to real-life situations. Always, says Sellman, “pointing out internships and offering ways to gain experience in the field.”

Sellman, along with classmates Breya Johnson and Margaret McGill, is already putting theory into practice by co-founding the campus group Womanist United, which, he says, “takes a feminist critique but womanist approach.”

Encouraging everyone (not just women) to participate, the organization seeks to provide an “open and inviting forum to discuss issues related to any sort of intersectional oppression.”

The first order of business for the group is to tackle microaggressions—often unintentional verbal slights against minorities. By facilitating conversations on campus, Womanist United members hope to educate students on how language can be offensive and problematic even when the speaker does not plan or wish to be hurtful.

Towson, says Sellman, is a welcoming place to undertake this work. “I meet a wide range of people, and they’re all wonderful and kind.”

“The faculty focus on the application of theory and research to real-life situations...pointing out internships and offering ways to gain experience in the field.”