By: Kayla Foster
Women have made constant strides in empowerment and development—even before they had the right to do so. Many of society’s greatest contributions can be traced back to the efforts of women, no matter the service, industry or movement. At our university, women are leading the way, carrying the torch with reverence and the will to do more for everyone on campus and in the Oxford community.
This Women’s History Month, we spotlight the women of UM E.S.T.E.E.M. for their legacy and perseverance.
Dr. Jennifer Saxon, Dr. Patience Bryant and Dr. Danielle Brooks are the three trailblazing
founders of UM E.S.T.E.E.M. In 2014, they were at the university when the idea to create this organization came to them. From the beginning, the organization’s primary goal has been to ensure support and provide opportunities to motivate and empower women at the university.
Kennedy Peoples, the current president of UM E.S.T.E.E.M., is privileged to have matriculated into the position, as this is her third year in the organization. In her first year, she joined as a general body member and served as the community service chair in her second.
Her commitment to the organization has provided her with the qualifications and opportunity to lead with diligence under the guidance of advisor Dr. Josilyn Roby Mays. Dr. Mays was a mentee of the late Jacqueline Certion, one of ESTEEM’s prior advisors, who served from 2016 to 2020 as one of the university’s FastTrack academic advisors. Dr. Mays has witnessed the organization’s growth and is pleased that young women at the school take it as seriously as she and the founders did.
UM E.S.T.E.E.M. is the largest organization for minority women on campus, with 97 members.
ESTEEM is an acronym for Educated, Successful, Talented, Evolving, Empowered and
Motivated. Since becoming president, Peoples has filled her executive board with young women who share the same drive and passion—not only for the organization’s success but for the personal and professional success of all minority women at the university. As one of the few women’s organizations on campus, let alone a minority women’s organization, Peoples believes the significance of the organization lies within its community and networking aspects.
“I just feel like being surrounded by people who look and think like you is more
valuable than we often give credit to… seeing women with the same values succeed
is a great motivator,” Peoples said.
President Peoples emphasizes that the organization’s programming is based on the needs and desires of its members—to network, gain community service experience and feel empowered through events that showcase women’s accomplishments and their influence on both society and the communities they serve.
Some of their community service activities include collecting toiletries and beauty products for Sodexo workers, who serve as janitors and service staff on campus; collaborating with the Oxford Community Market to pack produce bags for the local pantry; and creating heartfelt Valentine’s Day cards for the residents of the Pinnacle of Oxford nursing home.
Other events planned for students this school year include their annual breast cancer walk, which is protected and escorted by the university’s police department, and a more personal event, the Queens Panel, which brings together women from the university to participate in a dialogue celebrating sisterhood and personal growth. This year’s Queens Panel featured the influential Ms. Karrye Tynes, director of the Center for Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Engagement.
“She’s very influential here at the university. So just giving people an opportunity to
be in the same room and talk one-on-one with these women at the university that
they look up to—I think that’s very important and kind of makes it feel more
personal and not as far out of reach…” Peoples said.
To commemorate Women’s History Month, members welcomed students to a movie night
featuring Tyler Perry’s 2024 film The Six Triple Eight, as well as flower bouquet-making with
paper-mâché flowers created and provided by advisor Dr. Mays. One of the executive board
members chose the movie because she believed it did an excellent job portraying women’s
challenges and accomplishments, regardless of industry or societal barriers. The event ended with bouquet-making and discussions about womanhood.
The pursuit of success displayed by the women in the movie closely resembles the 11-year-long journey of the women of UM E.S.T.E.E.M. Since 2014, though the mission has remained the same, Peoples commends her executive board and current members for their progress in execution.
From retention to programming, she applauds her entire e-board for their willingness
to identify the needs of members and find ways to meet them.
“In the past, retention has been an issue from what I’ve heard from my advisors. But
in order to overcome this, we really do have to create intentional programming—
things that people want to see—and just really put ourselves out there… we really
have to work to be seen,” Peoples stated.
Like most minority organizations at the university, their challenges lie in the need for greater exposure and student media coverage. With more visibility, the organization can establish more partnerships and collaborations with other registered organizations, as well as potentially expand its reach to gain more interested minority women.
Despite these challenges, Peoples credits their advisor, Dr. Josilyn Roby Mays, who she says “sums up the purpose of ESTEEM” by continuously pushing the young women beyond their comfort zones and exemplifying what itmeans to stand firm in who you are and what you believe in.
“Beyond me, I feel like when I fall short, Dr. Josilyn Roby Mays, she’s always there
to kind of just give me the extra push that I need… she always goes the extra mile to
do so much for the organization.”
While their membership consists of all minority women, their events are open to all students.
To join UM ESTEEM, you must be an undergraduate with a 3.0 GPA. Membership applications are accepted at the start of each fall semester. To keep up with the women of ESTEEM and their events, follow their Instagram page, @UMESTEEM, to learn how you too can be a part of an organization that celebrates women, sisterhood and commitment to service.
Happy Women’s History Month!
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