Senior Reflection: Amanda Wendler

I have spent a lot of my life trying to convince myself — and pretty much everyone else — that I can do everything on my own. Growing up, I was always told by family, friends and strangers that I was “so mature” for my age, and I wore it like a badge of honor. I took pride in not needing or wanting support. 

I am not exactly sure when my attitude changed. It was not during my freshman year at Emory University when I immediately kicked my parents out of my dorm to move in on my own. It was not during my sophomore year when I decided that I would do the 13-hour drive from New Jersey to Atlanta alone. And, it was not when I drove myself to the emergency room at 1 a.m. because I refused to inconvenience anyone. Not only did I not know how to ask for help, I did not know that I needed it. 

My attitude has changed slowly but surely throughout my time at Emory because the people around me have shown me that I can trust them. When I spent many of my underclassmen semesters dealing with a taxing Title IX investigation, I had no choice but to let my family and friends support me. I met two girls through a club who agreed that I had suffered unjustly at the hands of the University. Even better, they wanted to inspire change that would protect students like me. We gathered 1,200 signatures from students who heard my story and the stories of so many others at Emory who agreed that we should not be suffering alone. Most shockingly, a variety of Emory administrators made a seat at the table for three underclassmen and told us they wanted our help to make things better. We started Emory’s inaugural Title IX Student Advisory Committee to bring students and administration together.  

Before this wave of initiatives at Emory, I felt in my heart that I was the only person who could inspire real change in the University. My peers spent every day trying to convince me that this was not the case. At our first meeting with University administrators, they gently and repeatedly reminded me that I did not need to have all the answers. I was not an expert — and that was okay. In fact, the only topic I needed to be an expert on was my own experience. They convinced me that it was their job to listen and make the changes that I wanted to see. These people, whom I had spent months villainizing for their part in the trouble I had with the Title IX Department, were some of the first people in my life who really made me stop and consider that maybe I did not need to change the world alone. More importantly, I learned that I could not do it alone. 

I carry this lesson with me every day. When I ran for president of the Young Democrats of Emory (YDE), I told the board I would not care if we did not host a single event as long as everyone in the room felt like they had a community in YDE. At the time, our members were burnt out and anxious about the future. I wanted to change that, and I felt the way to do it was to strengthen my relationships with them. I spent every Dooley Dollar I had on coffee dates. I focused on making people feel seen and helping them execute their passion projects. I wanted to build a team that was inspired to work for the 2024 elections despite mixed feelings on our presidential candidate. We worked with student organizations, Atlanta nonprofits and the student body to register over 1,000 voters. We brought Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to campus to speak. We certainly did not win the election, but we did get students ready and excited to vote. 

The truth is, not everyone cares about how many events we run as a club or how many students show up. They care about identifying with our community and doing the grueling work of politics alongside people who share their passions. 

The lesson I hope to leave behind is that people matter most, especially when it comes to politics. We do not have to — nor should we — be doing the work alone, and none of our work matters if it is not centered around connection, community and justice for all. I am not sure what the future looks like for me or for Emory, but I do know that the community I am leaving is comprised of the most caring, resilient people I know, and I could not have done anything without them. 

Amanda Wendler is from Westfield, N.J., and majored in political science and Jewish studies. During her time at Emory, Wendler was president of Young Democrats of Emory and served as a founding member of the Title IX Student Advisory Committee. After graduation, Wendler will be pursuing a career in politics and advocacy in Atlanta.