Gabbi Santeiro

The graduate school made it official, so now I can exhale. I am done with my thesis!

First of all, let me say that writing a qualitative thesis is as time consuming as you might think it is, and it’s also not glamorous. It requires you to spend a lot of time alone with your thoughts and feelings about the subject matter. It’s like journalism in that way; you must always cover your topic truthfully and objectively, but you can never fully check your humanity at the door, especially when you’re writing about something that’s important to you. And the intersections between music, journalism, and feminism are, to say the least, more important to me than I can begin to articulate.

What I CAN articulate right now is how thankful I am to everyone in my life who supported me in the process, including my committee. My major professor, Dr. Lough, was so receptive to my idea during our first meeting and it was refreshing to work closely with someone so acquainted with the world of music journalism. I also have to shout out Dr. Whipple and Dr, Briscoe, my committee members, for approaching my research with a wealth of expertise and giving me robust feedback. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to work with people who you collaborate well with (and who understand your vision).

On one last note, it’s amazing what you can do with enough grit and confidence, and that has to come from you, but it should also be reinforced by a positive support system. I’ll always work hard, but I won’t reject the opportunity to spend time with my friends and family in the process because my community is what rejuvenates me on the days where I’ve felt less motivated. My support system consists of people who will give me a swift kick when I need to get it together, and simultaneously remind me to be kind to myself and not burn out. Both of those things got me through the process, and I am endlessly proud of the result :)