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Hello. Hello, today is May 1st, 2025. My name is Katie Fry. I coordinate the Women's and gender studies program, and I've been interviewing um alums from the Pepperdine University's Women and Gender Studies program, and I know that your story is a little bit different in terms

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of like the timing of the program and when you were at at Pepperdine, so we'll talk about that. Um, but I would say, could you maybe just start by introducing yourself, giving us your, your date of graduation from Pepperdine, and then maybe talk about your major

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and what you've been doing, uh, what you're doing now. Mhm. My name's Amy Turk. I currently hold the role of Chief Executive Officer at the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles. And I graduated Pepperdine in 2001 with a sociology major. I enrolled in many minors, including

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the women's studies program, um, religion. Social work. I, I think maybe there is like the beginning of a nonprofit. Um, Minor, and you know there was no time to finish all of the minors. Yeah, but I did finish the sociology degree. OK. And I'm just thinking

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about the timing of the program. It's, we're coming up on our 25th anniversary, if you can believe that. Um, so just for like clarity, it's, I, when I was going back through the paper trail, it looks like you were able to take courses in the program,

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but did you graduate with a minor in the program? Yeah, OK, that's what I thought technically, but I very much felt. Um, a part of the inaugural Women's studies program, which I believe is what we called it then, um, and a part of, you know, the,

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the movement to bring that into Pepperdine. Yes, and I think the paper trail supports that, because I don't know, I don't know what you and um Bailey have talked about or what Bailey has shared, but I don't, do you know why we even reached out, like

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how we, how we found you? Well, I've kept in touch with some of the professors that started it, certainly Doctor Cynthia Cornell Novak, um, and her and Doctor Erica Albright started the inaugural, uh, Women's Studies Program and what we called the Feminist Forum at the time,

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and I've kept up with students who are now dear friends. Um, since that time too. Yeah, that's right. I reached out to um Cynthia and she did, she did an interview with us. She and um Julie Smith, who is uh also since retired. But Cynthia early

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on said, mentioned you as on a short list of students that she has very much been tracking, you know, through, throughout your career and Um, and I thought, well, you know, I, I hadn't initially kind of seen you on the paper trail, but then actually there

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you were, and so there's one of the things that we've discovered in the archive project is Um, a lot of, uh, um, group of letters that were sent in, I think, for part of the SAC process. Do you remember writing a letter? I like an advocacy

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letter or you did. Would you like to see it? Oh my, yes, please. Let me see if I can get this on my screen. So just give me a second to share it, to pull this up for you. Um, this is from 1999. And so to

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finish my point, When I went back to the letters. Oh, and Bailey, I'm gonna send you a request for sharing. To see if I can just pull this up on the screen, yeah. When I went back to the letters, can you see this now? Hm, yes,

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I do. Um, and after, after Cynthia had said that, and, and, you know, talked about you, I was like, There, there's Amy, and that paper trail from 1999, 1 of these letters that was sent, right, and very much an advocacy letter. So, I thought, this feels

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like, you know, God just like pushing, pushing us towards seeing if we can find Amy and if she would be willing to talk about the early days of the program and Pepperdine. So here we are. So, blast from the past. Yeah, yes, it is, and here

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we are. And so I, it's been such a lovely kind of full circle moment coming up on 25 years, um, to talk about with the, with the alums and students who were here at the beginning that This really did make a difference, because, you know, here

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we are. All that to say, um. You know, just think about some of the questions, things that we want you to hear you talk about. Maybe you could start with the feminist forum, cause I know Cynthia talked about that Doctor Novak talked about this, and it's

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also in the paper trail that this was really uh like an important precursor to what became um the program and then the, the minor itself. Hm. Yeah. Yeah, for me it was um Like the start was participating in a class called Women in Spirituality. And it

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was every freshman had to choose some type of extracurricular class, and that wasn't part of the women's studies program, I don't think, but That started it all for me. Um, you know, coming in with a religious background that pretty much demonstrated that women shouldn't be in

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leadership roles. But having You know, qualities that contradicted that. notion and then sitting in In that class and my other religion classes and learning more about women in leadership roles. It was incredibly eye opening to me and really fueled my interest in the feminist form, particularly

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as it related to, you know, women in church settings. Um And meeting women who felt the same for the first time. Um, and learning how to use our voices and how to, um, Feel confident in the leadership skills that we had been fostering in our academic

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settings but not necessarily in our spiritual setting. Um, and really pushing the envelope. In an institution that like that letter said, You know, as you read American history and the men who created it. Yeah, um, So, yeah, it was a really empowering time. It was the

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place that I needed to be for my, like, personal and spiritual and Academic development. Um, among folks who had had similar backgrounds to me, but also were like, Questioning Things and even, you know, even today the word feminist can be sort of edgy, but it certainly

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was at that time 25 years ago, both for the professors leading it. Who had more at stake. Right. Um, to, to challenge a system. Um, but also for students who were, you know, I was, you know, bordering on an existential crisis as well, you know, like

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the emotional stake, though I never felt like I would, you know, have a job to lose or something, which I think some of the professors kind of put themselves on the line. Mhm. Yeah, and so maybe you could talk more about, you know, when you say

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that the word feminist, you know, even still, but certainly at the time felt Um, like that was an edgy label, right, that that was an edgy word, you know, how, how were these conversations perceived on campus and did that change at all while you were there?

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I think it's shifted. I mean, certainly the women's studies. Minor came about. Um, the spiritual setting on campus had already and progressed further and um having more women in leadership roles. Um, And yeah, I mean, a majority of my professors were With, you know, women with

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PhDs and tenure and um So I think, I think there was some progress literally in the 4 years I was there and since then, and then it It had an impact both on us as individuals. But also on a system. Mhm. So, going back to, you

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mentioned two classes in particular, do you remember the professors? Dr. Frank Harvard taught spirituality in women. And then I was in the inaugural women's studies class, I think that's all we called it, women's studies class or. Yeah, probably it's, it's women's studies 300 is what it

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is now. I don't remember if that's, if it was the same in the catalog, but yeah, um, I don't know if you want to share. Oh, so go ahead, go ahead. I mean, when you think 25 years, I have all my files still, but they were

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massive amounts of things in the garage, and I'm like, darn it. Yeah, but I, I have a paper trail too, not on, not digitized, right, an actual paper trail, yeah, lots of paper. OK, well, great, because maybe I don't know if that's jogged your memory, but

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I would love, we would love to hear you talk more about, you know, just particular like professors or classes or, um, you know, memories from those classes. Specific things that you could point to. Mhm, yeah. Well, I think the most profound opportunity I had. was that

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freshman year and, and most of my classes required service learning, you know, getting out into the real world, volunteering, applying it to your learning, and I think Doctor um Novak had a lot to do with even the ser the Um, The roots of service learning that

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I'm sure Pepperdine has continued since then, but that freshman year as a part of the spirituality and women class, I volunteered at a shelter for women in Santa Monica, and it was that night of, like, first of all, I'd cooked for 15 women. I'd hardly cooked

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a meal for myself independent of. The calf. Mhm. At Pepperdine, um, And, you know, being very young, very naive, but still sort of welcomed at the table to enjoy a meal. With women who literally did not have a home. Um, and I looked across the room

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and realized the diversity of ages, of stories, of races. Um, and was just really profoundly moved. And, you know, being able then to, like, combine it with academic learning, with the spiritual setting of Pepperdine. And like gravitating towards the field of social work, which I Done

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for 25 years now, um. It was incredibly meaningful, just all the interconnections and seeing how strong even women at their hardest circumstance. were their resilience was palpable. That night Um, was, was part of, like, what moved me to continue to Um, you know, explore social work

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or women in different environments, um. Women's studies in general. Um, so I think the, the work that we did in class and the things that we did outside of class were and like feminist forum. Went out and about, like we went to book lectures and um

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Other events or rallies, or we hosted rallies on campus, like, we were really active, both applying what we were learning and then bringing it into the community. And then just like, I think um I think it was Dr. Goodman introduced us to Judith Butler, and, you

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know, Really amazing thinkers that definitely went above my head at the time and still probably do, but still being introduced to um the feminist movement and all its waves and all the literature that that goes with it was just incredibly eye-opening. Yeah, and listening to you

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talk about your work today, I, I would love for you to elaborate on that. I mean, of course, you're, it sounds like this was a pretty formative moment for you. What, this is like over 20 years ago when you're making dinner for all these women. But

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what is your, you know, your professional journey, your, you know, the With the Downtown Women's Center, if there were things before that, but what have you, and you're, you've kind of are, you're addressing it, but like, what have you carried from, from the program in those

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classes into your life beyond Pepperdine? Yeah, yeah, that night really formed my career, and, and who knew. That would happen, but I kept volunteering at that shelter, and then come senior year, I was working the night shift. Um, which was a great job to interact with

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folks, and by the time they went to bed, I did my homework and then went on with my life. Um. So it, it really began my career, and I stayed in that nonprofit for 12 years. Progressing my last 7 years there was the director of services

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for for women. Um, and then in 2013, I moved to the Downtown Women's Center as the chief program officer with the social work, uh, licensed in clinical social work at that time and has spent the last five years as the CEO of Downtown Women's Center, so

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two nonprofits all focused on Moving women out of homelessness into permanent housing, um, but certainly, like, you know, both very feminist settings, um, And I, you know, had I not gone to Pepperdine, had I not probably gone to spirituality and women class, that might not have,

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my career might not have moved in that direction. I, I think one of the great things about having more, you know, time to just getting older and more life experiences is you can go, you can look back and you can see those, that there really are,

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I think, a handful of just clutch moments in one's life that really do change the trajectory. Of what you're gonna do. Um, OK, since you keep bringing, you, you keep noting like this particular class, women and spirituality. I'm just curious, and, and this may not be

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your lens for the world or your life, but You know, Pepperdine is, we're we're a Christian university. It's, it's about lives of purpose, service, leadership, and so I'm wondering about Now, you know, in your career, looking back a couple of decades, were there things about the

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program, right? What is the, the intersection between the program and faith, or maybe how is, has that piece shaped what you do, right? Thinking about not just like gender broadly defined, but it's also in conversation with this Christian mission. Yeah. I think in the sense of

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action and justice. Yes, like I, I am a person who wants to roll up my sleeves, be involved. Show my values in action. And social work for me fulfills that, um. And then, you know, having examples of, of how Of seeing what what fuels other people,

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what fuels their values. Um, The examples that were lifted up of of women in the Bible and Pepperdine that were leaders and healers and helpers like that, that moved me. Um, So yeah, I think what's really important to me is living your values in action. And

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I think I was, I was given an environment to learn more about what my values are and how to How to bring that to my real life application and and what I've chosen to devote my career to. Yeah, and I'm just, I'm thinking about just that

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memory of making, making dinner for all these women, right, and just the act of, um, that itself, right, is usually codified as a gendered act, right, to prepare food, right, to serve someone with food, but it really, it really is a form of social action to

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provide that to someone else, and I love that that's one of your, that's part of your Your, you know, your origin story, if you will, of just about how you have kind of made your way in the world and and where you are now, that it

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in some ways it started there around this dinner table. Mhm. Yeah, yeah. Hm. Um, all right, so as I noted, we're coming up on 25 years with the program, and so I guess a final question would be, What advice or perspectives would you want to share

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with undergrads now who are going through the program, we have 5 graduating seniors, which is a big class for our program. Um, I don't know. What, what would you say as someone who has gone into, uh, a professional space in a way that very much explicitly

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write messages that this is. Something that, as you noted, has been part of your values, and then you have also been able to pursue that professionally in this very sort of outward facing way. I don't know, what, what would you say to those students? Yeah. I

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mean, I feel so um Lucky that I have aligned, I've been able to work in a space that is like Me, like, I haven't had to bifurcate myself in my employment world or world outside of that, and of course, of course I have boundaries and such,

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but like, It, it's really, it was important to me then and it is still now, and I'm just so thankful that I've been. Given the opportunity to like, Be aligned And all that, and if, if that's true to the graduates, to like, you know, seek. Careers

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and employment opportunities that really do align with what you believe, um, cause it just makes it more fulfilling. And I think we can be of more service to others. In that way, and, and, and I don't. Have judgment on any other employment opportunities as well. Um,

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I think what I really received from the program was just this holistic mentorship. And, and now I'm in a position where I can get back to that. I mean, the professors would sit and really help us make decisions about grad school or employment or an effective

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um Application for employment opportunities and it like they just really went out of their way. Um, to spend time with us in community, in circles, just talking in this feminist forum setting, and then practically. Super practically helping us, you know, learn very Applicable life skills and

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um And yeah, when you're just graduating, you're, you're probably in more of a place to receive, but as you're moving forward in life to be more in a place to like, get back in the ways that you were supported in, I think is part of Part

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of what feminism can be about, um, And living a life of purpose. Yeah, I think, I think that's right. I, my, my students have heard me say before that I, I still, some of my mentors along the way, that they still will write me letters of

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recommendation if I reach out and what a gift that is then to be able to do that. For, you know, the, the students or the young adults that are right, much earlier in their, yeah, their journey. Yeah. And hopefully the friendships that started. I just had

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a girls' weekend a few weeks ago with my college roommate. And we were all dabbling in women's, we were all in the feminist form, that's for sure. They were women's studies minors. Um, But yeah, I mean, we built a foundation that was really supportive. For for

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our lives. I think it's they're lifetime friendships. Yeah, that sense of community, absolutely. Well, are there any, any last minute thoughts or observations or memories that you would wanna share? Um, Yeah, I just, you know, it was just a special space to be. I remember writing

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like a mem uh. I forget what the assignment was, but I remember journaling that I was becoming a budding feminist, and it felt really Like, kind of scary actually to say that. Mhm. Um, and now that seems silly to me now, but Um, but it was

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important to be in a space that was safe like that, and that that nurtured, um, what I've become today. Special memories of. Yeah, did you use that language? Was it, did you write budding feminists totally wrote budding feminist, and as I typed, I mean on a

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word processor, I typed it and I was like. Like, seeing are my parents going to get me in trouble? Is God going to come down? Like, it was, who's going to see this? Yeah, well, clearly, Pepperdine keeps a few things too, so. SAC paper trail. It's,

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I think it's, yeah, yeah, anyway. Uh, well, thank you. I know you're very busy. You have a lot to do, so I, I do so much appreciate you setting aside some time to chat with us and to be part of the project, and yeah, just all

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the things we are hoping that next year there will be some kind of celebration, um, in honor of the 25th anniversary, and so I will reach out. If that and if that is something that you would be able to join, that would be lovely, but I'll

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just, I will keep you posted. I don't have no idea what that looks like now, but I'll, I'll keep you in the loop. Great. Good. Thank you. Yeah.