Q&A: Sheridan Allison
Sheridan Allison, double major in management and marketing, is one of the women featured as part of The Signal’s special #HawkHerStory coverage, celebrating Women’s History Month. Allison also serves as an orientation leader and student associate in the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs. This special coverage focuses on the stories and perspectives of the various women within the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) community.
Read The Signal’s Q&A with Allison below and see the other Q&A’s conducted with students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni here.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, on both a personal and professional/educational level?
A: I was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana and quickly grew up in Rosharon, Texas. I became independent at the age of 17 and started my higher education journey that same year at Brazosport College. I successfully graduated from Angleton High School in 2018 and am now pursuing a B.S. in Management and a B.S. in Marketing at UHCL.
I am an artist of various forms. It’s not necessarily a job nor hobby of mine, it’s who I am entirely. While I specialize in apparel design, styling, graphic design and literature, my most current interest has been music composition.
I am also invested in multiple areas of activism. I’ve always been obsessed with saving the world, as unrealistic as that is, so when I became a competitive debater in high school, it allowed me to realize that while I may not be able to directly make the change I want to see, I can be that change by getting loud and encouraging others to challenge the world as we know it.
Q: What are some activities you enjoy doing?
A: In my almost non-existent free time, I enjoy doing a couple of different things.
Music is a major part of my life and that has led me to attend at least one concert a month. This could be anything from alternative R&B to classic rock. I am there and I am nowhere near the pit. If you know, you know.
Gaming is something you can catch me doing a lot. I favor decision-based role-playing games and simulations with a lot of freedom to tell my own narrative. If you still haven’t touched Skyrim in the past decade, it’s time. Thank me later.
Social studies is a strong interest of mine as well and I often find myself deep into some rather random topics. Truth be told, I love a good Ted Talk. My admiration for knowledge encourages me to learn more about life every single day.
Q: Who are some women (real or fictional) you look up to most? Why?
A: In reality, Frida Kahlo is such a prominent figure of womanhood. She is so far from the traditional concept of a woman- especially a Latin woman. She decided that she was going to live on her own terms and anyone in objection would live a long sad life waiting for her to give in. She turned pain into power and unapologetically laughed in the face of those who doubted her.
In fantasy, Michiko Malandro, from the series Michiko e Hatchin, is a powerhouse character that might as well have “move” written on her forehead. She embodies determination and you will not get in her way. Throughout her story we see her evolve from a young orphan facing the harsh realities that is Brazil, eventually leading her to a life of crime, to a confident woman that refuses to let her past hold her back.
Q: What are some problems you anticipate/have encountered as a woman in your field?
A: Since I study management and marketing, I don’t necessarily have a set industry. However, my concentration in leadership, based off of my B.S. in Management, allows me to speak on my experience as a woman in positions of power.
It’s been very stereotypical for me, I’ll say. Any general scenario of sexism displayed in the workplace, I’ve seen. As sad as it is to say. But then there’s the element of intersectionality. Not only am I a woman, but I am a Black woman. A White woman. A Native American woman. Ethnically, a Latin woman, more specifically a Hispanic woman. Because of all of these identities that I was given and the fact that there’s a major lack of education on identity in general, I have yet to find comfort in really any office. At times where I would think that I can look to other women for support, my other identities prevent many of them from connecting to me.
In my very short three years of being in the workforce, I’ve experienced my only male counterpart receive a raise after his first week while I had been there for a year or long like the other female employees. That was my first paid job. Four companies later and again, my only male counterpart treats his job like an internship while I struggle to sleep at night due to the endless amount of effort I put in. As a woman, I must work 100 times harder to get what I deserve and as a woman of color, 10,000 times over. Hopefully, my retirement will come with an overdue happy ending to this tired tale.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
A: My maternal great-grandmother would always tell her children, “Tomorrow is not promised, but in the case that tomorrow comes, you must be prepared.” That has then been passed on to me and it’s safe to say that is how I live my life. Life is ridiculously short and I refuse to go out sad. Theoretically speaking, If I were to look back at my life and say “Man, I really wish I did things differently.” I failed. I refuse to regret the choices I made and didn’t make. Every day is a learning opportunity, but every day you must carry yourself with a sense of responsibility for your actions
Q: Is there anything you would like our readers to know?
A: Being is hard. Yeah, you read that right. Being is super difficult. Being a woman. Being this. Being that. Sometimes you don’t want to be anything and you just want to relax, but life doesn’t let you relax, because we’re so busy dictating each other’s lives. If you take anything from this, understand it is so important that you focus only on being one thing: you. As cliché as that is. Regardless of what you do, someone is going to be unhappy with your choices, so you might as well pick the ones that make you happy. Do right by you and be the best version of yourself. You’re owed that much.
