ABSTRACT
Walking down the corridor, Rochelle struggled to process all that had transpired over the past four days. She was exhausted, emotionally and physically. What was supposed to have been a restful weekend was, instead, spent processing and making sense of the situation. Now, as she approached the exam room, she was nervous. She was worried that Bernard would put up a fight and that this whole incident would be drawn out for months. A delay would disrupt Amy’s plans to begin graduate school in the fall, and Rochelle wasn’t sure she had enough emotional stamina to take months of Bernard’s abuse. Rochelle’s anxiety began to ease a bit when she saw Jennifer and Linda already waiting for her beside the exam room door. And, there was Amy, standing at the end of the corridor, looking her most professional and ready to give the defense of her life. But, if there was ever a student up for it, it was Amy. Smart, talented and articulate, she intentionally set out to write a thesis that challenged conventional analysis of the 2008 recession and highlighted the often-overlooked effects the recession had on women. And, her thesis was one of the best Rochelle had ever read let alone directed. Even still, Rochelle was not looking forward to the defense.
