Chapter EightHold Your Ground

I once received a phone call from a university I attended, letting me know I had won a three-year graduate fellowship. After thanking them I asked, “How much is the stipend?” The head of admissions said, “$2,500 a year plus tuition.” (This was a LONG time ago!) I paused, realizing that it would be difficult to live on that amount, and replied, “Is everyone offered that same amount?” “Just the women,” was the response. “The men get more because their fathers aren't taking care of them.” That seemed unfair to me. So I responded, “Well, my father doesn't take care of me, and I need the same as the men.” And that's what I got.

Despite the fact that this happened many years ago, that story's lesson is still true: we ...

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