Have you ever walked on a busy street or through a peaceful park and contemplated what those around you are thinking right now in this very moment? Perhaps you have even asked yourself, “I wonder whats happening in his or her life?” Odds are, you have, I have, and so has everyone else you have ever met! Charles Mills Wright defines “sociological imagination” in the following way; “the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society.” In other words, what one given individual has gone through to shape who they currently are can be traced back to their environment, or more-so, the events that have taken place in the broader society that have shaped how they have handled situations up until this point.

Society is powerful in that it does influence who you currently are. It will impact the person you will become; it is ever-changing. Personal experience is an aspect that influences the lives of every individual and group you will ever encounter: or in this case, walk past. In this way, a persons sociological imagination, or perception of the society by which they are encompassed, can be directly influenced by the historical events, and social issues they themselves, or their family has encountered.

In reference to my own sociological imagination, my family lineage has a rich past of conflict, prosperity and also its fair share of struggles. My descendants came from Russia and Europe, both places known for its historical trials, triumphs and turbulence. My mothers side of the family has roots deep within France and Greece, where the Nazi forces invaded the Greek village where my grandfather lived. He has told me various stories about how he made the decision to come to America, the land of the free, to escape the caves where him and his family were hiding out as they watched their village, their home, get burned down to ashes. My fathers side of the family has a background of Jewish faith based out of Russia, where the Germans also invaded. My grandparents on that side of the family met on a ship when their parents sent them together to Canada in hopes of them surviving the Holocaust.

To this day, my family is incredibly traditional, and we follow religious and cultural practices from France, Russia and Greece. Every night we gather at the table to eat as a family, just as they did in my fathers Jewish household and my mothers dominantly Greek household. Every Thanksgiving, my Greek family and I meet up at my Theo Angelo’s house to enjoy a huge lamb that cooks over a fiery spit. To be quite frank, baklava and the jokes about my Greek grandfathers voice resembling that of a mafia-man has gotten really old. This may be because we value the culture which was almost taken away from us along with our lives back during the Holocaust. As can be seen, history does play a huge part in my personal experiences and influences thus far.

My Greek Grandfather “Papou”, is a very resilient man who I believe is one of my current-day heroes. Not only did he serve in the Greek military, but he also qualified for the Olympics as a high-jumper in his youth and came to America with just dollars in his pocket where he worked for some time, then opened up many restaurants and strip malls. Nowadays, when I am not embellishing in my cherished family time, I study, go to class then the gym, cook, occasionally do modeling jobs in Los Angeles or San Diego, I run my photography business, hang out with friends, and write my book or on my blog whenever I find spare time. Prior to coming to the University of San Diego, I had various jobs outside of modeling work. I got my first job at Famous Dave’s Barbecue Pit when I was fifteen, then moved on to work for Starbucks for a year and a half before embarking on my entrepreneurial path. While working as a barista at Starbucks, learned one of the most valuable lessons to date: the lesson of adaptability which I feel has strongly influenced my sociological imagination.

I once-again reference my Greek Grandfather, because through his journey, I was able to learn this lesson of adaptability, particularly in relation to my personal experience as a barista for the Starbucks Coffee Corporation. Nowadays, all-though women have rights to vote, marry, attain employment and at the legal level are viewed as “equals” to men, evidence from my own personal life has proved otherwise. In the corporate world of America, time equals money, and hours worked equals more money. Throughout my time as a barista, I found that my hours were often significantly shorter than those of my male co-workers. In other words, I made less money than my male counterparts. Mind you, my male co-workers were also hired as part-time employees. I would constantly pressure the management as to why I was getting significantly less hours then they were… I would plead for more, yet my requests were never met.

In no way am I a feminist, and I would never riot in streets regarding any political issue. However, I do feel that my job experience is a valid representation of how women are still fighting for equality in the job force. Unfortunately, my generation is still wired to view men as superior. Women are expected to reach a certain “level” in order to earn that equality supposedly promised to us by the Constitution. This can also be seen in regards to the United States Marine Corps, where women are supposedly “allowed” to partake in service, but have not yet been permitted to whatsoever. This is solely because they are women, not men. Women “aren’t strong enough, fast enough or resilient enough”, but that does not mean that we do not have the rights or heart to do so.

The question comes down to a persons (whether they be female or male) ability to adapt to changing environments despite oppressing circumstances. If we can not comply to Charles Darwin’s law that discussed the “survival of the fittest,” there will be no social change, let alone justice. My struggle in the job-force is more than just a personal trouble. It is a public issue, a societal issue, that has influenced my sociological imagination, as would it influence any and every woman who reads this. This is the very issue Charles Mills Wright explores in his studies of sociological imagination. At this point and time, it is our duty to society to be adaptable as we patiently wait for the rights and equality that come with understanding how our sociological imaginations can positively contribute to the community as a whole.