The first step

I have always been interested in women's history and women's rights. While hearing stories about the monstrous injustices against women worldwide always hurt and infuriated me, I was too absorbed in my own petty problems to act upon these emotions. Now that I have graduated and am evaluating my life, however, I have decided to make women's rights my main passion. I do not know how I can change the world, but I want to try.

Journalism has always been an area of interest for me. You can get into a situation, hear it, touch it, experience it, then take a step back to write about it. I feel as though this is a way in which I could make a difference. At the same time, it doesn't seem like enough to me. I just recently finished "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. It was encouraging to hear all of the ways in which women around the world have made such profound changes for our sex. It made me want to jump on a plane and head to Mukhtar Mai's school in Pakistan to teach English.

The main factor holding me back is not so much a fear for my safety as a fear for my future. This sounds incredibly selfish when there are so many girls who face closed futures. I love to learn; I want to go back to grad school. But how much would going to a women's studies or journalism grad program teach me as opposed to actually going to Mali, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan or the rest of the world?

In short, I have a inferno of passion burning within me to do something for these women and girls, but I have no direction. I am sure that there are hoards of people who are facing or have faced this same dilemma. Does anyone have advice for me?