My name is Jennifer Wigert, and I have gotten the unique opportunity to do my LiA-internship at Realstars. Believe it or not – As soon as I got to know their decision, there were some happy tears, haha. I´m 32 years old and lives in Stockholm, which I have for the last 15 years, when I as a 17–18-year-old decided to make a big commitment while moving away from home. What an adventure it has been – something I have never regretted! Alongside that I have also, during my childhood, lived in other exciting places in USA, Japan and Hong Kong – Furthermore, even before Stockholm, also a few years in Värmland.
Together with an incredibly vibrant and eventful background, and many years in the service industry, I can say with immense gratitude that I have met an incredible variety of people – from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures, of different ages and life situations. I have encountered many different personalities and traits. This experience has shaped the person I am today and has laid the foundation for my deep passion for people and perspectives on the world.
Right now, I’m studying to become a Project Manager for Meetings & Events at TEC in Stockholm, alongside a wonderful friend, Angela, who is also fortunate enough to be doing her internship at RealStars in the same team – what a fun twist of fate!
The program started in the fall of 2020 and was incredibly anticipated; I could hardly believe it was real when I finally stepped into the classroom – the room where the new opportunities of my life would begin to unfold! Now, here I am in the spring of 2021, sitting and writing my blog post for RealStars.
I have initiated a unique project at RealStars, in collaboration with rappers from the suburbs, which has emerged from my passion and related interests, as I myself live in the suburbs of Stockholm. This project will focus on the social environment surrounding young girls and women on Instagram. In this initiative, I will specifically address community-related groups that I am actively involved in. Today, the social platform has become a troubling space where girls are continuously subjected to sexist treatment from young boys – hiding behind anonymous accounts
With this realization, I was ultimately forced to acknowledge and accept that these individuals could not be reached effectively at the level required today –and that Instagram does not take responsibility for what its users are exposed to. Right now, there is nothing in place to gradually prevent the emergence of groups where boys humiliate young girls and women with degrading, sexual content. This project is my first step toward addressing and changing the situation – ensuring that there will soon be no place or platform where young girls and women are exploited by others.
In a world filled with countless industries that operate on a project basis, I experienced an overwhelming jungle that posed the big question, ‘Which path should I take?’. Until the day I found my way to RealStars and had a genuine aha moment. Of course, I thought, almost amused, surprised that I had managed to forget what gives me vitality – an authentic, meaningful purpose. A purpose that involves impact, improvement, and change.
/ Jennifer Wigert
