I’m a medical doctor —Agent Scully

The character of Agent Dana Scully caused a ripple effect in STEM. Women saw her, a poised, intelligent, and strong woman in a male dominated field(s) holding her own and not compromising her beliefs in the process. She was a rare strong female character, and not in just the physical way that many people assume, but in that she was three dimensional and a complicated character. She went through hell so many times for the truth, but it was, as in reality, elusive. Gillian Anderson played her perfectly. She made sure Scully came across as funny, optimistic, and smart while giving her endless emotional depth.

She’s been my hero since age 11. I watched the X Files religiously, became an “X Phile” to the detriment of my social standing, and had an article in our monthly paper in junior high with reviews and previews of episodes as they aired. I was insufferable, (but aren’t I always with a new fandom? lbr). 12 year old me spent the late 90’s on AOL messenger and in X Files chat rooms, reading and writing fanfiction (I was a true shipper of Mulder and Scully, but Mulder and Krycek was the first slash pairing I ever read and the rest is history), some of which I turned in to English class for assignments. Insufferable.

Leather, two-hole beads, fireline, and a glass flapjacks made at Beadology Iowa. Earrings not mine (and I can’t find the maker).