I Want My Lady to Be a "Nerd"

Rodney Robinson

I've had conversations recently about the qualities I look for in women.

Some gave the typical answers: looks, body, skin color and other tangibles. Almost everyone looked at me crazy when I said I wanted my lady to be a "nerd."

When I say a nerd, I don’t necessarily mean wearing glasses and a carrying a calculator. I'm thinking of a simple, intelligent woman with the ability to think outside the box and be herself. Many might think that’s a hard quality to find, but so many of the young ladies at Southern University possess these characteristics.

At a birthday party, I asked a friend what she was doing in school. She told me she landed a research internship at UCLA for the summer, then she went on to tell me how she was designing a "robotic boat" to find pipes underwater.

That was it for me.

I had to tell her about my newfound crush. She seemed totally surprised. I told her that I found intellectual girls very attractive. And that’s when I realized that my generation does not encourage intelligence enough.

We often choose those we date based on what they can do for us or how attractive they are. We don’t take the time to have conversations and see what goals they have or if they keep up with politics.

I have found myself talking to girls more about the hot new trend in shoes than the latest terrorist explosions.

We have to encourage that intellect and let these ladies know that brains are as important as beauty.

So, to those young ladies who are planning for law school while in undergrad, I applaud you for your dedication to your future. And I love to watch you walk by in a business suit.

To the girl who is graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, I love the fact that you can imagine a car of the future.

For the ladies in ROTC who are about to be commissioned officers in the Army, Navy and Marines, that is very sexy. I’m glad you're doing what’s best for you.

I hope I have inspired my smart girls to come out from behind their books, out of the lab and libraries, so I can find you and your friends -- so you can meet me and my friends.

Rodney Robinson is a student at Southern University who is nation editor of The Southern Digest.

Posted June 2, 2004