Celebrating Graduation, May 2023

Lauren Lunde

GWS has taught me to look at the world through a wider lens. This major has provided me with the tools to think critically, educate others, and understand the importance of diversity in all aspects of life. With my GWS education, I plan to utilize my GWS background to address health inequities by bringing innovative and inclusive public health practices to the forefront.

India-Blue Niehoff

With my GWS education, I will be able to recognize, challenge, and (ultimately) change systems of oppression and marginalization, creating a world in which we are all safe and welcome.

McKenzie Raethke

With my GWS education, I will continue to work toward human rights for all. I will attend nursing school post-graduation to become a labor and delivery nurse. I want to use my education to create welcoming environments for my patients.

Hannah Daniels

With my LGBTQ+ Studies education, I will be a clinical psychologist who will have skills to effectively serve a diverse range of patients including an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community!

Caitlin Dolan

GWS has taught me that empathy and compassion should be at the center of everything we do, and GWS allowed me to learn how to apply that to all aspects of my education.

Stacy Ducheny

GWS has taught me that gender is a performance and a social construct, but it is also unavoidable in our current culture, and so understanding it is an important tool and my GWS classes helped me understand that.

Ashlyn Friedrichs

GWS has taught me that gender, sexuality, race, ability, and other facets of our identities connect to everything–politics, economics, education, professional careers, etc. I have become a better active listener and participator through course discussions which I think has helped me become an effective communicator. I think my GWS certificate was the most impactful part of my education because it opened my eyes to the connection between intersectional identities and systemic oppression, and it helped me understand how to challenge what we typically think of as norms of our society.

Annaly Garcia

GWS has taught me that it’s okay to continue to learn more about yourself as you grow older. I never how to describe my experiences as a queer, Latine, woman of color in a predominantly institution, but the professors, teaching assistants, and readings helped me learn about the concept of intersectionality. Therefore, I could understand myself in a better sense and also felt validated with my unique experiences.

Caitlyn Halfon

GWS has taught me that empathy and compassion should be at the center of everything we do, and GWS allowed me to learn how to apply that to all aspects of my education.

Francisca Ibañez

GWS has taught me that there are a multiplicity of valid experiences and there is value in learning from one another’s experiences because we are able to situate these lived embodiments and then apply them to relevant material.

Drew Harris

With my GWS education, I will attend Loyola University Chicago School of Law!

Paige Henry

With my GWS education, I will do my best to advocate for my LGBTQIA+ patients in my future role as a registered nurse. I will strive to ensure each of my patients feel comfortable and supported throughout their healthcare journey. I hope to continue to educate myself about the unique needs of the LGBTQIA+ population in order to foster positive healthcare-related experiences for them.

Aimee Melendez

With my GWS education, I will continue to share LGBTQ+ information and resources in my communities and stay up to date on policy changes affecting LGBTQ+ identifying people. I also hope to work as a women’s health nurse and utilize the information I learned in my GWS classes to improve the women’s health sector.

Abigail Perkins

GWS has taught me that the human experience is so multifaceted, and the history of women and gender-nonconforming people is rich and beautifully complex! I have learned so much about myself and those around me, and I feel so lucky to have been a part.

Rachel Mirviss

GWS has taught me that it’s important to have knowledge about our bodies and the way we interact with others. I believe in the importance of having an understanding of this phenomenon, which allows for space to be made for all of us to acknowledge our privilege, recognize different perspectives and points of view, and make informed decisions when interacting with others. Sexual education and awareness are vital to our safety, health, and happiness. My GWS classes have helped me see the world through more informed eyes.

Sofia Irigoyen-Barrientos

GWS has taught me that there is space for intersectionality in every aspect of life, whether that be academic or personal. GWS courses have opened a world of deep introspection, critical empathy, and provocative advocacy for me. I’ve been able to dive into literature that I relate to, and explore parts of myself that I didn’t know needed so badly to be seen. I have learned about the creation and performance of identity, gender, sexuality, and have absorbed those perspectives into my own worldview–my time in GWS & LGBTQ+ studies has been transformational, to say the least.

Erin Kennon

GWS has taught me that there is still so much for me to learn on my journey of being a better advocate for all people who experience inequalities.

Emily Kurtin

GWS has taught me to question and critically examine the status quo and norms. I have discovered more about myself and my own identity, as well as others’ identities. I have been able to explore how critical gender is in so many issues we face today. Most of all, I have learned that I still have so much to learn and understand, so I must continue having conversations with others and educating myself.

Ami Lieberman

My GWS education will inform my future career as a therapist. I hope to provide a welcoming, inclusive space for people of all identities and my GWS education has prepared me to do so.

Justice Moore

GWS has taught me that the different facets of our identities, such as gender, race, and disability, intersect and impact our experiences in every area of life.

Alyssa Rodriguez

GWS has taught me that within higher education, we can make spaces accessible, inclusive, and safe for every individual. It takes effort and we must acknowledge the barriers that exist for many members of our community, especially our marginalized students.

Roshnie Rupnarain

GWS has taught me that there are people, groups, and experiences far beyond me, and GWS has taught me how to approach and learn from them, as well as how to support them.

Madison Schwartz

With my GWS education, I will make sure to be cognizant of minority voices in all senses (race, gender, sex, etc.) in all issues.

Maura Swan

With my GWS education, I will follow a trauma-informed approach to help future clients identify and address the impact of traumatic experiences and develop strategies for healing and resilience.

Jessie Taft

GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies have taught me that I can be whoever I want to be and there is no limit to my personhood. There are a lot of different people in the world and it is important to respect everyone.

Olivia Van Hammond

With my GWS education, I will go into the reproductive health field in both clinical and public health avenues. I hope to take what I have learned in my certificate classes and advocate for reproductive justice with not only my patients, but communities as well.

Mia Wolfe

GWS has taught me that it is important to critically examine the systems of power that shape our everyday experiences, especially from an intersectional perspective.

Erin Wruk

GWS has taught me that there is always more learning to be done, even about the things we have been taught to accept as given.

Annika Zuverink

GWS has taught me that I need to look critically at the systems in the world. Most systems deliberately disadvantage various groups of people, and I need to examine these systems, find out how they have contributed to my own biases and internalized feelings, and actively push back against the systemic barriers in place for all people.

Ashlinn Thomas

With my GWS education, I will pursue an EdM in counseling and eventually open my own private practice to serve the LGBTQ+ community!

Lily Englebert

With my GWS education, I will stay curious and open to learning about all people. The GWS program here has taught me to be more compassionate & how to listen better, and for that I am very grateful.

Elise Fjelstad

GWS has taught me that there should be space for all marginalized people in academia and that there is power in holding space. With my GWS education, I will incorporate ideas, frameworks, and missions from GWS into my Sociology graduate studies.

Stephanie Kressin

GWS has taught me a deeper understanding of how the construction of gender and sexualities relate to the oppression of women and historically marginalized populations, and to structures of privilege. With my GWS education, I will be able to treat all of my future students with a deeper sense of compassion and understanding.

Koda Parker

GWS has taught me that people of all backgrounds and identities have something to offer the world and are worth celebrating and fighting for.