Welcome to the Gender and Women’s Studies and LGBTQ+ Studies celebration of 2021 graduates. You will find keynote addresses from Janet Hyde, the Department Chair, and from Finn Enke, Associate Chair, Director of the LGBTQ+ Studies program, and Director of Graduate Studies. You’ll also find messages from Professors Jill H. Casid and Pernille Ipsen, who taught the LGBTQ+ Studies and the GWS Capstones, respectively.
There are also loads of wonderful quotes and photos from graduates, faculty, and staff.
Find more celebration on the Spring Commencement 2021 page and remember to hashtag your social media with #UWGrad. Best wishes as you graduate. Stay in touch. We love to hear how you are doing and what you are doing in post-graduate life.
Angelyn Banach
GWS has taught me to look at the world with a deeper, more fulfilling, and more inclusive perspective. With my GWS education, I will fight to empower others and support underserved and underrepresented populations by listening, advocating, and working in public health directly.
Emma Cholip
With my GWS education I hope to create and publish literature that shows the diversification of the world around us, particularly surrounding women and the LGBTQ+ community. The intricacies of our lives deserve to be heard, and I know the program has done its job in preparing me to teach others of our brilliant, bright, and beautiful existences.
Janine Gardner
With my degree in Gender and Women’s Studies, I intend to focus on reproductive justice for BBIPOC Queer people. While working on my nursing degree at Herzing University, my goal is to start a program of queer black doulas helping queer black with their reproductive issues.
Nicole Hendry
My GWS education helps me to understand how macro-level systems impact the individual. I look forward to using my GWS education to challenge these systems and promote equity for all members of society.
Hailey Jaschob
Gender and Women’s Studies has taught me that there are multiple perspectives to consider in each situation in order to completely represent, account for, and give justice to all individuals and all forms of identity.
Savannah Klein
GWS has taught me that empathy is incredibly important to every aspect of our lives, and with my GWS education, I will be a better political and legal advocate.
Ansley Laev
GWS has taught me that you can have a really special, liberal arts education even at a huge university. GWS has taught me that understanding the systems of imbalance in our society is the most valuable thing you can gain from an education, and I feel as I've learned about my identity and grown so much as a person along the way.
Maddie Matijevich
With my GWS education, I will work to combat the systems that oppress individuals and uplift the voices of the marginalized in every job and space I enter.
Olivia Rasmussen
With my GWS education, I hope to analyze education policies by applying a critical feminist lens I have gained from my coursework and discussions with my peers. I have learned how gender, sexuality, and identity are connected and important towards attaining equity, and am confident I will use my analytical skills toward making policy recommendations that strive for equity in public schools.
Sam Schwartz
GWS has taught me that intersectionality is important, without it we can never make sure everyone is free and safe. It has also taught me that learning can be compassionate and understanding, as all of my professors were.
Sami Stroebel
With my GWS education, I am excited to go into medicine with a better understanding of the intricacies and intersectionalities of race, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. I know that because of the work I have done in my GWS studies, I will be a much better physician, able to provide comprehensive and inclusive care to all patients.
May Wojt
GWS has taught me... to trust my own wisdom, to have faith in my skills and knowledge, and to be humble and loving in pursuit of knowledge.
Chloe Zick
GWS has opened my eyes to so many new topics and ideas, and I am so thankful that I participated in this program! With my GWS education, I will apply what I learned to care for my patients!
Bridget Brodlo
With my GWS education, I hope to become a well informed psychologist that creates a safe space for women and the LGBT community. GWS has taught me to be more compassionate and caring for everyone I meet.
Alicia Cran
GWS has taught me that all individuals possess traits that may vary across a spectrum, whether it be one's race, their sexuality, their level of ability, their gender, their socioeconomic status, or a countless number of identities. Each of these identities makes us who we are, and we should be proud for them. No one should tell us what we can/cannot be/do, and if those around us will not/can not support us, there are communities out there who will. Be proud of who you are, and don't compromise for anyone!
Casey Gilinson
GWS has taught me that I can eat whatever I want and no one can say anything about it! Shoutout Dr. Kate and GWS539! Love you!
Haylee Hess
GWS has taught me that there is compassion to be found in every corner. Every story has multiple layers, all formed by different experiences and in order to make the productive change that GWS has encouraged me to make, those layers need to be investigated. With my GWS education, I will continue to think critically about all the spaces I enter and fight to make them more equitable.
Isabel Jimenez-Diaz
GWS has taught me how powerful I am as a woman and to be unapologetically me. The courses I have taken have inspired me to take on the health care system and help our women and others who have been put at a disadvantage because of their gender, race, religion, etc. We must continue to fight to see the change we want and I [for] one will be a part of that.
Emily Klos
With my GWS education, I plan to continue to celebrate and raise the voices of women, minority folks, and individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community. GWS courses have taught me so much about diversity, representation, and inclusion, and I look forward to applying my knowledge and love for others in both the professional and personal environments I come to live in.
Claudia Liu
With my GWS education, I really hope to dive into research in transgender health and wellbeing in graduate school and future career, as a biochemist and a feminist.
Mandy McLaughlin
GWS taught me that the personal is political, but our identities can bring us together to form collective understanding and compassion for one another. With my GWS education, I will take a culturally competent lens to my Master's in Public Health program in the fall. My GWS major has given me the tools to recognize deeply systemic health inequities and be an avenue for change.
Emily Ravet
My Gender and Women’s Studies education has developed my knowledge in women’s rights globally in order to keep those women in mind during my journalism and social media career!
Sarah Shaw
My GWS education has taught me about the ways that science has historically harmed and marginalized certain people. With this education and my Genetics degree I feel prepared to confront the unspoken biases within the world of scientific research and will strive to keep all my future work informed by intersectional feminist knowledge.
Rose Tokar
GWS has guided me to form a deeper connection with my identity as an intersectional feminist. I learned how to acknowledge the different experiences and perspectives that other people have compared to mine, how to use my voice to advocate for myself and others, and to recognize when I should step back and support others to use their own voice.
Esther Wu
Gender and Women’s Studies has taught me that whatever path I take in the future to make the change, I can always find a supportive and inclusive community where differences do not divide people but are rather celebrated. And every GWS class I’ve taken in UW has been a precious experience that prepared me for the change I want to make.
Maya Cherry
GWS has taught me a greater awareness and appreciation of the multiplicity of human experience and to always uplift the voices of those most marginalized. I owe a lot of who I am to the work that was done and community that was built in GWS classrooms. I am so grateful for this space, my professors, and my classmates.
Isa Dozier
GWS has taught me how to always look at a situation from more than one point of view. I am going to use what I’ve learned in this program every day of my life.
Paige Haehlke
GWS has taught me how important it is to be empathetic, to think critically, and to understand how oppressions and privileges are systemically produced and perpetuated and how they shape everyone’s lives differently. I've gained so much knowledge about myself and the world that I think about every day and will use for the rest of my life.
Karolyn Hylton
GWS has taught me that the world is evolving everyday and I should be educating myself as well as others on how to be more inclusive to make sure people feel safe.
Chey King
Work diligently to translate theory into practice in all areas of my life, big and small.
Jessica Kuzniewski
GWS has given me the ability to delve deeply into topics that are so important but rarely discussed in other spaces on campus. My professors have helped me to think critically about every aspect of my life, and my experience in GWS has sparked so many interesting discussions with my friends and family.
Elsa Lundin
With my GWS education I hope to find ways to make pathways for others and honor those who have made them before me. GWS has taught me so much and I hope to honor that in my everyday life moving forward. Thank you to all who have supported me!
Veronica Maya Ann Ortiz
GWS has empowered me to make informed decision about my body and gendered decisions so that gender norms may no longer guide my life.
Sheridan Schaefer
GWS has taught me how to accept myself and all people and, most importantly, how to be an advocate for those outside my communities. With my GWS/LGBTQ+ education, I will enter my future career as a nurse with an open heart and eyes, ensuring people do not go unheard and their needs are met! I can guarantee I will hold my GWS education close to my heart as I move beyond UW. A special thank you to all the wonderful professors that have made the GWS major so meaningful!
Skye Stanwich
GWS has showed me that I can be passionate about what I'm learning and use my education in my daily life!
Meghan Wilhelmi
GWS has taught me the power of a classroom community. Getting to experience learning radical and transformative content about different genders, races, abilities, and more has been invaluable and to do so with some really amazing professors and students has been an honor and privilege!
Ariel Yang
GWS has taught me to be critical and made me revisit a lot of things that I've taken for granted. It wires me to become more attuned to the differential life experiences of human kinds. With my GWS education, I will bring critical perspectives to the field of psychology and keep doing impactful research.
Carl Zuleger
GWS taught me to be critical of the institutions and systems of power that perpetuate oppression and injustice and to advocate for the liberation of marginalized bodies everywhere.
Faculty and Staff Appreciations
Distinguished Senior Lecturer Araceli Alonso
My wish for the graduating class of 2021 is that they undertake their future career with passion, caring deeply about what they do; also, that they strive for social justice, and that they find comfort applying all the knowledge they got in the GWS department and at UW-Madison. My gift to this graduating class of 2021 is the "gift of passion and determination."
[Art by Justine Hill, Cassie Barwick, Hannah Redpath, Gen&WS 661: Circle of Care for Global Health and Human Rights.]
Professor Judy Houck
As the instructor for 640 in the fall, I admired the community the students created through the computer screen. I loved that they supported each other in an especially difficult year. I appreciated that they wore their outrage and compassion on their sleeves.
Assistant Professor Ruth Goldstein
May you be truly proud of navigating this virtual learning landscape as you also navigate real world life!
Assistant Professor James McMaster
I have been incredibly proud of the way our GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies students have shown up for one another, with kindness and generosity, throughout the pandemic—not just in the classroom, but also at protests, rallies, and other solidarity-centered events.
Assistant Professor LiLi Johnson
For me, resilience looks like survival and self-care amidst the immense inequalities and structural changes of the world today. It means being generous to yourself and to others. And it means valuing yourself and your achievements, regardless of who might or might not be present to witness them. The pandemic has plunged us all into various forms of isolation and uncertainty, but nothing can negate or devalue the hard work and growth that all of you, our GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies students, have done to get where you are today!
Lecturer Kate Phelps
Our GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies students make my heart swell. They make our department so proud, but more than that, they should feel so proud of themselves for what they have accomplished, and for how they will bring their knowledge with them into the next chapter of their lives, whatever they choose to pursue. My students are the reason I love being a GWS educator. Seeing them graduate is always bittersweet, but it makes me so hopeful. Celebrate this achievement! Onward the journey!
Undergraduate Advisor Susan Nelson
We've had so many great talks on Teams this year. Thank you for sharing your experiences, listening to mine, and letting me offer my suggestions as you've charted your path through campus. You have developed some fierce coping skills this year. Remember that you are already super accomplished - keep that knowledge in your pocket as you launch.
Associate Professor Sami Schalk
GWS students were so resilient during the pandemic, especially through their patience and flexibility which were grounded in an understanding of how the pandemic impacts all of us, but especially multiply marginalized people. I especially saw my GWS students step up in terms of their engagement with anti-racism this past year.
Associate Professor Pernille Ipsen
I am so impressed and inspired by how you did all the work and showed up to class on your computers, day after day, engaged and real and wicked smart. Your energy and commitment have definitely helped me through this pandemic year.
Associate Professor Sami Schalk
Be your highest and best selves in all things, personal and professional. You won't always have the answers and you will make mistakes, but your ability to accept responsibility, repair harm, listen deeply to those with less power than you, and use your many skills to improve our society will be the way you make your mark.
Professor Judy Houck
I am proud of our students because they do hard things, strive to do better, invest in their communities, and vow to make a difference.
I wish for them lives of wonder, fulfillment, engagement, and tenacity. I hope they realize that they matter.
Undergraduate Advisor Susan Nelson
Take as much time as you'd like off the Zoom.
Assistant Professor Annie Menzel
You all are so brilliant and brave! I am so honored to have been able to teach some of you this year, and have been humbled and amazed at the care, attention, and insight that you have continued to bring to your studies, and your unwavering commitments to a more just world! I wish you some deeply deserved sunshine and relaxation! You inspire me!
Assistant Professor James McMaster
I am filled with hope knowing that the graduating class of 2021 will soon be released into a world that is starving for their brilliance and energy. I really feel like our students have the potential to make the world into something that would be worthy of them, and that is a deeply exciting feeling!
Lecturer Kate Phelps
So many fond memories. GWS 539 and GWS 423 truly came together as extraordinary classroom communities. We had so many moments of levity and so much laughter. We had earnest, meaningful discussions. We held each other and lifted each other during a difficult semester. And GWS 539 even got together for a fire at the end of the semester, and it was beyond joyful! With many semesters of teaching behind me, and with many ahead of me, this semester will linger long after it’s over in the best way.
Distinguished Senior Lecturer Araceli Alonso
My most fond memory during this year of synchronous teaching has been to witness that no matter what the circumstances, students found their inner strength, the power of their voices, the potential of their writing to change policies and make the world a better place for them and for all.
[Art by Justine Hill, Cassie Barwick, Hannah Redpath, Gen&WS 661: Circle of Care for Global Health and Human Rights]
Associate Professor Pernille Ipsen
In GWS 640 we had great conversations about hanging out with cats, dogs, and other animals, gardening, embroidering, crocheting, and we have talked about planners, yoga, cross stitching, roommates, friendships, traveling and graduation plans. I may never have met you in the real world, but you are definitely with me forever.
Assistant Professor Ruth Goldstein
Resilience often looked like a lot of cameras-off Zoom squares, but that's ok. It's smart to take breaks and self-care is important!
Senior Distinguished Lecturer Araceli Alonso
Our students have demonstrated that they can thrive in adversity, and that challenge provides for them a good ground to be creative and to keep working in community regardless of our circumstances.
My deepest gratitude to our students for turning the challenges of this past year into the most fascinating academic experience!!
[Art by student Sruti Mohan, Gen&WS 535: Women's Global Health and Human Rights]
Gender and Women's Studies and LGBTQ+ Studies Graduates
GWS Master’s Degree
Esaí Ortiz-Rivera
Cyra K. Polizzi
GWS Major
Madelyn LaSavage Adler
Rebecca Louise Anderson
Maya Ruth Cherry
Molly Manion Davis
Margaret Ann Freking
Janine Dale Gardner
Paige Elizabeth Haehlke
Venus Huyen Han
Nicole Ann Hendry
Summer R Herrmann
Haylee Alexis Hess
Hailey Lynn Jaschob
Cheyenne Nicole King
Savannah Klein
Ansley L. Laev
Isabella Anastasia Leigh
Claudia Liu
Madison Jayne Matijevich
Amanda Mabel McLaughlin
Olivia Lucille Rasmussen
Hannah Marie Redpath
Rosemary Emma Rodriguez
Sheridan Ava Schaefer
Sarah Ashleigh Shaw
Rachel Sina
Hayley Jo Snell
Meghan Tyler Wilhelmi
May Wojt
Ariel Yang
Teresa Yen
GWS Certificate
Tobi Alawode
Rosa Amador
Abigail Elizabeth Anderson
Emma Anderson
Angelyn Joyce Banach
Madison Jensen Barnes
Caroline Jane Bergman
Mahima Bhattar
Jenna Mariannina Blasco
Mackenzie Lea Blauert
Emma Charlotte Chowen Boehm
Meredith Alaine Bone
Hannah Bressi
Bridget K Brodlo
Claire Burden
Shannon Ferol Erwin Campion
Emma Lauren Cholip
Peri Elyse Coskey
Kayla Cotton
Alicia Nicole Cran
Mae Dechavez
Lauren Kaye Delisi
Erin Elizabeth Dobrzynski
Maja Isabella Eaton
Karissa Jane Ebert
Marley M Eckblad
Allison Claire Eierman
Maria Rose Ekern
Tal Even
Trinity Linda Fandre
Madeline Marie Frieseke
Payton Leigh Gentges
Tricia Lynn Gigstad
Casey Hope Gilinson
Marianna Mikhaylovna Globacheva
Kathryn Ann Goodspeed
Zoe Bigelow Gormley
Abigail Grace Hanson
Samantha Faye Harvey
Grace Kathryn Herndon
Laura Rose Holzer
Joyce Hu
Lauryn Elizabeth Hugener
Karolyn Chelsea Hylton
Tess Ann Iding
Isabel Jimenez-Diaz
Zachary Clay Johnson
Natalie Mira Jurcik
Caitlynn Nicole Kamps
Maggie Kay Keating
Anne Margaret Kelly
Katherine Kermgard
Emily Josephine Klos
Courtney Kopchinski
Skye Soleil Kravik
Marissa Rose Kugler
Talaysha Rene Kuss
Jessica Lauren Kuzniewski
Mariah Frances Larson
Alexis Lee
Delaney Mae Leibforth
Sophia Christensen Lepien
Isabel Levine
Natalia Anna Lugovskaya
Elsa Ann Lundin
Haley Anne Mades
Kealy Marnell
Emma Jo Ann McClure
Caitlyn McElwee
Meghan Elizabeth McNerney
Samantha Alise Miller
Sruti Mohan
Justice Xavia Montoya
Emma Mae Mortensen
Marlina Mueller
Alyson Marie Nerenhausen
Leslie Chau Nguyen
Sofia Nikolic
Georgia Lin Norton
Annette Somtochukwu Okafor
Asha Marie Opal
Veronica Maya Anne Ortiz
Anna Michelle Pearson
Claire Elizabeth Petersen
Victoria Jean Potter
Sydney Lynn Race
Emily Elizabeth Ravet
Karina Rodriguez
Kyla Michelle Rosenberg
Olivia Anne Ruble
Gabrielle Hart Santor
Sheridan Ava Schaefer
Georgia Christine Schefelker
Avalon Patricia Schultz
Loran Niagrace Schultz
Megan Ann Schumacher
Samantha Ann Schwartz
Margaret Anne Shea
Haley Irene Sisel
Hannah Leigh Smith
Lexi Soto
Skye Justine Stanwich
Chloe Ann Strait
McKailah Jo Strang
Samantha Jo Stroebel
Cara Reed Suplee
Caroline Mary Swanson
Cayce J. Swenson
Kearra Leigh Thimm
Lexi Tiede
Amalia Karen Todesco
Malika Toguem
Rose Elizabeth Tokar
Katherine Anne Turner
BaJie Vang
Tia Vasen
Samantha Lee Visintainer
Tzang Vue
Grace K. Wallner
Olivia Lynne Walters
Isabel Rose Warner
Sophia Marie Westover
Dylan Arlo Witte
Ella Wolle
Esther Wu
Amy Maimee Yang
Tiffany Gaolu Yang
Chloe Marie Zick
Carl Zuleger
LGBTQ+ Studies Certificate
Madelyn LaSavage Adler
Sam Ahler
Rosa Amador
Rebecca Louise Anderson
Alana Robie Tara Ceesay
Hunter Ellis
Taylor Kevin Funseth
Cheyenne Nicole King
Abigail Sarah Pawelski
David Riser
Rosemary Emma Rodriguez
Sheridan Ava Schaefer
Malika Toguem
Bryce Andrews Trimberger
Dylan Arlo Witte
Jiazhi Yang