Voting to Honor My Family

Nikitha Mohan is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Biopsychology and a minor in Gender and Women Studies. She is a very active member and co-leader of Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL). She intends on furthering her education in Public Health so she can eventually work in programs which are dedicated to enhancing the mental and physical health of women and children. Nikitha received the Joan S. Korenman Award for Service in GWST.

Freddy Reyes chose to major in Psychology and minor in Gender and Women’s Studies because of his interests in equality for all individuals, particularly LGBT groups.  In 2010, Freddy received an Associate's degree form Howard Community College. As a McNair scholar, Freddy will be participating in the Summer Research Institute (SRI) this June and July, to gauge the levels of suicide ideation among sexual minority students here at UMBC. He has plans to attend graduate school, and ultimately would like to research the cultural impact of intolerance and prejudice on sexual minorities, specifically Hispanic/Latino influences, and counsel LGBT youth. Freddy received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Kaleigh Schaal is a double major in Gender and Women's Studies and Management of Aging Services. She has earned a 4.0 GPA due to her hard work over four years pursuing this education, so she will graduate Summa Cum Laude. Her current research is at the intersection of her fields of study: an in depth comparison of the societal assumptions of post-menopausal mothers versus that of custodial grandmothers. Kaleigh is excited for her future plans, which include a much deserved change of pace. She and her husband will spend time traveling, and she will decide her next steps based on the passions she discovers along the journey. Kaleigh received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Stephanie Ward is graduating with a B.A. In Gender and Women's Studies and a Honors College Certificate. She has been in the Student Government Association for three years and is the director of Major Inspiration, a service organization that focuses on instilling college and career readiness in Baltimore youth. Stephanie was also the chair of the BMORE Proud LGBTQIA Leadership Summit which took place in February 2012. After graduation, she plans on continuing her work with Baltimore's youth and wishes to pursue graduate school for community counseling. Stephanie also wants to further research the role of gender in education and youth development. Steph received the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Award for Academic Achievement in GWST.

Steve Ammidown will be graduating with a Gender + Women’s Studies certificate and Sociology major.  Much of his academic work while at UMBC has focused on understanding popular culture phenomena through a feminist intersectional lens.  This year, he has served in a leadership capacity with the GWST Council of Majors, and volunteered off-campus with several reproductive rights organizations.  When he isn’t studying, he works in the Special Collections department at the Albin O. Kuhn Library, where he can usually be found poring over comic books.  He is moving on to that “other” University of Maryland in the fall to study Archives and Records Management. Steve received both the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Academic Achievement Award in GWST and Joan S. Korenman Award for Service in GWST.

Eva Jannotta will graduate in May 2012 with a BA in Gender and Women's Studies and English, with a minor in Spanish. She is extremely grateful to the Gender and Women's Studies Department for supporting her independent research and thesis work on contemporary women's popular fiction. After graduation Eva will continue her service work as an anti-racist activist in the Baltimore area, focusing on facilitation and social media; and as a clinic escort for reproductive health rights. She ultimately plans to earn her PhD, studying contemporary women's fiction as cultural texts, and to teach at the university level. Eva received both the Jo Ann E. Argersinger Academic Achievement Award in GWST and Joan S. Korenman Award for Service in GWST.

"Kate Drabinski is a lecturer in Gender and Women’s Studies and director of the WILL Program at UMBC.

One of my biggest frustrations as a student was writing papers that would be read only by the professor and then stuck in a trash can somewhere, never to be seen again. I wanted to have bigger conversations with more people, to practice engaging in the conversations I knew were happening outside the classroom."

Read Dr. Kate's whole story, and find out more about the Breaking Ground project here: http://umbcbreakingground.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/what-i-saw-riding-my-bike-around-today/