Congratulations WGST Class of 2020!

Emma Ruth Breitman

Major: Women and Gender Studies, Summa Cum Laude
Minors: Spanish & Ethnic Studies
Certificate in LGBTQ Studies

Honors Thesis: Queer Futurity and Hybridity in "Arrival" and "Embrace of the Serpent"

Recognitions:
Joanne Easley Arnold Outstanding Senior Award
Dean's List all 4 years
Graduating with honors in WGST, summa cum laude
Active member of SAEPi, the Jewish sorority,
Active member of Hillel
Research assistant for Professor Mehta

Thanks so much to my family, friends, and amazing professors for constantly encouraging me and providing me with the support I need to succeed. My professors in WGST have given me so many life changing opportunities and I almost certainly would not be where I am today without their help. I would like to say a special thanks to Dr. Mehta and Dr. Jacobs for allowing me to explore my Jewish identity further which has ultimately led to me accepting a job with Hillel. I would also like to thank Dr. David for his incredible help and support with my thesis and for his eye opening classes."

Jessica Marie Chavez

Major: Women and Gender Studies
Minor: Leadership Studies

Recognitions:
INVST Community Studies 2017-2019;
LEAD McNeill Scholarship;
Andermach Cicogna Scholarship
eportfolio award Reflective Critical Thinking

I would like to thank my professors that I have had the opportunity to learn from over the years. My life has changed immensely and my commitment to live a life filled with compassion for others will never fade. I am forever grateful for Invst Community Studies and the community this program has sustained. This program and the WGST department have helped me discover some of my passions and have supported my journey of growing into who I am today. Thank you."

Olivia Gardner

Major: Women and Gender Studies & Ethnic Studies
Minor: Leadership Studies

Recognitions:
Multicultural Leadership Scholars;
Downton Community Leadership Scholarship;
National Conference for College Women Student Leaders;
National Conference on Race & Ethnicity;
Equity & Excellence Student Award 2020;|
Jacob Van Ek Award;
INVST Community Studies;
Women's Resource Center;
CU Student Government

Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence the outcomes — you alone or you in concert with a few dozen or several million others. Hope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting. It’s the belief that what we do matters even though how and when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand. We may not, in fact, know them afterward either, but they matter all the same, and history is full of people whose influence was most powerful after they were gone.” - Rebecca Solnit

Xachariah Huey

Major: Women and Gender Studies & Political Science
Certificate in LGBTQ Studies

Recognitions:
Zero Waste Hero

Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries unite!" -Karl Marx

"To alter the position of women at the root is possible only if all the conditions of social, family, and domestic existence are altered". -Leon Trotsky

Dexter Johnson

Major: Women and Gender Studies

Thanks to all of my friends and family who have supported me throughout my college career. My grandmother deserves a whole heap of thanks. To my sister Adelaide: college is an example of just one possible path you can take - but there are countless others that are just as rewarding."

Emmaline Kelly

Major: Women and Gender Studies & Anthropology

Recognitions:
Joanne Easley Arnold Outstanding Senior Award
Dean’s List, Fall 2018-Spring 2020
Gender Justice League
Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity

The faculty, staff, and students in our department have built a beautiful learning community here unlike any other I have ever encountered – the bar has been forever raised. My chosen and biological families have held me with immense support for the last four years. I am unbelievably grateful for their love and for my time here. Thank you to all of you."

Rebekah Kenitzer

Major: Women and Gender Studies
Minor: Sociology
Certificate in Public Health

Recognitions:
Dean's List;
Jean Dubofsky Scholarship in Women and Gender Studies

I want to thank my mother for teaching me how to be unapologetic, my father for teaching me patience, and my sisters for teaching me on how to be brave. I want to give appreciation to my friends who were there during times of self-destruction as well as self-growth. Lastly, I want to give my appreciation for the WGST faculty and staff for creating a space that is both challenging and validating. In these odd times, I will be reading, writing, painting and most importantly, learning how to cook."

Effie Shannon

Major: Women and Gender Studies
Minor: Sociology

Recognitions:
Joanne Easley Arnold Outstanding Senior Award
Dean’s List: Fall '18
Gender Justice League

If I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off." -Fannie Lou Hamer

Ceiteirein Thomas

Major: Women and Gender Studies & Anthropology
Certificate in LGBTQ Studies

Honors Thesis: What’s wrong with woke ads? An analysis of trans resistance movements and corporate co-optation

Recognitions:
Graduated magna cum laude in Women and Gender Studies;
member of CU QTPOC

I'm honestly not very excited to graduate because I'm afraid and unsure of the world I'm going into, but I'm grateful to have studied gender and queer theory. I met amazing people and read incredible stuff, and I think I've learned how to be a more compassionate person. I'll miss you all a lot. ACAB.

Zoë Vardaro

Major: Women and Gender Studies
Minor: Business Entrepreneurship
Certificate in Global Gender & Sexuality Studies

Recognitions:
Founding class of Theta Pi Sigma, CU’s first all gender inclusive Greek organization.
Dean’s List every semester
CU Esteemed Scholars Program.

I’m so happy to be graduating as a better version of myself. Thanks to my education, my friends, and my endlessly supportive family, I feel as ready as I ever will to make my way in this world. I plan to always help the other fellow and stand up for what I love. Now let’s fight for cancelling student debt and making college free for those who come after us.

Morgan Avis

Major: Ethnic Studies
Minor: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
National Honor Society
Deans List: Fall 2016, Spring 2018, & Fall 2019

Whatever you think your life is going to be like, just know it's not gonna be anything like that." -20th Century Women

Rosemary Claire Callahan

Major: Integrative Physiology
Minors: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
President Joseph A. Sewall Award;
Dean’s List: Fall ‘16, Spring ‘17, Spring ‘19, & Spring ‘20;
Leadership Studies Program ‘16-‘17;
Hiking Club ‘17-’18;
Chemistry Teaching Assistant ’17-’18;
President of IPHY Biostatistics Club ’18-’20

I must be the bridge to nowhere
But my true self
And then
I will be useful"
- Excerpt from The Bridge Poem by Donna Kate Rushin, published in This Bridge Called My Back, edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua

Adrianna Althea Clemenhagen

Major: International Affairs
Minors: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
Intern at New Era Colorado, registering new voters
Intern at WorldDenver, an organization that strives to facilitate a cross-cultural exchange between citizens of Denver and people from all around the world

I want to thank my parents Darren and Lynda for their unwavering support in my journey to acquire an education, as well as the support of my friends through the highs and lows over the past 5 years. I’m thankful for the knowledge I acquired in my studies and am excited to pursue a career in my major and minor fields."

Therese Gardner

Major: Communication
Minor: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
2020 William W. White Outstanding Senior Award
2019-2020 Arthur B. Levis Scholarship
2018-2019 Dean's List College of Media, Communication, & Information
2016 Dean's List College of Arts & Sciences

"The louder you laugh and the farther apart you plant your feet, the more respect you'll get. Take up space because it's not a school dance." - Erika Lopez

Megan Hendy

Major: Integrative Physiology
Minor: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
Chancellor's Achievement Scholarship
Delta Delta Delta sorority, member and risk management chair

This opportunity wouldn't have been possible without the love and support from my family and best friends. Thanks to them I have been able to discover my true self and strengths through this college experience, and I have never been more confident in myself and my identity. Sko Buffs!"

Carly James

Major: Sociology
Minors: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
Published in CU Honors Journal for creative nonfiction "A Loaf of Bread"

Endless gratitude goes out to Ma, Dad, my sister Hannah, and my lady squad for keeping me going for 5 WHOLE YEARS...yes, five. There were days where I thought this education was meant for someone other than myself, but you believed in me so much that I began believing in me too. I did the work, but you guys cheered me on the whole way through. I needed that support and you gave it to me. Now I get to sit here and be completely, utterly proud of myself. SKO BUFFS baby; Colorado, I love you. Thank you"

Anissa Lujan

Major: English
Minors: Women and Gender Studies & Ethnic Studies

Recognitions:
Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program

Wild tongues can't be tamed, they can only be cut out." - Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza

Veronica Manurung

Major: Media Studies
Minors: Women and Gender Studies

Recognitions:
Dean's list: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2019

Mom I did it!"

Manasa Ponnapalli

Majors: MCDB, Neuroscience
Minor: Women and Gender Studies
Certificate: Public Health

Recognitions:
UROP scholarship
Dean's List every semester
Member of CU Abhinaya, the CU Neuroscience club

One of the most valuable gifts CU gave me was stumbling upon my love for gender studies. I hope to incorporate gender-based advocacy wherever I go in the future and am incredibly thankful to have learned so much from the minor that I can use to better the world."

Samantha Lynn Zirger

Major: Media Studies
Minors: Women and Gender Studies & Political Science

Recognitions:
Dean's List
Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity
Graduating with Honors, Summa Cum Laude

Over the past four years, the University of Colorado has pushed me to grow as a student and a person. I cannot wait to continue this experience at Colorado Law in the fall. I want to thank my parents for their endless encouragement and for sending me pictures of all the pups (i.e. Bernie)."

Gabriela Buitrón Vera, PhD

Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish and Portuguese

Dissertation Title: Representing the Earthquake of 1985 in Mexico City: A Polyphony of Voices. in Novelistic, Journalistic and Testimonial Narratives”

My doctoral research focuses on literary and graphic representations of natural disasters; civil response to catastrophe; and the connection between arts, politics, and the state. In my dissertation, Representing the Earthquake of 1985 in Mexico City: A Polyphony of Voices in Novelistic, Graphic and Testimonial Narratives, I draw from gender and queer theory frameworks to analyze how disasters place vulnerable sectors at even more risk, due to gender and other intermingling inequalities.

I dedicate this achievement to my parents who have supported me throughout my entire career."

Kelly J. Drumright, PhD

Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish and Latin American Literatures

Dissertation Title: "Fear, Anxiety, and the Assemblage of the Posthuman in Spanish and Catalan Science Fiction (1912-2018)"

This project examines various narrative representations of the posthuman (e.g., robots, cyborgs, artificial intelligence, etc.) in science fiction from Spain and Catalonia, arguing that fear and anxiety are the fundamental emotions animating this iconic trope.

Tell stories filled with facts. Make people touch and taste and KNOW. Make people FEEL! FEEL! FEEL!" - Octavia Butler, from her notes on writing

Dr. Drumright is the co-producer a bi-weekly podcast where YA fantasy is read through a critical lens: https://jkmagicpod.com/

Jocelyn Sutton Franklin, PhD

Doctor of Philosophy in French and Francophone Studies

Dissertation Title: "From Cultural Memory to Lived Reality: Layered Trauma in 20th and 21st Century Haitian Literature."

This dissertation explores the impact of cultural memory of formative traumas, such as the middle passage and episodes of colonial oppression, on the representation of contemporary traumatic events in Haiti, such as the 2010 earthquake.

Know that it is by the heart that I breathe” - Frankétienne

Erin Rachel Kaplan, PhD

Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre & Performance Studies

Dissertation Title: "Community, Confrontation, and the Subjectless Performative in Explicit Body Performance: Models of Audience Engagement"

This study, examines the strategies used by Explicit Body Performers in their attempts to critically engage their audiences. I argue that there are three general models of engagement for these performers: a communitarian one, a confrontational one , and a third more elusive model that I am calling the subjectless performative. Using critical feminist and queer theory, as well as my own experiences as an audience member, performance reviews, interviews with performers, and interdisciplinary theoretical works I evaluate the efficacy of these strategies based on the stated goals of the performers.

As my 4-year-old son Theo, who said... "Mama... this is a reeeeeeeeally long weekend."

Kim Ploeg

Master of Arts in Religious Studies

Thesis Title: "In Defence of Our Dharma": Articulations of National Community in Manushi

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Congratulations WGST Class of 2020!

A note from the Chair:

Watch Now: Graduation Video

Graduating with the WGST Major:

Graduating with the WGST Minor:

Receiving the Graduate Certificate:

WGST Class of 2020

WGST Class of 2020 Recommended Reading

Emma Ruth Breitman

Jessica Marie Chavez

Olivia Gardner

Xachariah Huey

Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries unite!" -Karl Marx

"To alter the position of women at the root is possible only if all the conditions of social, family, and domestic existence are altered". -Leon Trotsky

Dexter Johnson

Thanks to all of my friends and family who have supported me throughout my college career. My grandmother deserves a whole heap of thanks. To my sister Adelaide: college is an example of just one possible path you can take - but there are countless others that are just as rewarding."

Emmaline Kelly

Rebekah Kenitzer

Effie Shannon

If I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off." -Fannie Lou Hamer

Ceiteirein Thomas

Zoë Vardaro

Morgan Avis

Whatever you think your life is going to be like, just know it's not gonna be anything like that." -20th Century Women

Rosemary Claire Callahan

I must be the bridge to nowhere But my true self And then I will be useful" - Excerpt from The Bridge Poem by Donna Kate Rushin, published in This Bridge Called My Back, edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua

Adrianna Althea Clemenhagen

Therese Gardner

"The louder you laugh and the farther apart you plant your feet, the more respect you'll get. Take up space because it's not a school dance." - Erika Lopez

Megan Hendy

This opportunity wouldn't have been possible without the love and support from my family and best friends. Thanks to them I have been able to discover my true self and strengths through this college experience, and I have never been more confident in myself and my identity. Sko Buffs!"

Carly James

Anissa Lujan

Wild tongues can't be tamed, they can only be cut out." - Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza

Veronica Manurung

Mom I did it!"

Manasa Ponnapalli

One of the most valuable gifts CU gave me was stumbling upon my love for gender studies. I hope to incorporate gender-based advocacy wherever I go in the future and am incredibly thankful to have learned so much from the minor that I can use to better the world."

Samantha Lynn Zirger

Over the past four years, the University of Colorado has pushed me to grow as a student and a person. I cannot wait to continue this experience at Colorado Law in the fall. I want to thank my parents for their endless encouragement and for sending me pictures of all the pups (i.e. Bernie)."

Gabriela Buitrón Vera, PhD

I dedicate this achievement to my parents who have supported me throughout my entire career."

Kelly J. Drumright, PhD

Tell stories filled with facts. Make people touch and taste and KNOW. Make people FEEL! FEEL! FEEL!" - Octavia Butler, from her notes on writing

Dr. Drumright is the co-producer a bi-weekly podcast where YA fantasy is read through a critical lens: https://jkmagicpod.com/

Dr. Drumright is the co-producer a bi-weekly podcast where YA fantasy is read through a critical lens: https://jkmagicpod.com/

Jocelyn Sutton Franklin, PhD

Know that it is by the heart that I breathe” - Frankétienne

Erin Rachel Kaplan, PhD

As my 4-year-old son Theo, who said... "Mama... this is a reeeeeeeeally long weekend."

Kim Ploeg

I want to thank my mom for always supporting me even when she has no idea what I'm doing!"

I must be the bridge to nowhere
But my true self
And then
I will be useful"
- Excerpt from The Bridge Poem by Donna Kate Rushin, published in This Bridge Called My Back, edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua