A note from the Chair:

Roland

L. Kaifa Roland
Chair, Women & Gender Studies

As the 2020-2021 academic year comes to an end, I am honored to share with you all of the activities that have been underway, and that are on the horizon next year. Most recently, we had a great graduation on Zoom that you can witness yourself by checking out the video and yearbook links below. You are sure to enjoy award-winning poet Shar Steiman reciting one of his powerful poems.

In this year's graduating class we were proud to have three WGST students named A&S Outstanding Graduates for 2021: Kate Kelly, Emily McIntyre and Kiar Rickert, as well as three students who have successfully completed honors theses in women and gender studies: Jessica Bixler, Mar Galvez Seminario and Alex Kramer. During this year's graduation we also honored our Outstanding Seniors and Creative Activism awardees, and we invite you to read about all of our scholarship winners below. WGST is also on a streak for students receiving the Van Ek Award, with two winners this year—congratulations Maggie Friesen and Kiar Rickert!

Our faculty continue to be recognized for their excellence. Professor Maisam Alomar was named a 2021 Career Enhancement Fellow by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and Professor Kristie Soares was awarded an Outstanding Mentor Award from UROP. WGST is excited to be welcoming new faculty to our ranks next year: Professor Hillary Potter, who will be stepping down from her position as associate dean for inclusive practice in the College of Arts & Sciences, to join us after her fall sabbatical, and Professor Leila Gómez—who received an Outstanding Mentor award from the Graduate School—will join our faculty in the fall.

As the CU community is increasingly vaccinated moving into the next academic year, more of our departmental events will be in person. We hope to see some of you there! Still—since it has been so successful—we are looking to continue to offer virtual access to events. You can keep up with all our upcoming events by joining our WGST Events email list.

We thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support Women and Gender Studies. As always, we’d love to hear from you!

Sincerely,
L. Kaifa Roland
Chair, Women and Gender Studies

Congratulations to our
2021 WGST Scholarship
& Award Recipients!


Joanne Easley Arnold
Outstanding Senior Award:

Adriana Colon
Emily McIntyre

Jean Dubofsky Scholarship:
Lillian Drevno

Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Scholarship:
Grace Johnson

Andermarch Cicogna Scholarship:
Kelila Fitch Cook

S. Antoinette Bigelow Scholarship:
Lillian Drevno
Kelila Fitch Cook
Jasmine Rayos
Katherine Storm

WGST Creative Activism Award:
Shar Steiman
for his poem Holding Cell
&
Brooklyn Martin, Isabella Martinez, Leah Steiner, Nina Patterson, Kelea Reed, & Taylor Turbyne Lambert
for their group project,
Mutant: The Intersection of Sexual Trauma and Rediscovering Pleasure