Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

We are excited to welcome our new graduate students to the Department’s MA program: Mona Ashour, Rose Capo, Cecilia Luna, Angelica McGee, and Tegan Smith. Their research interests cover a myriad of topics, and they each bring a rich range of experiences and accomplishments.

Mona Ashour is an assistant professor of English Language and Literature at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. She got her Masters in English Literature in 2016, and her PhD in Eco-feminism in 2019. Dr. Ashour is joining University of Florida to accomplish her dream of getting a degree in Women Studies, a specialization that isn’t available in her home country. She is aspiring to develop, validate, and spread a new level of consciousness of African/Arab/Middle Eastern women.

Rose Capo is a first year M.A. Student in the Women’s Studies program who earned her Bachelor’s in Diversity Studies at the University of Central Florida (go knights, charge on)! Rose is interested in sexuality studies within the genderqueer community as well as intersectional feminism and progressing sex education within the U.S. In Rose’s free time, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, biking, and advocating for alternative modes of transportation.

As a first year MA student, Cecilia Luna is focused on Latinx gender and sexuality studies and gender-inclusive language in the Latin American diaspora. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida in 2017, Ceci served as Communications Specialist at the Student Health Care Center until July 2022. Ceci currently serves as a facilitator for the course GET201: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Gators offered through UF Training and Organizational Development for Faculty & Staff. In addition, Ceci is involved with community groups such as Queer Nation and the Latinx Staff & Faculty Association.

Angelica McGee received her BA in Communication Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies at The University of Nevada- Las Vegas. She has been involved in community outreach with organizations such as The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, The Artisans’ Guild Gallery, Peaceful Paths, and The United Church of Gainesville. At UCG, McGee serves as an inclusive sexual education and relationship specialist where she teaches youth the differences between healthy vs unhealthy relationships, how to improve those relationships, and if and when they should seek professional help. In her graduate studies, she focuses on race, class, gender, culture, community and faith through an intersectional lens.

Tegan Smith is a first-year M.A. student interested in ecofeminism, posthumanism, and relational ethics. Before coming to UF, she received her B.A. in History and Women’s and Gender Studies at Santa Clara University. While at SCU, she researched the history of gay bars in San Francisco, LGBTQ+ activism, and the racialization of homosexuality during the Third Reich.