Undergraduates
Wafaa Ateyah 
Spring 2019
B.S. Psychology and
B.A. Women’s Studies
I am currently pursuing my PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Florida!
My training in women’s studies allowed me to have the vocabulary to describe my lived experiences as an Arab American Muslim woman who wears the Hijab. It allowed me to parse out the intersecting and interlocking systems of oppression that plague our society and shape many of our lived experiences. It deepened my passion for centering the voices of the most marginalized and underserved. As a budding psychologist and researcher, my work is rooted in radical love, empathy, equity, and justice – much of which was sparked from the peers that I met through my women’s studies classes, the faculty that I connected with, and the classes that I took.
Ashley Marceus 
Spring 2019
B.A. Political Science,
Women’s Studies,
and African American Studies
I am currently a second-year student at Columbia Law School. This semester I am participating in a Domestic Violence externship with the Queen’s District Attorney’s Office in Queens, New York. I am working toward becoming a sex crimes and domestic violence prosecutor. This summer I will be working in the Special Victims Unit at the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit where I will be assisting with sex crimes and domestic violence crimes.
My training in women’s studies has allowed me to bring a pivotal feminist lens to my work. I have a strong desire to advocate for women who have been battered and abused through domestic violence and sex crimes. Particular courses such as Sexual Ethics allowed me to better understand how to work with these survivors, and empower them throughout the process. I still recall important statistics learned and am able to apply these to my understanding of cases. I am also able to understand the unique challenges that black women crime victims must face due to historical and systemic biases, which I learned about in Women’s Studies courses. I specifically remember discussing the travesty of the R. Kelly cases, where the voices of black women were silenced by the criminal justice system, in my Capstone Seminar. In that moment I knew I would commit my career to advocating for such women and making sure they were vindicated and heard no matter what.
Michaela Poitevien 
Spring 2020
B.A. Women’s Studies, with a minor in Health Disparities in Society
I am currently living in Miami, Fl. I graduated with my master’s in Biomedical Sciences in Spring, 2022. Since graduating, I have been doing some traveling and have gotten to visit Mexico, Canada, New York, Georgia, Belize, and Puerto Rico so far. I am also currently in the process of applying to dental school.
My training in women’s studies has really come in handy during shadowing when interacting with patients. Understanding the complexities of gender issues, along with health disparities, has allowed me to connect with patients on a deeper level. I make sure to take into account people’s background and, overall, ensure they have a smooth and comfortable experience at the dental office, especially since I know many people have anxiety about visiting the dentist.
Graduate Students
Terri Bailey 
Spring 2022
M.A. Women’s Studies
Founder/Executive Director of the nonprofit Bailey Learning and Arts Collective, Inc (BLAAC) and the owner of the newly formed LLC, Terri Bailey Creative Healing and Alternative Therapies (Terri Bailey CHATs)
BLAAC’s 1st official project is The Queens Room Women’s Empowerment Group and virtual S.H.E. Shed (queensroom.org) a selfhelp, self-care, and healing tool provider that hopes to give women the tools to become their best, most authentic and empowered selves. I utilize parts of my MA project, Womanifesto of the Divine Feminine and the Laws of S.H.E. (self-care, healing and empowerment) as I continue to expand on free and low cost resources for women to access. The same applies to Terri Bailey CHATS which will also afford me the opportunity to go out in the world and speak on my experiences as a lay abortion health worker, survivor of domestic and sexual violence, and my ever-evolving repository of coaching and spiritual services.
Melissa Powers 
Spring 2019
M.A. in Women’s Studies
I currently work in the admissions department at Metropolitan State University of Denver, a school with a diverse student body and a commitment to college access. I teach a gender studies course called Beauty Cultures there, as well.
I definitely draw upon my women’s studies training in my teaching. My coursework, research, and hands on teaching experience during my M.A. provided me with a strong foundation for my current and future work in the field.
This story appears in the Fall 2022 issue of the Gender, Sexualities, & Women’s Studies Newsletter. Read more from the issue.