University of Florida Homepage

Catching up with GSWS Alums

Summer Cisneros Class of 2020 BA Women’s Studies, cum laude Since 2018, I have worked for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida. I am current­ly the Community Health Educator in Alachua County, where I teach comprehensive and inclusive sexual health and personal growth topics at various schools and organizations. I am honored to […]

Alumni Spotlight: Maria Saldana

María Saldana (she/ella) graduated cum laude from UF with a BA in Women’s Studies and a BS in Psychology in 2020 and earned an MA in Women’s Studies in 2022. She is a Program Associate at the National Equity Project and a columnist for award-winning American online magazine Them. My graduate work at the Center […]

Alumni Spotlight: Milan Savoury

Milan Savoury graduated with a BS in Psychology and a BA in Women’s Studies in 2016. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and is set to graduate in August 2022 with a PhD in Counseling Psychology, with all degrees from the University of Florida. After graduating she will be a Postdoctoral Fellow at Deep Eddy Psychotherapy in Austin, TX.

Featured Alumni: Ketshia Robillard

Ketshia Robillard graduated in 2020 with the BA in Women’s Studies and a minor in Health Disparities in Society from the Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research. She is now working as resource technician for the Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Resource Paramedicine Program (CRP) where she continues to serve the Gainesville community and work with Center practicum and internship students.

BA to MA in Women’s Studies: Center Alum Connects Research and Community

Maria Saldana graduated with the BA in Women’s Studies and a BS in Psychology in 2020. She has since started the Women’s Studies MA program at the University of Florida. For many undergraduate students at the University of Florida, the Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research (CGSWSR), or as it is informally known […]

From Feminist Theory to Feminist Practice: Center Alum Pursues Career in Social Work

Whitney Shadowens graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies in 2012. She obtained a Master of Social Work (MSW) in May 2020 from the University of South Florida and is currently a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern, working toward licensure as a Clinical Social Worker, and providing psychotherapy services to individuals and couples in Pinellas […]

Center Alum and Published Author Pursues her Love of Haiti, Reading and Writing

Maritza Moulite graduated with the BA in Women’s Studies in 2013. She is now a published author of young adult novels, including Dear Haiti, Love Alaine, co-authored with her sister Maika Moulite. She is currently pursuing her PhD in education at the University of Pennsylvania. “What’s Women’s Studies?” “Why Women’s Studies?” Maritza Moulite was asked […]

Center Alum Transformational Experiences Shape Her Goals as a Feminist Professor

Dr. Marcela Murillo graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies and PhD in Spanish in 2019. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Santa Fe College. My incursion to the Center started out as simple curiosity. I took Dr. Shehan’s “Advanced Feminist Theory” class as an elective for my doctoral program in Spanish literature in […]

Center Alum Integrates the Arts and Therapy to Support Boys and Promote Change

Christine Joseph graduated with the BA in Women’s Studies in 2009. She went on to earn a degree in Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University in 2017. She is an Expressive Arts Therapist at SailFuture group home. I currently work as an Expressive Arts Therapist at SailFuture group home where I provide counseling to teenage […]

Center Alum Advances Research and Praxis Centering Indigenous Women’s Resistance and Liberation Activism

Nathalia H. Ochoa graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies in 2013. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at the University of Texas-Austin. As a feminist scholar, her work focuses on intersectional analysis of violence against women in Central America, Maya Kaqchikel women’s activism […]

Center Alum Launches Stronger Than Stigma, Inc., Connects Entrepreneurship and Social Change

Gabrielle Magid graduated with the BA in Women’s Studies and minors in business administration and nonprofit organizational leadership in 2015. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Stronger Than Stigma, Inc. in Jacksonville, FL. As with most big decisions in my life, I didn’t plan it out and execute it gracefully. I stumbled upon […]

Center Alum Brings Feminist Analysis to Studying Climate Smart Agricultural Technology

Molly Green graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies in 2014. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at UNC Chapel Hill. Her engaged research on climate change, agricultural technologies, and food sovereignty is informed by feminist and decolonizing theory I first—reluctantly—began to claim the identity of feminist during my undergraduate […]

Center Alum Launches Academic Career in Race, Gender, and Environmental Justice

Alum Spotlight: Dr. Vanessa Fabien graduated with her BA in Women’s Studies in 2006. She earned a PhD in September 2014 in Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As a historian, her research focuses on 19th and 20th century African American history and culture with particular emphases on environmental ethics, religion, and gender. […]

Center Alum Brings Gender Equity Lens to International Tax Consulting

Alum Spotlight: Aishwarya Krishna Iyer graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies and SJD in Taxation from the Levin College of Law in 2018. She is currently an International Tax Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwaraha Gurur Saakshaat Para Brahma Tasmai Shree Gurave Namaha Guru (Teacher) is verily Brahma – the […]

Alumni Spotlight: Karina A. Vado

Alum’s Research Examines Race and Gender in Science and Science Fiction      Karina A. Vado graduated with the MA in Women’s Studies in 2014. She began her PhD studies as a Florida Education Fund McKnight Doctoral Follow in UF’s Department of English in 2015. Karina’s research lies at the intersections of science fiction studies, […]

Alumni Spotlight: Francesse Lucius

Francesse Lucius graduated with her BA in Women’s Studies in 2009. Currently, she is an attorney with Children’s Legal Services / Department of Children and Families. I became interested in Women’s Studies in high school when I took a class on Women’s Studies and Literature. I had just moved to Florida from Haiti and had […]