Welcome from the Director
As 2019 draws to a close, your friends at the LGBTQ+ Center wish you a warm and happy holiday season! This year brought us many joys on campus and off, including an expanded student leadership development program, collaborative programming with units across campus, and our first ever LGBTQ-themed Call to Conversation in Washington DC!
We remain so grateful for our alumni and friends, who share their time, wisdom, and resources with us in so many ways. Are you planning a trip to campus? Please let us know; we’d love to welcome you for a visit to the LGBTQ+ Center!
Warmly,
Angela
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Change Agent Program Update
Have you heard about Change Agents, the LGBTQ+ Center’s Student Leadership Development Program? Each year, the Center selects a class of approximately 15 Change Agents to participate in a semester of collaborative learning, identity reflection, and LGBTQ-focused leadership development work. We begin in January by traveling to Creating Change, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Annual Conference. For most of our students, this is the first time they have been in a space with over 3,000 LGBTQ activists, advocates, and scholars! Students then spend the spring semester working collaboratively on a number of projects and learning opportunities. Previous Change Agent projects have included the development of our Queer First Year program, a cohort-style experience that gives incoming first-year students opportunities to build support networks, make friends, and learn skills for academic and social well-being. Other projects have included an intergenerational LGBTQ art show at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, a podcast on healthy relationships, and the creation of the Queer and Trans Campus Consortium, a monthly community-building space for LGBTQ+ faculty, staff, and students at WFU.
While many universities send students to Creating Change, we don’t know of any other institution that has incorporated the experience into a comprehensive and ongoing leadership program. The costs of the Change Agent program are substantial - to ensure every student has equitable access to the program and does not experience stress related to the financial component, we pay all of our student travel expenses and conference fees. The vast majority of this money comes directly from donor gifts. What we have heard repeatedly from students is that without this support, they would be unable to participate in the program. We are so grateful to our alumni and friends for their generous support of this program!
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LGBTQ Call to Conversation
By now, you’ve likely heard about Wake’s signature Call to Conversation program. Across the country, thousands of Wake alums have gathered over a meal to discuss the values that define us as an institution. Perhaps you have had the opportunity participate in one of these wonderful conversations on leadership and character!
This fall, in partnership with Dr. Angela Mazaris, the Call to Conversation team debuted an exciting new addition to the C2C menu: our first ever LGBTQ-themed Call to Conversation! Hosted in Washington, DC by Karl Heininger, ’83, a small group of alumni from across five decades gathered to share their perspectives on how LGBTQ rights have changed throughout their lifetimes, and what life at Wake has been like for LGBTQ students across the years. The evening was a transformative experience for everyone involved, and we hope to host more LGBTQ-themed Calls to Conversation soon! If you are interested in hosting one in your area, reach out to Angela Mazaris in the LGBTQ+ Center or Shaida Horner from the Call to Conversation team! |
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Honoring our 2019 Lavender Graduates
The LGBTQ+ Center had the honor to celebrate an outstanding class of Lavender Graduates on May 1, 2019. This year's ceremony had a number of highlights, including four members of the graduating class sharing reflections with their classmates and the audience, and a special 'Lavender Qhoir' performance. We were privileged to recognize this year's graduating class.
Sania Ali
Sociology & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Emily Joyce Beeland
Sociology & German Studies
Justin Heath Browning
Anthropology & Italian
Cody Weston Kincaid Burke
Philosophy
Zachary Bynum
Politics and International Affairs
Dario Alejandro Calabro
Master of Science in Management
Charles Cicchino
Theatre
Christopher B. Fisher
Master of Science in Management
James Frawley
Finance
Gretchen Joy Gabrielson
Master of Divinity
Latricia Larnice Giles
Master of Divinity
Kayla Heilig
Sociology
Austin Hill
Psychology and Studio Art
Erica Jordan
Politics and International Affairs
Emma Kennett
Politics and International Affairs & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Eun Hye Kim
Religious Studies & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Taylor Lammert
Doctor of Medicine
Caroline Li
Computer Science
Jenny Liu
Psychology
Emily Lupton Lupez
Doctor of Medicine
Lauren A. Martin
Juris Doctor
Meagan McNeely
Master of Divinity
Samantha Moorin
Master of Science in Accountancy
Danielle Mozingo
Sociology & Philosophy
Roohi Narula
Religion & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Aries Powell
Sociology
Bri Reddick
Communications
Evelyn Jyles Rodgers
Theatre & Studio Art
Erica Saunders
Master of Divinity
Tori Spong
Theatre & Sociology
Virginia Stanton
Juris Doctor
Foster Stroup
Psychology
Mella Tesfazgi
Economics
Linh Tran
Master of Science in Management
Reed Van Schenck
History & Communications
Taylor West
Anthropology & Biology
Chloe Wilburn
Master of Science in Management
Natalie Wilson
Sociology
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Ways to Support the LGBTQ+ Center
If you would like to support initiatives like the Change Agents Student Leadership Development Program this holiday season, please consider a gift in any amount to the LGBTQ+ Center Fund. We are so very grateful to the many alumni and friends who make this important work possible!
Happy Holidays from all of us at the LGBTQ+ Center! |
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