My name is Vanessa Bantle, I am a Junior here at UCM. I am from Saint Charles, Missouri. I am a pre-med major with a minor in WGS. My WGS minor will enable me to be more sensitive with my future patients and have a more experienced background. I was really interested in being a WGS minor because of the new outlook it gives you in life. Being in the WGS program is a really rewarding experience and I highly recommend it for anyone who is willing to broaden their horizons and their knowledge in gender studies.
Hello, my name is Carly Burks. I’m a Senior at the University of Central Missouri with a Sociology major and a WGS minor. I study WGS because I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and it is a very important part of my identity. I plan on being an environmental lawyer, and I will be working with many different people, so being educated on different genders and sexualities will benefit me in the future.
My name is Haley Hyatt and I am a Senior Psychology Major here at UCM and I’m from Harrisonville, Missouri. Being from a small town I was excited to learn and explore other cultures and identities. Minoring in Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies has allowed me to think about my own identities like race, class, gender, and sexuality, as well and how they relate to the world around me. As a minor in WGS you’ll learn about many issues from the historical struggles of women for equality to practical applications like how to better serve diverse communities while having sensitivity towards others. I hope to use this specialized minor to work in non-profit management and use a lens of feminism to improve people’s lives.
Hello, all! My name is Kayla Daspit, and I’m a Junior Sociology/WGS double major from St. Peters, MO. I arrived at UCM with absolutely no idea what to study or do with my life. Then I walked by the WGS bulletin board in Wood during my first week here, and the rest is history! Issues of gender and sexuality have always been of great interest and importance to me, and when I learned I could actually get a degree out of it, I scrambled aboard as fast as I could. In the future, I hope to work with LGBTQ+ youth, to give stories of diversity and intersectionality larger platforms, and to educate people about issues regarding gender and sexuality—and that’s only the beginning. There’s so much I want to do and accomplish in this field some day, and if you share these passions, you should definitely come join the WGS program!
Hi! My name is Britt Klein and I am a senior. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and I moved to Missouri when I was 16. I declared my minor during my sophomore year and I chose to become a WGS minor because I am passionate about fighting for equality for everyone and I wanted to become more open-minded. Also, I wanted to learn valuable information for my future career in counseling. WGS has prepared me to talk to young women and men about issues surrounding women and sexuality. I love this minor because it is interesting and I am always engaged when professors are teaching. WGS is unlike any major on campus because you can truly be yourself and you will not be judged.
My name is Cynthia Thomas, I'm a junior from Independence, MO, and I am majoring
in Creative Game Design and Development with a Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor.
I chose WGS as my minor because I had a vague knowledge of people's differences prior
to taking these courses and now I feel confident in my ability to help educate others.
This minor means a lot to me because I love learning more about people, making myself
as open-minded as possible, and understanding others and their identities.
I plan to use the information from these courses to better myself and create inclusive,
safe environments in everything I do, especially as an aspiring video game creator.
I would recommend taking at least one WGS course in your college career because I
learned things that completely changed how I think and see others. WGS helped me appreciate
and connect with a variety of people and it has enriched my life.
My name is Leah Weller and I am a WGS individualized major! I'm originally from Massachusetts and transferred to UCM in Spring 2018. I could never pick a major or career, until I took two WGS classes with Dr. Rondot. I instantly fell in love with the classes. The classroom environment in these classes is so accepting, and I highly encourage you to try out a class or two! Taking those two WGS classes finally led me to my calling in the WGS department. After graduation, I hope to either go into academia/research or social media, while focusing on the LGBTQ+ community.
Jess McKinzie is a Sophomore from Kearney, Missouri majoring in Psychology and minoring in WGS and Fashion merchandising. She plans on continuing her education to obtain her PhD to become a counseling psychologist with a emphasis in sexuality. "WGS is an amazing minor and that in some way applies to everyone! You can learn so much about others different from you and even about yourself! I think taking these classes are a great way to learn about things you may have not understood before. I strive to be an activist for any minority and speak for the rights of those different than me, as well as those who are similar. WGS classes cover many different umbrellas of diversity and the department is a beautiful group of people that everyone can learn something from."
Hello, my name is Cayla Thurman, I am a Junior at UCM; majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women, and Gender, Sexuality, Studies and Child and Family Development. Being from Saint Louis, I was exposed to many different backgrounds and cultures. However, through WGS programs and classes I have gained an even broader understanding of not only women but myself as an empowered woman. I learned quickly the influence of education on activism. Through this program I hope to challenge my environment at UCM to be more diverse and to bring awareness to all individuals regardless of gender. The WGS program has been 100% beneficial for me while in college, and I hope to better my community creating a chain reaction throughout other communities. Take a stand, and take a class. (:
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