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OUT TO LEAD

By on November 18, 2024 in Uncategorized

OUT TO LEAD

WGS FUNDS LGBTQ+ Leaders FOR SOCIAL CHANGE PROGRAM AT COFC PRIDE CENTER

WRITTEN BY WGS ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR, PRISCILLA THOMAS ‘07 (she/her)

Building safe spaces and cultivating inclusivity for the College’s LGBTQ+ students is an ongoing process. Having recently completed her second year as Director of the Gender and Sexuality Equity Center (GSEC), Dr. Naomi Simmons (she/her) has launched several initiatives in her short time at the helm. One of the first changes was an on-campus rebrand to make this campus resource more easily identifiable to students. Intent on making the center’s name instantly recognizable and relatable, it is now the PRIDE Center.

WGS majors Mo Spragins (Out to Lead intern) and Laney Johnson ’24 (PRIDE Center intern). Photo credit: Reese Moore

This was just the start. As its website outlines, the PRIDE Center’s programs and services are designed to build, advocate for, empower, and nurture the LGBTQ+ campus community. Highlights include working with other CofC divisions to revise student housing forms and students’ capability to change pronouns across various operating systems, launching leadership programs, Honors Engaged, and winning a WGS-Mellon Impact Grant to fund “Out to Lead (OTL): LGBTQ+ Leaders for Social Change.”

Out to Lead is a newly launched program that provides a unique opportunity for LGBTQ+ students at CofC. Simmons noted the need for this kind of program, stating in her grant proposal that, “There currently exists a lack of opportunities for students in the LGBTQ+ community and students committed to the work of queer justice to pursue leadership development opportunities intentionally grounded in Humanities and Social Sciences.” The goal of Out to Lead being, “a multi-year, developmental partnership/internship with a community or campus partner that allows a student to gain hands-on learning and collaboration with cohort peers, WGS instructors and community leaders.”

This partnership between WGS and GSEC will enrich the leadership development of the Out to Lead cohort. Simmons outlines the program’s skills-building approach, “Each cohort of students selected for this program will take select courses in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, receive guided mentorship in leadership skill development, engage in cohort learning sessions, and complete a Capstone project in WGS that demonstrates their ability to integrate critical reflection about gender and sexuality with actionable project development and implementation that puts their knowledge into action and expands their professional skills set.”

Embodying the core principles of the WGS program, Simmons was awarded a $9,000 WGS-Mellon Impact Grant to establish the Out to Lead: LGBTQ+ Leaders for Social Change program. One member of the program’s first cohort is Mo Spragins (she/they). Reflecting on being a part of the inaugural cohort, Spragins says, “For me, being able to be a part of creating OTL is very exciting. I love the idea of being a part of something bigger than myself that can help pave the way for other LGBTQ+ students at CofC. As a queer student on campus, I know how important it is to have a safe place that acknowledges and holds space for students like me. OTL is one of those safe places.”

In addition to fostering a new safe space for LGBTQ+ students, Spragins acknowledges the benefits of participating in this kind of innovative student program: “Throughout this program — which would be a four-year experience — leadership skills will be developed, and students will be presented with the opportunity of internships that can give them real experience and certifications. This way, queer students have an edge in the workforce and have a welcoming environment to support them since all of our partners would be queer-friendly organizations.“

Launching OTL from the ground up has been a collective effort. The spring 2024 WGS Intern for the PRIDE Center, Laney Johnson (she/her), was crucial in helping the program during its first semester. Remarking on the significance of this internship, Johnson says, “Working as the Women’s and Gender Studies intern at the PRIDE Center was the highlight of my semester and possibly even my time at the College of Charleston.” She elaborates, “As a transfer student from Pennsylvania, I was slightly nervous about finding my place on campus. The PRIDE Center has provided me with an amazing group of friends and coworkers whom I get to share parts of my identity with.” Johnson concludes, “I have found joy in assisting in event planning and spreading people’s awareness of the center! From Drag Bingo to our Ace Aro Archery event, I have had so much fun working to bring more visibility to the campus of CofC so that all students feel they have a place to be themselves. I will miss the PRIDE Center so much and will be forever grateful for the home it provided me!”

Johnson’s accomplishments go beyond event planning. Spragins notes, “Laney Johnson and I were allowed to organize OTL and bring it to fruition.” Having two WGS majors help create the foundation of a four-year LGBTQ+ leadership program at the college is monumental. WGS internships nurture professional skills, foster community connections, and prepare students to become active changemakers in society.

Student Spotlight: Mo Spragins

By on February 22, 2024 in Student Spotlights

What is your hometown, your pronouns, and your major(s)/minor(s)?Portrait of WGS major, Mo Spragins

I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. Both of my parents met at NC State University and settled in Raleigh. My pronouns are She/They. Currently I am a double major! Women’s and Gender Studies (BA) is one of them and the other is Biology (BA).

What areas/aspects of women’s and gender studies (WGS) do you find most engaging/interesting/what are you most passionate about? 

I find everything under the Women’s and Gender Studies program here fascinating. If I had to pick one topic, it would be Black feminism. I am currently reading “This Bridge Called My Back” and I feel that I have learned so much about the history of the feminist movement, which has not always supported or upheld all women, specifically Black women and people of color. The feminist movement historically has focused on a lot of white women’s wants and needs without acknowledging their innate privilege of being white — without taking a step back for Black women to take the stage.

Tell us about any extracurricular work that you’re doing (ex. volunteering/local activism), or any involvement you have on campus with clubs/organizations. 

Currently on campus, I am pursuing conducting research with Dr. Arroyo over the summer and possibly another opportunity with my mentor on campus.

I am also a student worker at the Pride Center on 9 1/2 Glebe Street. At the Pride Center, I am the Q’rdinator of the Honors Engaged program that is partnered with the center and Honors College. I supervise student tasks, their volunteer hours, and events that the Pride Center hosts for the Queer community (although not exclusively if any others want to participate!). Along with that, I help Dr. Simmons with the Out To Lead program.

Outside of campus, I am a volunteer at MUSC’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and recently reached my goal of 100 volunteer hours. I am continuing my volunteer work there until I can secure a position as a patient care technician.

What impact have WGS courses had on you? and/or: Why should every CofC student take a WGS class before they graduate?

The WGST courses on campus have had such a huge impact on my life. My first class was Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies taught by Dr. Dominguez. The least I can say about that course was how eye-opening things became for me during and afterward. When I came to campus my first year, I was strictly a Biology BS major and was headed on a narrow pre-health tract. I attended a majors/minors fair that was held by the Honors College, which is when Dr. Dominguez and I first met. Dr. Dominguez understood that I want to be the kind of physician who listens to others and their needs; not excluding their past experiences and story. I want to look at things through an intersectional lens, and the field of Women’s and Gender Studies helps me to do so. I have met so many wonderful people along the way who have been so supportive of me. Lastly, Dr. Dominguez helped foster such a safe community in the classroom in which we could make mistakes and learn from one another. This gave me the confidence to come out as Queer, and I couldn’t be any more grateful. Truly. Thank you Dr. D.

What are your plans and goals after graduation?

Even though graduation is still a ways away from me, I have always had a passion for working with children, and I hope to do so as a pediatrician. More specifically as a physician assistant (PA) specializing in pediatrics.

I plan to apply to a few graduate PA programs, one at MUSC and one at UNC Chapel Hill.

Ultimately I hope to find calm in all of the chaos that is life and keep my center — my core values and defining memories — tightly against me. Hopefully, somewhere in there I get married and have a few kids of my own, but I can wait on that bit for now.

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