Congratulations to GWS students Katie Williard and Oliver Bandong for their presentations at the WGS-South conference, 2022!
Congratulations to GWS major Oliver Bandong for being a recipient of the Henderson Springs LGBT Center Scholarship Award for 2022!
Congratulations to GWS major Caitlin Smith for acceptance into UNC-Greensboro’s graduate program in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Katie Williard is a Gender, Women's, & Sexuality Studies and Psychology double major with a minor in Animal Studies. She is passionate about farming, queer theory, food studies, and ecofeminism. Her presentation at WGS-South was part of her capstone thesis that was supervised by Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee. In her paper and presentation, Katie outlined the contours of feminist farming by analyzing how feminist practices can inform farming and vice versa. Attentive to transnational currents in farming practices with regards to sustainability and attuned to how feminisms can inform changes in local-global spaces, Katie’s project works with feminist and queer theory/practice to reimagine farming. Katie is also a recipient of the Callegari Animal Studies Award. Congratulations Katie!
Oliver Bandong (they/them) is a third-year Gender, Women's, Sexuality Studies major who is passionate about the intersections of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC studies and experiences. Their presentation at WGS-South was not part of course work and comprised their interest in the topic that they want to convert into a capstone thesis in the Fall, and hopefully continue the analyses in graduate school They developed the topic, in conversation with their faculty mentor Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee, through Fall and Spring 2021-2022. Oliver showcases that while earlier studies of BIPOC depictions showcased the scarcity of representation and the stereotypical manner through which BIPOC people were presented, we have slowly begun to enter a “new age” of media. Oliver argues that these new representations, while quantitatively significant, do not herald a new age of BIPOC representation that respect and celebrate differences. Congratulations Oliver!
Caitlin Smith is a recent graduate of Appalachian State class of 2021 and she currently works as a financial advisor for Populus Financial. She will be joining the MA program of Women Gender and Sexuality Studies at UNCG in August. In the future she plans to pursue her doctorate degree in GWS, become a professor and potentially return to Appalachian State University as an instructor. Congratulations Caitlin!