Alumni

WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Gabby Ferrell

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About Gabby Ferrell (she/her)

Education

  • Graduation Year: 2020
  • Major: Journalism
  • Minor: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology

Community Involvement

  • Co-organized 2021 international virtual conference at SCSU- bi-annual conferences: “Gender race community and conflict”
  • Social Justice Organizing at Grassroots
  • Research in Respectability Politics
  • Graduate Assistant

    Post Graduation

    • Master's in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Southern Connecticut State University
    • Adjunct Professor at Southern Connecticut State University's Department of Journalism

    Gabby Ferrell

    Testimonial

    "Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies changed my life. When I was a freshman, I needed Gen-Eds to fill my schedule. When looking at the directory and seeing what was available, WGSS caught my eye called "Feminisms and the Arts." I had never heard of a class that discussed the two. I took it and was hooked. Fast forward to 2023 and I now have a Bachelors in Journalism with minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. I also have a Masters in Women's and Gender Studies. I am currently a professor in the Journalism Department at Southern Connecticut State University where I teach about the power of the First Amendment and the intersectionality of the American experience. I am also Contributor for TheGirlMob, BY. Network, a Board Member of the Peace Development Fund, and run my own blog gabrielleferrell.com.

    Although the world made us feel as though women's studies in general isn't useful and doesn't make money, I have experienced differently. WGSS and social reform studies is necessary for any job. Keeping people in mind, especially those of disenfranchised and marginalized groups, those with intersectional experiences, and others who differ from that, play a role in how effective the job is. All fields need someone with WGSS experience. You can weave it into everything you do such as how to approach a problem with a task, project and/or within your work team.

    Current WGSS students- please know that your experiences in these classes are far more than proficiency in education and doing your work. Look at them as spaces where your beings are challenged. Everything you've been taught, everything you've heard, and everything you do should start to feel uncomfortable in the best way."

    WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Amber Sagan

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    About Amber Sagan (she/her/hers)

    Education

    • Graduation Year: 2021
    • Major: Biological Sciences
    • Minor: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

    Community Involvement

    • Hayley Petit Violence and Injury Prevention Fellowship through the Connecticut Children's Hospital
    • Internship at the CT Harm Reduction Alliance

      Post Graduation

      • Master's of Public Health at UConn
      • Prevention Specialist at Wheeler Clinic, working on the Change the Script statewide campaign

      Testimonial

      "Taking courses in WGSS expanded my awareness of various social injustices and inequities. I became inspired to try to make a change on these issues, similar to how my WGSS professors had. I discovered the Hayley Petit Injury and Violence Prevention Fellowship my junior year, a fellowship for college women in STEM. After this fellowship, I pivoted my career goals from healthcare to public health. During my Master's of Public Health education, I further strengthened my WGSS skills by analyzing how social determinants of health such as race, gender, and income lead to inequities in health. I attended the 2022 Annual Public Health Association conference, where I learned about innovative WGSS research from experts in the field such as Loretta Ross. I graduated with my MPH in 2023, and I am currently a Prevention Specialist at Wheeler Clinic. I work on the Change the Script campaign- a statewide campaign to rewrite the narrative around substance use and prevent overdoses. I engage in community outreach to educate individuals about safe substance use, storage, and disposal and the opioid reversal drug, naloxone.


      The knowledge and skills I gained through my WGSS coursework transfer into my current position in various ways. For example, I am able to view public health issues through an intersectional lens, such as how an individual's race, gender, and sexuality may create a unique experience when struggling with a substance use disorder. I have also developed skills in communicating with the community, by using gender-affirming care and creating a safe, respectful environment for meaningful discussions. My WGSS education has aided me in every step of my academic and professional career."