Alumni

WGSS Recent Placement: Carol J. Gray

About Dr. Carol J. Gray (she/her)

Education 

  • Ph.D. and MA in Political Science; Grad. certificates in Feminist Studies; Human Rights; and Race, Ethnicity & Politics, University of Connecticut
  • JD, Northeastern University School of Law
  • LLM, Georgetown University Law Center
  • Diploma in International Human Rights Law, American University in Cairo
  • BA in African Studies, Wesleyan University

    Post Graduation

    •  Assistant Professor of Public Law at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Department of Political Science and a member of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program
    • Fulbright Scholar in Montreal, Canada, and a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar in Cairo
    • Prettyman Fellowship teaching in Georgetown University Law Center’s Criminal Justice Clinic 
    • National Association for Public Interest law Fellowship (now Equal Justice) at the Georgia Resource Center in Atlanta
    • Mary Miles Bibb Teaching Fellow at Framingham State University

    Carol J. Gray

    Testimonial

    "Obtaining the Feminist Studies certificate was a critical part of my educational development. It provided me more resources to incorporate gender, in an interdiscipinary context, as an essential part of my pedagogy. In every political science course I teach, I integrate women authors (including those of color and from the Global South), women’s rights, and intersectionality with race, class, and gender with my roots for these in theWomen, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program. As a doctoral student, my research was supported by the Wood/Raith Gender Identity Living Trust Fellowship. One stream of my current research investigates issues of gender and race focusing on Mary Bibb, the first African American woman to graduate from Framingham State University who, with her husband, published one of the first African American newspapers in Canada focusing on the anti-slavery movement in the 1800s."

    WGSS Alumni Spotlight: Amber Sagan

    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."