Administrative Associate/Office Manager in the Student Success and Advising Center in UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences How were you affiliated with WGS? I majored in Women's and Gender Studies. Tell us about your current work (paid or unpaid!) I'm an Administrative Associate/Office Manager in the Student Success and Advising Center in UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. I manage the finances for all FACS Student Organizations, among many other administrative tasks for the department. I'm thrilled to be in a role that lets me interact closely with students on a daily basis and I love being in Family and Consumer Sciences because of their human-centered approach to learning and community. Additionally, I have been running my own yarn dyeing business called Ryan Yarn (ryanyarn.net) for four years since late 2019. My yarn is sold wholesale at more than 10 yarn stores across Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, and California. One of the most special parts of wholesaling is getting to work with other queer-owned businesses that reflect my values. I also work one to two days a week at Revival Yarns (revivalyarnsathens.com) as a retail associate and knitting instructor, which I've been doing for over six years now, since 2017. I host a monthly Queer Fiber Arts Circle at Revival Yarns, which I created out of a desire to establish a sober space for queer folks to meet and build connections. I'm also currently enrolled in a Master's program in Adult and Career Education through Valdosta State University. How has your Women's and Gender Studies experience shaped your life and work post-graduation? My experience in the Women's and Gender Studies department at UGA really shaped the way that I perceive how I and others move through the world. I am better able to empathize with and care about other people because I can recognize differing lived experiences and the strengths that accompany them. I love being able to embrace the diversity we all bring to the workplace and helping nurture that in current UGA students through my work. What are your favorite memories from your time in Women's and Gender Studies at UGA? Courses, professors, events? I will always fondly remember taking Dr. Josie Leimbach's LGBT Studies class, as well as Dr. Herles's North American Asian Feminisms class. They're both incredible professors and were the facilitators of some of the best discussions I participated in during college. Any advice for current Women's and Gender Studies students (graduate or undergraduate)? Build relationships with your WMST professors and cohort! And take classes that align with your passions and values.
