Meet the Staff
Kay Wong (they/them) is a queer, mixed race, passionate, and genuine individual born
and raised in Southern California. They attended Colorado State University for their
Bachelors in Communication Studies and the University of Connecticut for their Masters
in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Using an anti-racist, queer, intersectional
feminist lens, they have a variety of professional experiences, including serving
as the San Diego State University Pride Center Coordinator and Assistant Director
prior to their current role. Outside of work, Kay can be seen laughing outdoors, engaging
in joyful movement such as hiking, yoga, rollerblading, and dancing. Kay also competitively
runs and paddles on a dragon boat team. To slow down, Kay enjoys cooking, reading,
writing, playing bananagrams, caring for their plants, and talking about pink iguanas.
Amanda Beardsley, Ph.D.
Cayleff & Sakai Faculty Scholar
Pronouns: she/her/hers
[email protected]
Dr. Beardsley received her Ph.D. in Art History from Binghamton University in 2019
and is a lecturer in Women’s Studies at San Diego State University. Her interdisciplinary
research, alongside her passion for teaching and mentorship, has led her to develop
courses on gender, science, and religion; the art of medicine; feminist media theory
and activism; sound studies; and art history. She has published articles in Technology and Culture and Nineteenth Century Studies that address the gendered implications of architectural acoustics and visual media
within American religion, and is in the process of co-editing a forthcoming anthology
on Latter-Day Saint art with Oxford University Press. Amanda is a fan of cats, sci-fi,
and the beach.
Originally from the Bay Area, Morgan earned her Bachelors in Sociology with a Gender
Studies minor from UCLA and made San Diego home in 2022. She has worked in various
student-focused roles and is passionate about creating a safe and inclusive environment
for students while striving to be the queer representation she wished that she had
when she was younger. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities with her dog
Parker, getting lost in a good book, and being in community with her chosen family.
Allison Newlee, M.S., PPS
Assistant Coordinator
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
[email protected]
Allison appreciates meaningful time spent with chosen family, including their two
cats Marceline and Peridot. They also enjoy hiking, any kind of body of water, playing
games, rollerblading, traveling, exploring new places, cooking and eating food, and
watching TV shows. Allison graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in
Psychology and minors in Child Development, Women’s & Gender Studies, and Ethnic Studies,
and from SDSU with an M.S. in Counseling and an emphasis in School Counseling. They
have a number of passions, including advocating for the rights of K-12 students, making
the high school to college transition more accessible, breaking down the sex binary,
educating about comprehensive sexual health education, and drawing attention to the
long history of queerness prior to colonization.
Meet the Student Staff Members
Al
Pronouns: she/her
Position: Pride House Mentor
Al is a fourth-year Television, Film and New Media Production major with a minor in
Digital and Social Media Studies. This will be Al’s third year working as a Pride
House Mentor. Al is passionate about helping expand queer BIPOC representation in
media. Outside of school and work, she loves to play sports, write scripts, listen
to music, and watch movies.
Amia
Pronouns: they/she
Position: Pride Center Educator
Amia is a second-year LGBTQ+ Studies major. This is their first year working as a
Pride Center Educator. They hope to foster an environment for all queer people and
allies to feel safe in and help their community in the way they were helped. Outside
of work, she enjoys cosplay, art, dabbling in Gyaru fashion, and working out at the
ARC (ESPECIALLY the climbing wall!), though most of her time is spent rewatching Cowboy
Bebop and Samurai Champloo while neglecting everything else on her watchlist. She
also enjoys listening to Kenshi Yonezu, Thundercat, Nujabes, Fujii Kaze, and many
other artists that would make this list too long.
Aria
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Position: Pride Center Educator
Aria is a fourth-year Psychology major with a minor in Counseling and Social Change
and the Weber Honors College. She has gotten the chance to work at The Pride Center
previously, but this is her first year as a Pride Center Educator. Aria is very committed
to helping the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and takes great care in maintaining their active
set of knowledge. Aside from work and school, she loves learning about the art of
storytelling, from older mythologies, to modern technology, to everything in between.
Bianca
Pronouns: she/her
Position: Pride House Mentor
Bianca is a second year Theatre major with a performance emphasis. This will be her
first year working both as a Pride House Mentor and at The Pride Center in general!
She is looking forward to continuing the Pride Center’s goal of creating an inclusive
and safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ students from all walks of life as well as meeting new
people within the community. Bianca is a huge Chappell Roan, Muna, and Kpop fan as
well as a Dimension20 and Dr. Who watcher.
Emilia
Pronouns: she/they
Position: Pride House Mentor
Emilia is a second year psychology student, studying to become a gender affirming
therapist/LGBT focused therapist. She also is looking to add LGBT studies as a double
major or minor in the coming year. They are very passionate about women’s rights and
LGBT rights. She is very open about her lesbian identity and hopes to create an environment
for her fellow queer peers to be comfortable in their identities as well!
Grayson
Pronouns: he/him/his
Position: Pride Center Educator
Grayson (he/him) is a gay, transgender male who is a third-year senior studying Speech,
Language, and Hearing Sciences, Psychology, and Sociology. He is originally from Winston-Salem,
North Carolina. He is proudly Deaf/HoH. He is a huge animal person, owning two dogs
named Tank and Lucy, three cats named Barbie, Gus Gus, and River, and a guinea pig
named Reese. He is also a major Swiftie and attended the 8/3 LA show. He is excited
to get to know his mentees!
Jen
Pronouns: they/she
Position: Pride Center Educator
Jen is a 5th year transfer student studying Social Work. This is her final year at
SDSU and plans to graduate in the spring. They are currently in the choir at school,
which is a passion of theirs, and love to sing in the open mics as well. She enjoys
reading and spending time outdoors, especially the beach if possible. They are passionate
about LGBTQ+ rights and hope to participate in many more pride events over the next
year!
Lexi
Pronouns: she/her
Position: Pride Center Educator
Lexi is a third year Psychology major with an emphasis in Neuroscience who is planning
on minoring in Women's Studies. This will be her second year working at The Pride
Center but her first year as a Pride Center Educator. At The Pride Center, she aims
to create safe spaces where everyone in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, especially Trans
and BIPOC individuals, can authentically express themselves in a judgment-free environment.
Outside of work, she loves listening to music, collecting vinyl, going to concerts,
gym time, and spending time with friends and family (including fur babies <3).
Miles
Pronouns: they/them
Position: Pride House Mentor
Miles is a second year Art major with an emphasis in Graphic Design. This will be
their first year working with The Price Center as a Mentor. They are passionate about
creating a safe space for Queer People of Color and Trans People of Color. In their
free time, Miles enjoys going to comedy shows with friends, playing video games, drawing,
and binge watching shows.
Sammi
Pronouns: he/they
Position: Graduate Student: Pride House Lead
Sammi (he/they) is a nonbinary, transmasculine, queer, neurodivergent, Mexican-American
atheist who was born and raised in San Diego. He attended Point Loma Nazarene University,
graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy.
Currently, he is pursuing a Master's degree in Rhetoric and Writing Studies at SDSU,
focusing on completing his thesis. Their research explores the impact of evangelical
Christian rhetoric on perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences within the LGBTQ+
community. When not writing, Sammi loves making and producing music, especially playing
the drums, sitting on the grass at the park, listening to comedy podcasts, and building
Lego sets.
spencer
Pronouns: she/her
Position: Pride House Mentor
Spencer is a 2nd year student at San Diego State University who strives to explore
the many majors within this University. So far, Spencer is interested in learning
more about the natural environment and linguistics. This will be her first year as
a Pride House Mentor. As a mentor, Spencer would love to be a guiding hand to 2SLGBTQIA+
students and ensure that they gain a sense of community.
Wren
Pronouns: they/he
Position: Pride House Mentor
Wren is a third year Television, Film, and New Media Production major and LGBTQ Studies
minor. This will be his second year working as a Pride House Mentor at The Pride Center.
Wren is very passionate about providing support and community to queer and trans students
on campus. In their free time, Wren enjoys crocheting, crafting, drawing, playing
guitar, and listening to Taylor Swift, Stray Kids, and Muna!
