Meet the Staff
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.
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.
Allison, M.S., PPS
Program and Operations 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, 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, from SDSU
with an M.S. in Counseling and an emphasis in School Counseling, and from San Diego
Mesa College with an A.A. in American Sign Language Studies. 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
Amia
Pronouns: they/she
Position: Pride Center Educator - Marketing
Amia is a non-binary lesbian and a fourth year LGBTQ+ Studies major and RWS minor.
This is their third year working at The Pride Center as a Pride Center Educator. They
are excited to continue working at The Pride Center and helping foster a safe environment
for queer, trans, and ally students at SDSU. In her free time, she enjoys gyaru fashion,
cosplaying, playing Tomodachi Life, listening to Kenshi Yonezu, and rewatching Cowboy
Bebop.
Grim
Pronouns: any
Position: Pride House Mentor
Grim is a Sociology and Anthropology major at SDSU. This will be their second year
as a Pride House Mentor. They intend to pursue a career in research, focusing on queer
and feminist studies within their fields of interest. As of fall 2025, they will be
one of the fellows within the Mundt Peace Scholarship program, associated with the
Peace Corps Program on campus. Their research and coursework thus far has focused
on issues pertaining to public health, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, immigration,
and addiction.
Jada
Pronouns: she/her
Position: Graduate Student: Pride House Lead
Jada is in her second year of the Feminist Studies Master's program. Jada received
her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and a minor in Africana Studies. She was
born and raised in North Carolina. Her passion for academia is rooted in the belief
that knowledge (of one's self) is power and that this knowledge should be accessible.
Academically she is interested in the dissemination of Black Queer stories. Outside
of school Jada loves to do all thing creative, go on walks, and talk with loved ones.
Lyn
Pronouns: she/they
Position: Pride Center Educator - SafeZones
Lyn is a transfer student to SDSU. She is a first generation college student athlete.
She is a Psychology major, who loves both clinical and social psychology. Her goal
is to one day open a private practice that specializes in queer/POC issues.
Miles
Pronouns: he/they
Position: Pride Center Educator - Signature Programming
Miles is a fourth year Art major with an emphasis in Graphic Design. This will be
their third year working with The Pride Center but his first year as a Pride Center
Educator! He’s passionate about creating a welcoming and safe space for Queer People
of Color and Trans People of Color. In their free time Mikes enjoys playing video
games, hanging out with friends, listening to music and binge-watching shows.
Spencer
Pronouns: he/him
Position: Pride House Mentor
Spencer is a fourth year Theater Arts Design and Technology major who is so happy
to be here! This is his second year working for The Pride Center as a Pride House
Mentor. He loves supporting and educating young members of the queer community. His
hope is to make a safe space where 2SLGBTQIA+ students can feel at home, make friends,
and express themselves. In his off time, Spencer also loves the outdoors, playing
video games, and painting.
Wren
Pronouns: they/them
Position: Pride House Mentor
Wren is a third year Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Math. This is their
second year working as a Pride House Mentor, and they are passionate about making
2SLGBTQIA+ students feel welcome and supported. They’re the Vice President of the
Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority, and they enjoy costume designing for student theatre
clubs. They hope to be queer representation within STEM fields, and try to be visible
and involved in engineering clubs and honor societies.
Zaine
Prounouns: they/them
Position: Pride House Mentor
Zaine is a second year Political Science and Sociology major! They love spending time
with their friends most and can't wait to meet new people. They have always enjoyed
being around other queer people and creating spaces where people can be themselves.
They love cooking, baking, thrifting, music, the beach, and all things creative. They
hope in the furture to be able to attened a law school on the east coast to pursue
their dreams of being a civil rights lawyer.
Niko
Pronouns: she/they
Position: Pride House Mentor
Niko is a third-year Anthropology Major and a Weber Honors College student. This will
be her first year as a Pride House Mentor, and she is super psyched to be part of
this team! She is passionate about learning and creating a safe environment for the
2SLGBTQ+ community here at SDSU and beyond. Additionally, Niko has a passion for research
and community engagement, pursuing projects outside of her classes. Outside of school,
she loves to cook new dishes, read an absurd amount of fantasy romance books, and
watch horror TV shows and movies that scare the living daylights out of her.
Val
Pronouns: they/she
Position: Graduate Student: SafeZones Lead
Val is a first year graduate student pursuing their Master’s in Feminist Studies.
They earned their bachelor’s in Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies and Criminology
at CSU San Marcos. Val is a proud lesbian and is passionate about preserving lesbian-centered
spaces such as lesbian bars, as well as protecting the queer community at large. Val
is extremely excited to be a part of SDSU’s queer community and invest in the Pride
Center and the students it serves. Val is a believer in the power of friendship and
long walks, and enjoys anything that will keep her hands busy and her mind quiet.
Yezenia
Prounouns: she/they
Position: Pride House Mentor
Yezenia is a third year Spanish and Linguistics major originally born in Los Angeles,
CA, but raised in Tijuana, B.C., thus granting her with the privilege of saying that
she grew up in diverse environments. This has directly influenced her desire to foster
positive environments for all individuals, regardless of their identity, so that they
are able to freely express themselves. They strive to revolutionize our communities
through the means of education and social awareness, so that they are more inclusive.
As a now returning Pride House Mentor (and former Pride House Mentee), it is Yezenia's
goal to be able to help others navigate through college while providing them with
the support they deserve.
