About Us
The Women’s Resource Center at San Diego State University strives to provide a vibrant,
brave, and inclusive space that educates, empowers, and advocates for women’s rights.
The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) career staff and student leaders engage students
in discourse and programs that help create a campus culture rooted in gender justice.
The WRC team provides students with the tools and resources necessary to cultivate
feminist leadership. The WRC partners and collaborates with faculty, staff, alumni,
and community members, linking San Diego State University with the larger San Diego
community. The WRC provides support to students facing gender-based oppression by
creating an environment that fosters healing, intersectional feminist activism, and
enhancement to students’ academic, personal, and professional success.
- Academic and Professional Success
- Community Connections and Relationships
- Identity Exploration
- Leadership Development
- Social Justice
The Women’s Resource Center at San Diego State was established in 1974 by a coalition
of women’s organizations on campus. Intended to serve as a link between the campus
and the larger San Diego community, the Center offered a variety of programs and services
for women students, including lectures, films, and workshops on topics such as career
building, nutrition, entrepreneurship, and family issues. It also served as a resource
and referral center, connecting women students with health clinics, support organizations,
help centers, bookstores, legal services, and cultural programs. Informal peer counseling
and referral counseling was available for students in need on a regularly scheduled
basis. The Center maintained a small library of materials written by and for women,
as well as consulting files of pamphlets, brochures, and flyers from a variety of
organizations for women. Funded by the Associated Students, the Center had a small
paid staff, as well as interns and volunteers. In addition to a film festival for
women, the Center ran an annual Women’s Health Fair and Take Back the Night events,
and coordinated a standing Rape Task Force on campus.
After a period of dormancy, the Center was reinvigorated and became the Andrea O’Donnell
Women’s Outreach Association (WOA) in honor of a Women’s Studies major and Center
student leader who was murdered by her boyfriend in 1995.
In July of 2014, a state audit found that SDSU faculty and staff were not properly
trained to address sexual violence. Shortly thereafter, several high profile sexual
violence cases took place on and near the SDSU campus. In response to this, WOA coordinated
a march in protest of intimate partner violence. During the march, students walked
down “fraternity row,” where a fraternity acted inappropriately and disrespectfully
toward the marchers. As a result of these incidents, “Concerned Students of SDSU Members”
presented a list of demands that included the opening of a Women’s Resource Center,
and providing ongoing support, funding, and staffing to sexual violence programs.
In 2015, the WRC opened and was temporarily housed in the Center for Intercultural
Relations. In February of 2015, the WRC had its official grand opening!
Today, we are thrilled to honor the legacy of the WRC, and the students who worked
hard to create a campus where women and marginalized folks could thrive.
Meet Our Staff
Elzbeth received a BA in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego, and an MA in Postsecondary
Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Student Affairs from SDSU. She began
working at the WRC in 2017, and is honored to continue being a part of such an empowering,
loving, and resilient space. Outside of her work at the WRC, Elzbeth is also a part
of the SDSU Latina Network, and she has the privilege of being their Director of Recording.
She is most passionate about intersectionality, mental health, body politics, and
feminist mentorship. On a personal note, Elzbeth adores hamsters, inspirational quotes,
and iced coffee.
Alex Aikyo received her BS in Advertising from the University of Colorado Boulder
and her MA in Higher Education Student Affairs from the University of Connecticut.
Her work in university Women's Centers at an undergraduate, graduate, and professional
level has fueled a lifelong passion for building feminist, anti-racist, and trauma-informed
spaces within higher education. Outside of the WRC, you can find Alex drawing comics,
taking naps with her dog, trying out new recipes, or geeking out about queerness in
animation and video games.
Amanda Beardsley PhD
Cayleff & Sakai Faculty Scholar
Pronouns: She/Her
[email protected]
Amanda 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. She has taught
courses and written on the intersection between science and religion, feminist media
theory and history, community activism, art history, and gender and sound studies.
She has recently published articles in Technology and Culture and Nineteenth Century
Studies that address the gendered implications of architectural acoustics and visual
media within American religion. Amanda is a fan of cats, sci-fi, and the beach.
Celeste is a proud, queer, bi-racial, daughter of immigrants and first gen scholar.
Celeste received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona and
a Master's in Higher Education from University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Her
passion to pursue a student affairs career began with her involvement in identity-based
student organizations and peer mentorship programs. Celeste is most passionate about
intersectionality, mental health, mentorship, and intergenerational healing. In her
free time she likes to daydream in bookshops where she almost never leaves empty handed,
and spend quality time with her loved ones, often over a meal.
Meet our Graduate Assistants
Aurora Valdez De La Torre
Graduate Assistant: Women and Gender Equity Lead
Pronouns: She/They
Aurora Valdez (she/they) is a first generation college student in the Women's Studies
masters program. She received her BS at SDSU majoring in Critical Studies of Television,
Film and New Media with minors in Women’s Studies, and Chicana/o studies. Having returned
to SDSU her graduate research focuses on undocumented people and folks from mixed-status
families. Aurora loves being outdoors and hanging out with her dog Luna!
Desiree Santos
Graduate Assistant: Pregnant and Parenting Student Initiative Lead
Pronouns: She/Her
Desiree is a graduate student in the Public Health program at SDSU. She is sensibly
taking a slower route to graduation to be emotionally and physically present for her
7-year-old daughter. She has a passion for making life easier for pregnant and parenting
students and has found solace in her work at the WRC and in various programs such
as the Pregnant and parenting Student Initiatives (PPSI). In Desiree’s free time she
is most likely to be found engaging in outdoor activities with family. Her favorite
saying is “health is wealth”.
Vale Magaña
Graduate Assistant: Brave Project Lead
Prounouns: They/Them
Vale Isela Magaña (they/them/elle) is a first generation college student earning their
Masters in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at SDSU. Originally from San José, CA,
Vale received their Bachelors of Arts in Comparative Literature from San José State.
Their research focuses on abolitionist approaches to interpersonal violence, specifically
critiquing academic insutitions' uses of law enforcement in response to campus sexual
assault. For fun, Vale enjoys bird watching, reading feminist memoirs, and relaxing
with their tuxedo cat rescue, Lolo.
Meet our Feminist Peer Educators
Grayce Honsa
Outreach Lead
Pronouns: They/She
Grayce Honsa is a double-major in Political Science & Women’s Studies, graduating
in Spring 2024. They will be working for their third year as a Resident Advisor on-campus
as well as an Outreach Lead at the Women’s Resource Center. Grayce has a passion for
social justice that intersects with political activism to make revolutionary change.
They are committed to abolitionist and environmentalist feminisms that are evident
through their work. Grayce’s goal is to create meaningful change through creative
and diverse community-building.
Jacqueline Nguyen
Fellows Lead
Pronouns: She/Her
Jacqueline is a third-year student majoring in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience
and minoring in Sociology. She is passionate about criminal justice, mental health,
and social equality, and strives to help tackle systemic oppressions within the medical
and legal systems. At the WRC, she hopes to empower and support students of marginalized
identities to create a safe environment at SDSU. In her free time, she enjoys trying
new food/drink places, art and history, traveling, reading, and going out.
Jasleen Kalra
Social Media Lead
Pronouns: She/Her
Jasleen is a third-year pursuing her bachelor degree in business marketing and minor
in communication. This is her second year working at the WRC as she was a WAGE mentor
last year. She is passionate about mental health, reproductive justice, and gender
equality. In her free time she loves to travel, go to the beach, eat, and try new
hobbies! She is very excited to be working with the WRC again and to continue to create
a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space at SDSU!
Meet our WAGE Mentors
Angelica Castillo
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Angelica is a third-year Art History major with a minor in Women’s Studies from San
Diego. As a Filipina-American with immigrant parents and an advocate for the arts,
Angelica is continuously looking for ways to diversify the future. She is passionate
about using feminism to advocate for decolonization, community building, and serving
underrepresented groups. Angelica is excited to be returning to the WRC as a WAGE
Mentor and to continue supporting others within the space!
Elana Dayen
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Elana is a sophomore at SDSU majoring in Psychology. She has always been an advocate
for gender equity and social justice. In high school, she was part of clubs including
Girls Empowerment Project and Girls Achieving in Non-Traditional Subjects. Going into
college, Elana then joined the WAGE learning community, and with this wanted to be
more involved in women's and gender rights as well as advocating for social justice
in today’s society. In her free time, she loves learning, singing, writing poetry
and short stories, and cooking/baking.
Ella Leeb
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Ella is a second-year psychology major who is pursuing a women’s studies minor. She
was born in Austria and moved to the Bay Area at a young age. She has a love for languages
and is fluent in German and currently studying Spanish. She loves to read, travel,
paint, watch movies, and try out new coffee places. She is very passionate about learning
new things and can’t wait to learn more while working at the WRC!
Jenae Dellafosse
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Jenae Dellafosse is currently a senior majoring in Sociology and minoring in Women’s
Studies. As well as being a WAGE Mentor, Jenae is also an SDSU Ambassador and serves
as an official student representative, tour guide and orientation leader of San Diego
State University. Some of her hobbies include: journaling, going to the beach, listening
to music, meditation, walking and much more.
Mara Flores
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Mara is a transferred first-generation Electrical Engineering major. She is passionate
about gender equity in STEM, social justice, and intersectional feminism. In the future,
she wants to create safe spaces to learn and grow for underrepresented women such
as first-generation Latinx students, who have been discouraged to pursue a male-dominated
major such as engineering. She enjoys baking, watching new series, and movies. She
also loves attending concerts, and festivals in her spare time.
Ruby Rubio
WAGE Mentor
Pronouns: She/Her
Ruby Rubio is a senior at SDSU who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Sociology.
She
transferred from Cañada College, where she earned associate degrees in Sociology and
Psychology. Ruby is passionate about various causes, including environmental justice,
reproductive rights, and racial justice. Despite often being introverted, she is thrilled
to help and
meet new people. Ruby aims to work towards creating a safer environment at SDSU for
under-resourced and underprivileged communities during her time at the WRC.
