Emmily first embarked on her social work journey in 2017, following her graduation from college with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor in Biology. Starting at a local nonprofit, she dedicated herself to empowering high school and middle school students with knowledge about healthy relationships, recognizing red flags, and fostering safety. After several years of community education, Emmily returned to Colorado, settling in Fort Collins. There, she diversified her expertise, engaging in initiatives such as suicide prevention, domestic and sexual violence education, and providing crisis intervention and advocacy services to marginalized communities. Driven by a deep commitment to informed care practices, Emmily seeks to weave resilience-building strategies into both her personal and professional endeavors, aiming to ignite positive outcomes. Beyond their professional life, Emmily finds enjoyment in paddleboarding, indulging in horror movies, listening to EDM, and spending time with her family and friends. As for what’s next? Emmily hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Prevention Science Practices, eager to keep making waves in the field.

Shyla’s role as a confidential victim’s advocate has been shaped by previous experiences which fuel the passion for the position. As a first-generation college student, Shyla earned dual degrees in both Human Services and Spanish at Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU). At NWMSU, Shyla led bystander intervention training sessions using the Green Dot curriculum, as well as participated in and organized anti-violence events.

After graduating, Shyla went on to obtain a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration (specialization in Student Affairs) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). During her time at UNL, Shyla was the graduate assistant for the LGBTQA+ Center and a graduate intern for the Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education (CARE) Office. Shyla also completed a master’s thesis on student survivor advocacy groups, focusing on why these groups are formed, their struggles and successes working within higher education, and their impact on the students involved and the university.

Most recently, Shyla was the Project Director for the Campus Advocacy, Prevention, and Education Project at Doane University. Shyla and the peer education group she supervised worked to reduce incidents of interpersonal violence happening on campus, while providing educational and survivor-focused opportunities for all students. Shyla is new to Fort Collins but is always looking for something fun to do (and always taking suggestions). Talk to Shyla about plants, arts and crafts, and your favorite spot on or off campus!

Takuní , my name is Lili. I am a recent first-generation graduate from CSU with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies. During this time I was a Victim Assistance Team volunteer, Interned at the Sovereign Bodies Institute as the tribal outreach, and social media intern, as well as a mentor at ISTAR (Indigenous Science Tech Arts and Resilience). Having had experiences surrounding Femicide and MMIWR, my work is focused on creating outreach and making services accessible for Latine/Indigenous communities and bridging that gap to services and education about gender based violence.

Kristin began her work supporting survivors while earning bachelor’s degrees in Women’s Studies and Anthropology at the University of Michigan where she spent 4 years volunteering as a peer educator on topics of interpersonal violence. Engaging in this life-changing work set the course for her continued passion for supporting survivors and dismantling systems of oppression. She completed her M.A. in Anthropology at CSU where she volunteered on the Victim Assistance Team and researched the impact of federal policies on survivors of sexual violence. After graduating, Kristin managed a nonprofit organization supporting youth access to wilderness spaces while volunteering with a community-based violence prevention organization in Minnesota. Kristin takes a biocultural and intersectional feminist approach to her work and is delighted to be back in Fort Collins with the SAFE Center supporting the CSU community. Outside of work, Kristin is usually crafting, hanging with her hound dogs, or getting lost in a science-fiction universe.

Erica provides leadership and implementation for education and outreach programming on social justice issues, with a specific focus on gender based violence prevention/ sex and gender-based issues throughout the campus and community. She also supervises the Red Whistle Brigade, the WGAC’s peer educators. In addition to her role in the SAFE Center, she serves as faculty in Ethnic Studies and Women and Gender Studies.

Erica is a working-class, first-generation college graduate and CSU Alum with a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Ethnic Studies, with a certificate in Gender, Power and Difference. Her pedagogy and research is informed by her experiences as a survivor of cyclic interpersonal violence and intergenerational trauma. Erica’s areas of research include labor and social movements, deconstructing Whiteness/ White Femininity, Necropolitics, and unsettling Settler Colonialism. Her theoretical orientations include Marxist Feminism, Decolonial, Multiracial, and Transnational Feminisms, Intersectional Feminism, and Felt Theory. Through these frameworks, Erica strives to embody a grounded, self-reflective and reflexive Feminist practice and ethic that centers an analysis of power and emphasizes the transformative power of dreaming, imagining and building through relationships. She is endlessly committed to having the hard and difficult conversations that bring us to new places of understanding and being.

When not consumed with dismantling the white supremacist settler colonial heteropatriarchy, Erica enjoys spending time with her family by sitting around at home binge watching television, going outside in the natures, or going on road trips.

Lauren is a confidential victim’s advocate who comes to the Women and Gender Advocacy Center with experience working in on-campus housing at Colorado State University, and previously working with people at risk of contracting HIV, or currently living with HIV. Lauren has also served as a volunteer on the Victim Assistance Team since her time as an undergraduate student. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with minors in Spanish and Women’s Studies, and her master’s in Student Affairs in Higher Education, all from CSU. Lauren cares deeply about creating and holding space for survivors as they access resources and find healing. She is passionate about dismantling white supremacy and other forms of oppression, and is always ready to learn and do better. Outside of work, Lauren is attempting to raise two kids and enjoys crochet, cross stitch, and knitting projects, getting lost in a good book, and soaking up the Colorado sun.

Meghan is a current MSW student at CSU with a bachelor’s degree in both Social Work and Spanish. During her undergraduate, she worked as a student staff member and hotline volunteer for the SAFE Center. She completed her Honors thesis on rights and resources regarding undocumented survivors of interpersonal violence. Meghan also worked with the Immigration and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado and Partners Mentoring Youth before becoming an MSW intern at the SAFE Center. She is passionate about supporting survivors and holding space for all individuals who are trying to access resources, process lived experiences, and heal. She cares deeply about liberation work and incorporates Intersectional Feminism, Marxist Feminism, and Decolonial Feminism in her work. Aside from unpacking whiteness and engaging in conversations about settler colonialism and white supremacy, Meghan loves to play board games, curate playlists, and watch Broadway shows in her free time. 

Karen’s role is to provide counseling services to survivors of interpersonal violence including survivors of sexual assault, stalking, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, childhood sexual abuse, and secondary survivors. She supports survivors through individual counseling and group counseling. Karen is passionate about supporting survivors to process and heal from interpersonal violence, is ready to work with anyone at any part of their healing journey (and at any pace), and is committed to holding space for the compounding impacts of violence that may be experienced by those holding marginalized identities. Karen earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Photography and a Master’s degree in Counseling and Career Development from CSU. Karen has experience and training working with survivors and trauma healing and has worked in both community mental health and in university settings. In her free time, you can find her in the outdoors hiking, listening to live music, gardening, or tending to plants. She also enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, cooking with her partner and creating art.

Victoria is a first-generation college graduate and CSU alum, having earned two Bachelor’s in Sociology and Women and Gender Studies. She also holds a master’s degree in Ethnic Studies, where her focus was on white women’s racialization and intersectional considerations for domestic violence survivors. She’s an intersectional feminist with a background in massage therapy and energy work. Victoria also served as an advocate at Crossroads Safehouse during her undergraduate education. Her personal experiences as a white, cis-gender, working-class single mother and survivor helped her understand the nuanced importance of contending with dominant identities, especially Whiteness, while also healing from trauma. Victoria loves the month of October, spending time with her partner and children, hiking, watching stand-up comedy, making herbal infusions, and raging against white supremacy and the patriarchy.

Alexa is a recent first-generation graduate from CSU with a B.S. in Apparel Merchandising. As an undergraduate student, Alexa worked as a Student Aide with the Women and Gender Advocacy center for over four years and also served as the Peer Coordinator for Student Aides during her final year of undergrad. She has also served on various search committees as a student representative of the office. Alexa is passionate about having the hard conversations to dismantle white supremacy and supporting students through an intersectional feminist approach to uplift oppressed voices. She is committed to continuing her education about the impacts of trauma and building survivor-centered programming to foster a supportive community on campus for holding survivors. Outside of work, Alexa is consumed with hanging out with her cats Lucifer and Marceline, cooking with her partner, spontaneous hair dyeing, and a passion 4 fashion.