Women's Studies Alumni

On this page you can find news of Women's Studies alums -- majors, minors, whatever! We'd love to hear from you; please send any news you'd like to share  by using our online form.

Kristin Dubrowski, '99, kdubrowski@hotmail.com
News: I am currently living in Denver, CO. When I graduated, I was determined to find a career where I could directly apply my degree. I'm happy to say that I did -- I'm the shelter director of a domestic violence shelter (Alternatives to Family Violence). In the fall I'm going to start graduate school at Regis University to get my Master of Nonprofit Management. I'm going to continue working at Alternatives and I'm excited to apply all of my new knowledge. My favorite memory of WST at Cornell...? It would have to be when I was in my second WST course, Feminist Art History, and I decided to change my major (previously English). Good decision!

Staci Gurin, '96, stacigurin@yahoo.com
News: I am currently living in Kansas City. I graduated from UMKC School of Law in 1999 and I specialize in retirement plan administration. It sounds dull, but I really enjoy it! I was often frustrated in WST classes because I always wanted the right answer. In the last five years, I've discovered that there aren't any "right" answers, and that's ok. I have learned to pick and choose my battles and to focus on what is really important to me. I thank WST for giving me the tools to learn this skill! I also thank WST for exposing me to some truly amazing women.

Lena Hann, lena.hann@gmailcom I currently reside in Champaign/Urbana, IL. After completing my Master's of Public Health (MPH) in Community and Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa, I moved here to work as Education Programs Director for Planned Parenthood of Illinois - Champaign.  One of my main duties is to train teen peer educators and implement comprehensive sexuality education throughout the community, as well as the state.  One of my favorite memories from WST program at Cornell was when several students accompanied Dr. Enns on a trip to Tokyo.  We stayed with Japanese college students and were able to explore feminism and women's educational experiences on the other side of the globe!

Hannah Noack, '02, hnoack@slc.edu
I am currently living in Bronxville New York where I am attending Sarah Lawrence College for my masters in Women's History. I am getting married this coming August so I am busy with wedding plans. My favorite memory of WST would have to be in my feminist theory class where we put together a web site that contained resources for women in the area. We had so much fun putting it together and I think that it still exists on Cornell's server.

Anna Norstedt, '02, anna_kristina02@yahoo.com
I recently lost my job at Arlington High School due to budget cuts, so I'm job searching now. I just bought a car and am learning how to drive again after 9 years of not driving! I'm also living without roommates for the first time ever. When I have a steady job again I will go back to school to resume my work towards a teaching license in special education. (June 06)

Deirdre Rosenfeld, '96, deirdre.rosenfeld@mnsu.edu
News: I'm living and working in Mankato, MN, where I work as the director of the women's center at Minnesota State University. It's amazing how every day I find myself drawing not only from the texts we read and studied together, but also from wisdom I gained from faculty and classmates on the Hilltop. I often look back to both my intro to WST and senior seminar courses as eye-opening experiences, where I learned to see the world in a different way. My life has certainly never been the same since.

Jennifer Peck, '91, jenpeck33@yahoo.com
News:I am living in Taos, New Mexico, where I have been for the last ten years. I have been a massage therapist for five years, and I am currently attending New Mexico Highlands University's graduate School of Social Work to earn my Master's Degree. Social work is a field that appeals to me for its socio-politically active tradition, and for its flexibilty in approaches. I hope to gain further knowledge and training in somatic psychotherapy techniques. I would welcome any correspondence.

Soraya J. S. Ramhormoz, soraya9999@hotmail.com
News: Hi, I'm currently in London, studying for my Masters of Science in Gender at the London School of Economics and Political Science (an excellent program). I'm thinking of sticking around to do a PhD, so I may be here for a few more years! I just got married (July 2003) and barely had time for a honeymoon because we were so busy moving across the Atlantic. I think one of my best memories of WST at Cornell was having basically the same people in my core courses (intro, theory and seminar) and getting to watch and help each other grow during our classes. It was wonderful to see how we had gotten so much better from intro to senior seminar!

Kelly Thornburg, '99, kelly@ncap.com
News: It is so good to hear about what everyone is doing! After graduation I accepted a rural development fellowship with the USDA, where believe it or not, I was able to use WST to establish the Taskforce on Women in Rural America, which is still alive and kicking! After the USDA, I taught eighth grade U.S. History in Texas for about eight months. The applicability of Women's Studies needs no explanation in that context. Recently, I've moved back to DC, where I'm the assistant to the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers. It is an amazing organization where I am privileged to work with people like Dr. Lee Carhard of Stenberg v. Carhard fame, Dr. George Tiller and so many other incredible providers. Please know that if anyone needs info about abortion/women's health/whatever, we've got some good stuff I can offer up. I'd love to talk with any of you.

Alena Vazquez, 2007, Alena.Vazquez@gmail.com  After Cornell I moved to Iowa City to complete a dual degree program in Law and Social Work. I completed my law degree in Spring 2010 and am currently in my final year of the MSW program. In May I shall be moving to Portland, Oregon and intend to continue my work in using feminist theory to reframe the discussion of law and policy as it relates to oppressed persons in our society.

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