Staff

Jen Self, PhD MSW:
Director, Jen Self’s secret identity is that of renaissance queer with a kick ass jump shot. A therapist and anti-oppression educator since 1996, Jen re-invented her queer activism through scholarship, program leadership, and teaching at the university of washington, completing an msw and a phd in social welfare. she lives in west seattle with her awesome partner meg (growandresist) and equally fabulous daughter lucy. jen believes that audre lorde, cornell west, martin luther king jr., andrea smith, patricia hill collins, cathy cohen, ramona beltran, and john denver (yes seriously) knew/know that social and economic justice was/is rooted in resistance of domination and a love ethic. jen, moment to moment, works to align her life with those principles and grounds the q center in a similar praxis. jen has an active mind and aspires to visionary thinking, so she easily loses herself in big thoughts and feelings; she thinks that we should all look at pictures of space more often to contextualize our existence. jen believes that love and light are not only the center of the universe but also the core concepts of sociopolitical justice, not to mention a winning combination for the Q Center. For self’s scholarly work see: Queering Queer Space. self is affiliate faculty at the uw school of social work and affiliate faculty for the sexuality and queer studies graduate certificate program.

self’s cv

Emerson Sekins:
Emerson Sekins is a disability and queer activist and educator. Emerson is currently a master’s student at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, focusing on disability and transgender policy. As the Q Center’s Assistant Coordinator, Emerson is deeply invested in maintaining its social justice vision/mission. Emerson works to coordinate policy advocacy efforts, particularly as they are relevant to transgender and gender variant persons and communit(ies). Specifically, Emerson has successfully advocated to expand the number of gender neutral bathrooms on UW’s campus, as well as successfully advocated for gender-confirming care within the Student Health Insurance Plan. If you want to get involved with policy advocacy or have any questions, contact the Q Center!

Rukie:
Rukie is a senior about to graduate with a GWSS and Anthropology degree. She enjoys reading Harry Potter while listening to the Harry Potter station on Pandora Internet Radio. Friends, puppies and brown babies make her smile. Rukie enjoys baking cookies, making macramé jewelry, people watching. She hopes to pursue a career that involves queering learning and educational practices. Rukie is also the Administrative Assistant at the Q Center, and is really excited to be in the HUB, and looks forward to a year of awesome programs and fun.

 

 

Leoule:
For three years, Leoule Goshu is the Q Center’s Research Assistant. Leoule offers students ideas, resources, connections and support for their academic and career goals. Leoule assists students with resume, personal statement, scholarship or college application writing. In teams, Leoule works for the UW to increase the quantity and quality of relationships with Washington State businesses and organizations. Leoule’s priority is to increase UW voters for the 2012 election. Leoule values Q Center’s unique culture for celebrating and developing our diverse identities. He can be reached at: leoule@uw.edu

JEAN:
Jean is a senior in the English department who also happens to be a huge faggot and the librarian for the Marsha P. Johnson Memorial Library located in the Q Center. Jean’s academic interests include public sex culture, post-structuralism, late 19th and early 20th century fiction, and queer theory. When not working or attending class, Jean is reading, gardening, or riding the bus in between the U-District and their home in West Seattle that they share with two partners and three dogs. Jean is also active in the queer Country-Western dancing and the Leather/BDSM scenes of Seattle. You can reach Jean at leather@uw.edu

Hel:
Hel is a Program Assistant at the Q Center whose work centers around race, class and disability. They run Queer 101 and are a facilitator of the Queer People of Color Alliance. Hel’s politics are rooted in a strong sense of anti-racism and decolonization.They are happily willing to meet with anyone on a one-on-one basis in the Q Center, so feel free to shoot them an email at hhgebreamlak@gmail.com. Hel’s gender pronouns are they/their/them and he/his/him.

Ginger:
Ginger Colamussi is a first year graduate student in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Washington. She is the coordinator of the Queer Mentoring Program and the SafeZone Project, and is excited to connect with students, staff, faculty, and alumni at the University of Washington! Ginger has a background in youth development, education, and nonprofit management, and is passionate about empowering students to defy stereotypes, reach their goals, and create positive change in their communities and in the world. When she needs to relax and reenergize, Ginger loves to spend her time with her partner (Kelly) and dog (Boots), play cards and board games, have outdoor adventures, travel and explore new places, and drink chai tea. For more information about the Queer Mentoring Program or SafeZone Project, please contact Ginger Colamussi at gcola@uw.edu.

Tim:
My name is Tim Carbary, my PGP is any pronoun you wish to address me by – I answer to just about anything. I’m a Senior at UW this fall majoring in drawing and painting, minoring in art history. I’m also considering a double major in theatre production (costuming, make-up, etc.) This will be my first year at the Q Center but not my first year working with queer students, staff and faculty. I have an extensive background in queer activism through non-profits and community college. I chose to apply at the Q Center because I took a year off from volunteering and community involvement to get acclimated to UW. Now that I’ve got the hang of things, I realize my life lacks some purpose and therefore I wanted to become integrated into the queer body on campus. My position entails working with student groups as an ambassador and liaison between the groups that utilize the Q center and the staff there.

In my free time, I am a freelance artist, comic book aficionado, make-up artist, costume designer and drag queen on the weekends. I also enjoy cooking, crafting, reading angsty teen fiction and playing video games. If you have any questions or just would like to get to know me better, e-mail me at carbat@uw.edu

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