Michigan Community College Gender & Sexuality Conference

Gracie Hand is currently a student at Eastern Michigan University and graduating in April 2025. They are an English major with a Linguistics concentration, along with a minor in Women's & Gender Studies. They aspire to become an essayist and critique topics relating to culture, language arts, feminism, and queer theory. They are planning to apply for my doctorate in either WGST or English in Fall 2025.

Jenna M. Bazzell is an Associate Professor English and GSA Co-Advisor at Monroe County Community College. She is a poet and Co-Advisor of IMAGES: A Fine Arts Literary Magazine. She is the co-founder of Project Safe Space, an educational collaborative educating and connecting LGBTQ+2 allyship and resources within Monroe County, Michigan.

Melissa J. Grey is a Professor of Psychology and GSA Co-Advisor at Monroe County Community College. She is a clinical psychologist who loves to share her research, advocacy, and therapy practice experience with students to help them see how psychology can be a part of positive social and personal change.

Brittany Kelley (she/they) is an adjunct faculty member in the English Department at Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills Campus, where she teaches composition courses, advises the Queer Student Alliance, and serves on the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. She also works in the Student Life and Leadership office at Macomb Community College’s Center Campus and advises their Gender Sexuality Alliance. As a queer, neurodivergent woman who identifies as asexual and aromantic, Brittany is passionate about fostering diverse representation, validation, community, and sense of belonging both in the classroom and in society as a whole.

Katie Grossman is a ceramics artist from Ann Arbor, MI going to Washtenaw Community College for an associates in art. They hope to make meaningful and fun ceramic pieces that makes the audience think as well as bring them joy and often laughter.

Paige Durr is a student of Washtenaw Community College who is currently working towards earning her BFA. Her work explores contradictions, contrasting ideas, and questioning the nature of reality as it pertains to personal narratives and one's concept of self. She is influenced by personal experiences relating to shifting identity, Zen Buddhism, and the interconnectedness of human beings.

I am a student of Washtenaw Community College completing my general educations before I transfer to a four year institution. I am also a local author of Brighton and love to read and write in my free time.

Jessica Hale is a Faculty member in the Department of English and College Readiness at Washtenaw Community College.

Danielle "deo" Owensby (she/they) is an artist and educator whose practice explores memory, trauma, loss, and nostalgia through photography, installation, performance, and collage. Their work has been exhibited internationally, including at venues such as the Knockdown Center (NY), Melbourne Art Center (Australia), and the Grand Rapids Art Museum (MI). Deo has taught across various levels, from K-12 to community colleges, with a focus on culturally responsive pedagogy and using photography as a tool for empowerment. Currently, they teach at Washtenaw Community College and Schoolcraft College and serve as the editor of The Jade Plant Project, a publication dedicated to sharing the stories of survivors of sexual violence.

Spencer Lyke is an undergraduate student at Siena Heights University majoring in Community and Human Services who hopes to work with queer and disabled communities once they gain their MSW and become a ‘grown-up’. They are intersex, Deaf, disabled, and co-chair of Monroe County Community College’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance back at home.

Hailey Grabowski is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan majoring in psychology and women’s and gender studies. They focus their research in feminist psychology and plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the near future. Hailey has worked in queer sex education advocacy for the past two years as a co-facilitator for Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health’s (MOASH) Michigan Youth Sexual Health for Adolescents Rooted in Equity (MYSHARE) Youth Advocacy Council (YAC).

Latitude Brown is a second-year master's student at the University of Michigan school of Information, studying library science & digital curation. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Children's Literature from Eastern Michigan University and an Associate of Science in Computer Science from Washtenaw Community College. They live with their best friend and one black cat named Burton. They are writing a novel in their free time, and they enjoy boba, fancy coffee, and ginger candy.

Maddox Arnold is a Spanish instructor at WCC, with a research interest in queer representation in Spanish-language literature and cinema. He is also an author of queer speculative fiction, and he leads monthly writing workshops with a group of fellow writers. When he isn't teaching or writing, he enjoys baking and hiking the trails of Southeast Michigan.

I go to WCC for Fine Arts. I hope to work in a creative field and I enjoy crafting and teaching craft workshops, collage, and fiber arts.

Gianna is a junior at U of M-Flint, working towards her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies. She enjoys exploring different art media and advocating for mental health/social justice. Additionally, she serves as a NASPA-Certified Peer Educator at UM-Flint's Center for Gender & Sexuality; where the voices of marginalized identities are amplified.

Brie Nikora is a Social Justice Educator and Activist. They hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and are a current Master level student of Social Work (MSW) at Eastern Michigan University. As the Outreach and Pridezone Coordinator with Ozone House, Brie is dedicated to reminding those of us within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to find pride in our identities while advocating for our community to not only accept, but to celebrate the strength of intersectional diversity. With a decade of work behind their belt, they continue to be a radical and relatable advocate for both individual and community wellness. Brie’s passion is rooted in their desire to subvert systems of disenfranchisement and establish equity for all beings.

Aleksandra is a liberal arts student, with the goal of working in international relations. She currently is the vice president for Outspace, WCC’s queer club. As a trans woman, she’s concerned with the well being of the trans community, as well as how they’re talked about and portrayed. Her passions include writing, history, and liminal spaces.

My name is Jae Delidow (they/them) and I am the Co-President of the Queer Student Alliance at Oakland Community College. I am a Sophomore majoring in Library Services and Technology. My career goal is to raise awareness about underrepresented issues and provide access to necessary resources for all communities.

Emma Mentley Wuetrich (she/they) is the Coordinator of the LGBT Resource Center at Eastern Michigan University. She has directed LGBT advocacy programs at Marquette University, Ball State University, and Clarke University.

Josh is a social work student with aspirations to be an adolescent/teen therapist. He is a former President of Washtenaw Community College’s queer club, Outspace+. As a queer Korean-American, he strives for inclusion and diversity in queer spaces. His passions include wiener dogs, Pokemon, and all mediums of artistic expression.