Anu Aneja has joined George Mason as Associate Professor and Director of Women and Gender Studies and is excited to work with faculty and students to lead this vibrant, diverse and welcoming program! She has most recently taught Women's Studies and Humanities courses at the Indira Gandhi National Open University in New Delhi, and formerly at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Ohio. She was a student of French at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and received a Master's and PhD in Comparative Literature from Penn State University.
She has research interests in the areas of transnational feminist theory and aesthetics, in particular their inventive crossings across South Asia and the west; contemporary French, francophone and Indian literatures; feminist perspectives on mothering; and feminist pedagogy. Her monograph entitled Feminist Theory and the Aesthetics Within: A perspective from South Asia is forthcoming. Her publications include two edited collections - Women’s and Gender Studies in India: Crossings (2019), and Gender & Distance Education: Indian and International Contexts (2019); and a co-authored book, Embodying Motherhood: Perspectives from Contemporary India (2016). She currently serves as Area Advisor, 'Gender and Education’ for the digital edition of Oxford Bibliographies, and as a member of the editorial board of the academic journal, Gender & Education.
She enjoys sculpting in clay, creative writing, beach vacations and reading for pleasure, and dreams of making more time for all of these in future lifetimes.
Holly has joined WGST as our Associate Director. She received her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from GMU in 2017. While pursuing her MFA, she served as a tutor in the Writing Center and Coordinator of the Weekly Graduate Write-Ins. Her teaching experience includes elementary, middle, high school, and college Composition, Humanities, Literature, and Creative Writing classes. She is originally from North Carolina, where she received her BA in English (with a Minor in Dance) from UNC-Greensboro.
Holly also serves as the staff advisor for the GMU Kurdish Student Organization. And works with NVWP Director Leslie Goetsch coordinating the Mason Writers in the Schools program that allows MFA Creative Writing students the opportunity to teach in local grade schools. She is a member of President Washington's Anti-Racism & Inclusive Excellence Task Force. And is a part of a new CHSS working group dedicated to Staff Professional Development and the inaugural CHSS Inclusive Excellence (IE) advisory council. She is also the Executive Committee Secretary of the GMU LGBTQ+ Faculty/Staff Alliance.
Holly is the recipient of the 2022 Rose Pascarell and Ric Chollar Professional Service Award, which honors a staff person who collaborates to serve, support, and advance efforts for the LGBTQ+ community at Mason.
Lindsay Lowry (they/them), Lead Center MentorLindsay is a junior who is in the INTS program with a concentration in Women and Gender studies and is seeking a minor in American Sign Language and Social Work. WMST 402 with Dr. Tianna Cobb is their favorite course that they have taken at Mason so far due to the discussion-based learning that has allowed them to learn from the diverse perspectives in the class. Their goal after graduation is to eventually become a counselor for LGBTQ+ youth. They grew up in Northeast Ohio, specifically in the Canton area. The center provides a safe and judgment-free zone of exclusion from the queerphobic/sexist/racist/ableist society that we must survive in. Lindsay continues to un-learn these hierarchical tendencies that have been instilled in them and always looks to encourage folks to be uniquely themselves without regard to respectability and societal standards. They strive to meet folks where they are in their journey and are always willing to provide support and care however they can.
Gray Davis (she/they), Center MentorGray is currently a sophomore at George Mason University pursuing an undergraduate BA in Biology. They’re originally from the Appalachian Mountains where the natural wildlife inspired their love for the environment and animals. Being raised in the rural mountains helped them learn appreciation for the natural world around them. As a kid, her father taught her how to can and pickle fresh produce, which led to their enjoyment of making food. After graduating she plans to rescue wildlife animals, and educate people about the wildlife next door in hopes to change how the public views animals. In their free time, she enjoys watching horror movies, organizing, and being a foodie. At home, she has two sweet chiweenies and her calico cat named Myrtle who likes to bite people.
Naima Baez (she/her), Center MentorNaima is a junior Integrative Studies major with a concentration in Childhood Studies and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She is interested in fighting against gender-based violence and child abuse, and hopes to work closely with child and adult survivors of various kinds of abuse. In addition to her academic interest, she is concurrently studying as an opera singer and loves all things Mozart and Handel!
Katelyn Moore (she/her), Center MentorKatelyn is a junior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a concentration in Equity and Environmental Justice and a minor in LGBTQ+ Studies. Katelyn loves the nuance and differing perspectives of the world that come with queer scholarship and studying various topics through a much more inclusive lens. Katelyn became passionate about LGBTQ+ Studies upon completing a general course that displayed a very limited view of gender and sexuality that Katelyn simply didn’t subscribe to. Katelyn has loved the classes she’s taken in her minor, which include WMST 208: Intro to LGBTQ+ Studies with Ric Chollar and WMST 409: Sexuality, Race, and Immigration with Dr. Rachel Lewis. In her free time, Katelyn’s favorite things to do include baking cookies, crocheting, and reading romance novels.
Irene is from Springfield, Virginia. She has one dog and one cat. In her free time, she enjoys artwork, seeing animals, and going out with friends.
Casey has worked for the WGST Center as a Center Mentor since February 2019 and in October took on the role of lead Program Advisor. He holds a B.A. in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies and a minor in LGBTQ Studies. He is now pursuing a master's degree in Social Justice and Human Rights where he plans to focus on transgender refugees and asylum seekers. In his free time Casey likes to knit and hang out with his dog. Casey loves working at the Women and Gender Studies Center because he has the opportunity to make meaningful impacts on student's lives and the university at large.
Maira Ribeiro Necho (she/they), Program Adviser Maira is a Brazilian international student in the CHSS College majoring in Psychology with a minor in Business. In her free time, she really enjoys drawing, watching 4 hours long-horror-story videos and playing video games with friends. They love traveling and learning about other cultures - and hope that they can use all their experience in the future to create a just and safe environment for all people.
Tsebaot is an undergraduate student at The Jimmy and Roselynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She enjoys crafting, reading, learning about nature, and getting hyper-fixated on obscure historical figures in her free time. She was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and has lived in different states besides Virginia including Georgia, and Oregon. Along with her work in the Women and Gender Studies Center, she is also a member of the GMU Forensics team. She is very passionate about helping her community through advocacy, organizing, and volunteer work. She hopes that through her position as a Program Advisor, she is able to gain valuable communication skills that will help in her future career endeavors.
Alice is a senior majoring in anthropology with a double minor in folklore and linguistics. They became interested in Women and Gender Studies after taking ENGH 412: Folklore, Gender, and Sexuality, and they’re working to incorporate these ideas into their current research, which focuses on identity, religion, mortuary analysis, and culture. After graduating, they plan to pursue a master's degree in folklore. When they aren’t doing schoolwork, they play video games, watch horror movies, and host D&D sessions with their friends. They believe each person’s story is valuable, and they hope that their time at WGST will help empower more people to share their own stories.