Staff and Volunteers
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Favorite self-care act?
Watching a bit of something like "New Girl" with a side of chocolate.
Favorite movie? Anything with Parker Posey.
Favorite outdoor activity?
A nice picnic in the park in the summertime, please.
How did you discover the WRC?
When I worked at the Portland Women's Crisis Line the WRC founder, Aimee Shattuck, was on our board. When I enrolled at PSU to get my grad degree I came to volunteer at the WRC, and ended up interning here. Then I applied to the Ast. Director position, and I've been here ever since
Favorite Quotes and/or affirmations you live by.
"Our life's work is to use what we have been given to wake up. That's the challenge of now: what are you going to do with what you have already-your body, your speech, your mind?" Pema Chodron
Why did you decide to become involved with the WRC?
I really connected to the smart, feminist, engaged activism I found here, and was beyond thrilled to have the chance to work in such a great environment doing the critical work of promoting community health and safety. It's been my dream job!
What does community mean to you?
Showing up, being present, offering support, bringing gluten free treats.
What would your favorite/ideal day look like?
A lack of schedule, sleep, access to sun and water, equal doses of good company and time alone in the garden with the cats patrolling the perimeter
What are your goals? (Near and long term)
Short term: support the WRC in growing in the best ways possible.
Long term: eradicate sexual violence so that my job is no longer relevant.
What adventures/journey are you on right now?
Learning to be the Director of the WRC!
Major?
Let's call my daily major "Applied Feminism."
Elle Kelsheimer
Favorite self-care act?
Working on my graphic novel
Favorite movie?
Princess Mononoke
Favorite outdoor activity?
Backpacking
How did you discover the WRC?
I was referred to my job- and I’m so glad I was!
Favorite Quotes or Affirmations you live by?
“Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.”
–Carl Sagan
Why did you decide to become involved with the WRC?
Even though I am a life-long feminist, I have spent more of my life in environments that weren’t conducive to female or personal empowerment. I felt it’d be healthy to spend some time in a positive feminist environment.
What does community mean to you?
That’s something I’m still trying to pin down. I grew up pretty isolated from neighbors and didn’t really experience it until I moved to a cute N Portland Neighborhood as an adult.
Preferred/favorite art activity/expression
Drawing comics
What would your favorite/ideal day look like?
Hiking in Oregon’s beautiful wilderness with my best friend/ husband, Mike.
What are your goals? (Near and Long Term)
Short term goals: Graduate College, Finish my graphic novel.
Long Term: Motherhood, a back-yard mini farm.
Arts and Letters
Adrienne Graf, Interpersonal Violence Advocate
"I grew up in the Portland area and attended Portland State University for my undergraduate degree. I am so excited to be returning to PSU as a grad student and to have the privilege of working in the Women's Resource Center. Safety from sexual/interpersonal violence, self care, and community building are important to me not only on a personal level but also a professional level as well. Prior to working at the WRC, I was a part of a political sexual assualt support collective, and have been working in the community as a residential counselor at a dual diagnosis group home for the past two years as well as interning as a drug and alchohol counselor for a queer drug and alchohol recovery group. I am committed not only to culturally specific recovery support for the communities that I am involved in, as well as ANYONE experiencing interpersonal violence. Working at the WRC is my dream, come true."
Danielle Huxley, Volunteer Coordinator
“I found myself at Portland State University as a transfer student finishing up an undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies. The first place I looked for a connection, a space to belong and feel secure was at the Women’s Resource Center (WRC). The warmth and attentiveness from the volunteers and staff was exactly what I needed to make my transition complete. Initially I became involved with the Women of Color Action Team. I enjoyed that experience so much that I became and am currently the chair. My personality has always been one of compassion, kindness, and selflessness. The WRC’s mission statement marries well with my personal objectives. My future goals are to carry on through graduate school with the end result of having a PhD. in Women’s Studies. Mahatma Ghandi said it best, 'You must be the change you want to see in the world,' and I intend to live up to that motto as best as I can."
Emily Persico, Office Manager
Malika Edden, Empowerment Project Coordinator
"Growing up as the only child of a young single mother I heard the words feminism and feminist at an early age. They were not abstract concepts but rather goals she was working towards for me and her larger community. The belief in doing community work, specifically in relationship to issues that affected women and children were passed down to me by mother and the other amazing women I was surrounded by. After college I spent a number of years teaching and working in the reproductive justice movement. As I enter the School of Social Work here at PSU to get my Masters in Social Work I am excited to be a Graduate Assistant supporting the Empowerment Project. As a “non-traditional” student myself I look forward to working with women from various backgrounds beginning or returning to school. The WRC’s values are directly in line with my own, and the values my mother passed down to me."
Kari Anne McDonald, Events Coordinator
Kari Anne returned to college in 2008 and her first term at PSU she took an Intro to Women’s Studies class that changed her life. The next term she started volunteering with the Women’s Resource Center at their front desk. After returning to school she realized her passion for ending violence against women and human trafficking and shaped her Liberal Studies degree around these issues. In 2009 Kari Anne became a chartering member of Portland Rotaract, a leadership and service organization sponsored by Rotary International. Working with Rotaract she gained essential skills around event planning, leadership through service, graphic design and website developing. In summer 2010 Kari Anne took the WRC’s Capstone, Sexual Assault on College Campus, and after the class volunteered to continue working on the capstone project and add the information the WRC website. In October 2010 she applied for the WRC Publicist position and was hired. She graduated in August 2011 with a Bachelor degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has recently started in her new position as the Events Coordinator at the WRC and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Administration at PSU.
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C.J. Smith
Favorite self-care act?
Watching King of the Hill with Madeline, eating dairy-free pizza, and playing Bioware RPGs over and over.
Favorite movie?
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Favorite outdoor activity?
Eating chocolate while reclining by a waterfall.
How did you discover the WRC?
WRC Alumni Shelly invited me to an "Intoxication & Consent" workshop and I fell in love with the space and the people.
Favorite Quotes and/or affirmations you live by
"You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you" - Stuart Smalley
Why did you decide to become involved with the WRC?
After having my mind blown within an hour of first entering, I knew it was one of the best places for me to learn & grow as a student and a human being.
What does community mean to you?
A group of people who band together to further a common goal while supporting each other in love and companionship.
Preferred/favorite art activity/expression?
Singing! Acting!
What would your favorite/ideal day look like?
I would sleep in till 1pm, have a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, fake sausage, & hashbrowns, then I'd browse the internet in my underwear for a while, then I'd take like a 45-minute shower, then I would hop in the back of some old veggie-diesel VW van with a little bed and I'd lay on that while reading some post-apocalyptic fantasy novel until we arrived at some nice untouched timberland. Then I would take a long solitary walk through the forest with no other people in sight until I reached a big grassy hill. Hey look! All my closest friends and loved ones are on the top setting up a picnic in the warm Portland sunshine! We all hang out up there and swap stories and eat sandwiches and fruit bowls and muffins and all kinds of snackaroos. Then we all pack into a hippie schoolbus (driven by the same anonymous driver of the VW van) and we're transported to my house where we bust out the board games and play Settlers of Catan and RISK and eat pizza and dessert pizza and ice cream pizza and when it gets dark, we play Betrayal at House on the Hill with spooky halloween music playing in the background! Then we all change into our pajamas and have a sleepover where we watch nostalgic 90's movies and cuddle and laugh and oh what a perfect day!
What are your goals? (Near and long term)
Near term: Get my Bachelors in Social Work degree, redefine myself and my identity into one that vibes more fully with my values, and start thinking about employment.
Long term: Get my Masters in Social Work degree, become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and help people through the lives in whatever capacity I can. I also wanna have a kid named "Morrigan" with Madeline.
What adventures/journey are you on right now?
Right now I am on the journey to discovering an alternative to mainstream masculinity that is more in line with my personal values around feminism, egalitarianism, and love in general. I have a lot of unpacking and unlearning to do and there are still a lot of pieces to "manhood" that I have yet to discover and interrogate. Working at the Women's Resource Center has been a great asset in understanding my own development and how it has been informed by White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy.
Major?
Social Work.
Shilpa Esther Trivedi
Favorite self-care act?
Barre3
Favorite movie?
The Big Sleep
Favorite outdoor activity?
Horseback riding
How did you discover the WRC?
Planned parenthood Advocates of Oregon introduced me to the co-founders of the Reproductive Justice Action Team
Favorite Quotes and/or affirmations you live by
“Always go to bed with a good book or with someone who has just read one”
Why did you decide to become involved with the WRC?
Because I love the ideas and motivations behind the space, because it is such a welcoming environment and because the staff all do such great things for students on this campus every single day.
What does community mean to you?
A group of people supporting and engaging one another for the personal growth of all
Preferred/favorite art activity/expression?
Dancing!
What would your favorite/ideal day look like?
A whole day reading in the park with Lady.
What are your goals? (Near and long term)
To become less judgemental and be kinder towards others, and to grow a much better cocktail garden this summer.
What adventures/journey are you on right now?
Working on graduate school applications and re-learning to sew more complicated outfits.
Major?
Post-baccalaureate Psychology
