LGBTA Student Resource Center Interns & Staff 2007-2008

As co-editor for OUTRider, the newsletter of the LGBTA Resource Center, my duties include writing articles, interviewing alumni, and cooperating with some outstanding volunteer columnists.  I'm happy to have Jennifer Mehalick, who I've known for a few years, as fellow editor, co-conspirator, and emotional crutch.  In May 2008 I'll be graduating with degrees in English and CAS (Communication Arts and Sciences), and have embarrassingly few plans for post-university life.  I do not want to teach nor go to law school.  I do want to travel, eat strange and disgusting foods, and maybe become an expatriate.  I'll try anything twice.  Though this is my final year as a Penn State undergrad, it is my first year being directly involved with the Center.  During my time here I hope to maintain the OUTRider's high quality, as well as join other staff, interns, and volunteers in queer community building.  So far they've shown dauntless dedication to these ends; I just hope I can keep up with them.

Howdy.  I am Michael Barnett and before you ask the most prevalent question when meeting someone in college for the first time, let me answer it for you. I am in the College of Communications as major of Media Studies in my last year. If I do things correctly, I will continue to learn in an academic setting for a long time. If not, I have a factory job that lets me listen to audiobooks on standby. I am a man of simple pleasures, I suppose. At the LGBTA Student Resource Center (a.k.a the Source or the Center), I am the Intern of Technology. With this title in the fiefdom, I am responsible for taping events, maintaining the website, sipping from a large mug, and grabbing things high on the bookshelf. I hope to see you around.

Greetings Ladies and Gents!  Thanks for taking the time out to get to know me as well as the other staff listed in our online directory. My name is Shonda Brinson and I am the

2007-2008 Outreach Intern for Racial and Ethnic Diversity. As with most outreach positions my primary role is to serve as a liaison for the center. I plan on working very closely with various leaders within Penn State’s academic and local community, who either serve students of color and/or students of color with LGBTQA affiliation, to best determine how we can serve their needs. Since this particular internship is a relatively new position, I am also looking forward to working closely with an array of people to ensure that my goals, actions, and duties are always inline with my job responsibilities and priorities. Currently, I am a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Once I graduate from this university in December of 2008 I plan to participate in the Teach for America program and eventually enroll into an accredited occupational therapy master’s program with hopes of becoming a certified occupational therapist.  Apart from my internship with the LGBTA Student Resource Center I am also very involved on campus. As of this academic year I am the co-editor for the Drum Newsletter, a Blue & White society football usher, a program participant of the Conversation Partner’s program, and a Friend’s Fitness student mentor.

I am James Evert, Office Operations and Resources Intern. I am a first-year student at Penn State majoring in IST (Informations Sciences and Technology). I hope that by being a first-year student working in the center, I'll bring a new perspective to the mix and will also be able to reach out to other first-year students. I enjoy working with people and I am looking forward to working towards change at Penn State and across the globe. After Penn State I plan to go to graduate school and recieve a master's degree. In my spare time I enjoy the company of friends, bicycling, running, photography, and traveling.

Greetings. My name is Jennyfer Gouné and I am the programming and events Intern at the center.  I am a junior at Penn State University majoring in advertising minoring in Business. I am eager to learn new things and also meet new people.  In my spare time, I enjoy exercising, playing violin, and reading novels.  I am a firm believer in the motto “Education is the key to success” and strive to be the best academically.  After I earn my Bachelors Degree, I plan to have a successful career in the advertising industry and attending graduate school soon after.  One word to describe myself would be Determined.  When I set my mind on something I follow through.

Hey there! I’m Josh, your friendly, neighborhood technology specialist.  I am a senior currently double-majoring in Psychology and Women’s Studies.  I volunteered at the LGBTA SRC over the summer, working on converting paper forms to digital, database-driven web forms; thereby (hopefully) reducing the workload on some of the staff.  This semester, I will be hard-at-work on the CD Consortium Project, which will be an interactive CD-ROM with resources for college and university administrators.  The LGBTA SRC will be providing the content, and I will be providing the design, form, and function.  I will also continue to convert other paper forms to digital ones as well as help other developers to improve our website.  While I’m not hard at work I enjoy reading, taking long bicycle rides, and helping out at our housing cooperative.  I tend to follow the news closely and try to be an active citizen.  I hope one day to pursue a career in social work, teaching, or some non-profit agency.  My ultimate goal is to have a direct impact on people’s lives, and make sure that everyone has a fair chance to have a quality life.  “If only I could so live and so serve the world that after me there should never again be birds in cages”  --Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)

My names is Brian Mateo, I'm a senior at Penn State majoring in Biobehavioral Health. This year I serve as the Outreach Intren for Community Development. I love to meet new people, and enjoying being around the people I really care about. I also like to dance. This year I woud like to try to get Q-Tours running and have a great success in NCOD and Pride Week. When I graduate from college I would love to work with kids and live somewhere warm.

My name is Jenn and I am in my senior at Penn State. I am also a sister in an International Panhellenic sorority (with a wonderful chapter at PSU) and am working in the LGBTA Student Resource center as the Fraternity and Sorority Outreach Intern. Essentially I serve as a liaison between the LGBT and Greek Communities at Penn State I have been working for the past year to establish an affirming climate at Penn State for all LGBTA Greek individuals. Greek Straight Talks are a huge part of what I work on. During Greek Straight Talks, panels of LGBTA individuals speak at Fraternities and Sororities across the Penn State campus from all four councils, and break down stereotypes and answer questions about the LGBT community through a “storytelling” as well as a question and answer session. I highly encourage all fraternities and sororities across campus to look into educating their chapters and join our movement of establishing a more welcoming and warm campus for all individuals regardless of sexual orientation. I also am available and happy to speak with any Greek individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or any of their allies in order to provide them with support and ways to make their chapters more LGBT friendly.

Hello! My name is Elizabeth McDonald, and I am a second year doctoral candidate of Counselor Education and a nationally certified counselor. I am eager to work with the PSU community by serving as one of your graduate assistants for the 2007-2008 school year! I will be working with the Alumni, Mentorship program, and Support Network, as well as offering crisis intervention.

Factoids and Favorites:  One of my most primal needs is good conversation with strangers. I enjoy cooking, entertaining, and traveling, having been to such places as Tanzania, Taiwan, Costa Rica, and Brazil. I once caught a bat in a fishing net. I love winter. I love the snow, the cold, AND the wind. I get a kick out of numb thighs when walking against the wind and the slow warming process that happens from the outside in when I walk into a warm building from the cold. Favorite things: Color: Yellow. Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude. Flower: Daisy. Mammal: duck-billed platypus. Smells: laundry and Crisp Linen Lysol. Toothpaste: Tom's of Maine. Pen: Blue Uni-ball Signo . Shape: Star

Hello!  My name is Jennifer Mehalick and I am an OUTRider Co-Editor Intern for the LGBTA Resource Center.  I am working with Lloyd Abesamis, who is also an OUTRider Co-Editor Intern, to edit and publish the newsletters. We coordinate alumni-focused articles as well as topic assignments for volunteer columnists.  We do out best to represent the mission and values of the Center through the OUTrider newsletter.  I am a junior with a major in English and a minor in Women’s Studies.  I feel like my internship with the Center perfectly fits my interests academically as well as personally.  I am gaining experience in my field of study while simultaneously supporting a community that is very important to me.  This is definitely a unique and rewarding opportunity! 
In my free time, I enjoy reading, making jewelry, running and being a massive video game nerd.  I am also an animals lover, so one of my future ambitions is to open an animal shelter wherever I am living or to help better the one that already exists.  Finally, I like to dye my hair various colors, so feel free to drop by the Center and check out what new color(s) I am sporting!

Greeting all! I’m Megan, a graduate intern at the LGBTA Student Resource Center. I came to Penn State to pursue a master’s degree in College Student Affairs. Prior to moving to State College, I worked for a non-profit youth development agency in Washington, D.C. While I miss the city every day, I love working with the students at Penn State.

At the LGBTA Center I work with the student volunteers and coordinate the Wednesday evening Q Spot program. I love the center and I hope to do what I can to build a more inclusive environment for LGBT persons on this campus. When I am not doing grad student things I’m attempting to travel around the world; South America and Southeast Asia are next on my list. I also love biking, lazy weekend mornings, drinking coffee and playing Guitar Hero. In the future I hope to work in International Education and get paid to travel the world. I may also pursue a career as a counselor at a university. And when I retire I will own and operate a bed and breakfast in Greece.

My name is Monica and I am a second-year Master’s candidate in the College Student Affairs Master’s program at Penn State. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Government and Law at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. As an undergraduate at Lafayette, I participated in a number of activities and leadership roles including: Division I field hockey, Vice President of Organization of the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Resident Advisor. Following graduation, I worked as a paralegal in a global consulting company before focusing my career ambitions on higher education administration.  In fall 2006, I was employed as the Center’s graduate assistant. My primary responsibilities include: scheduling and assessment of the Straight Talks program; advising editors of the Center’s newsletter (The OUTRider) and Fraternity and Sorority Life interns; and assisting with the programming activities sponsored by the LGBTA SRC.

In the future, I plan to work in an advocacy unit at a college or university. I am interested in working with underrepresented and historically disenfranchised populations.

To be added soon...