WGSS Students

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students represent a vast spectrum of gender identities, races, ethnicities, faiths, and socio-economic backgrounds. Together, they  have become an important presence on campus, and they continue to provide strong, feminist leadership.

"I loved [WGSS].  It made me realize how women are treated in this world and it pushed me to strive as a positive force in society."
– WGSS Graduate

Our students were responsible for the creation of two campus organizations:

• Feminists Unite (follow them on Instagram) and
• Iota Iota Iota (known as Triota, the WGSS Honor Society, founded in 2003-04).

Our students were also instrumental in establishing the Women's Center, now the Gender Equity Center. And, our department has a blog, where you can read some student work and see some of their experiences—WGSS at CSUSM blog.

WGSS students have been extremely active over the years, dedicating themselves to diverse organizations and programs on campus and in the community, from the LGBTQA Pride and Gender Equity Centers to public schools, social services agencies, and local governments.

The students have received campus leadership awards and made their marks from California to Washington D.C.  We're particularly proud to cheer on the following graduates who've been elected to local offices.

• Consuelo Martinez, a PSCI and WGSS graduate, was elected to the Escondido City Council in 2018 and serves as the District One representative, bringing the knowledge she gained at CSUSM to the city in which she grew up.
• Cipriano Vargas, while minoring in our department, served as an ASI vice president and was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the CSU Board of Trustees. After graduating, Cipriano was elected to the Vista Unifed School Board, and he continues to serve the community as the Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement Manager for San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer.

"Never be limited by other people's imaginations."
– Dr. Mae Jemison, American astronaut and physician

"A person who has at least one dream has a reason to be strong."
– Sanmao, Chinese-born Taiwanese writer