The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program honors its first graduating class

The first class of graduates from RIT’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program will be celebrated earlier this month. Molly Kohli of Rome, NY, and Gaby Licona of Miami will be the first of many future graduates of the program.

The WGSS program has been in existence at RIT for a long time, and in 2023 the bachelor’s degree program was approved and offered to current students. Enrollment for new first-year students will be possible from autumn 2024.

Silvia Benso, who has served as WGSS program director for six years, expresses her excitement about celebrating the first graduates and expanding the program offerings with this additional course.

“The WGSS degree is very flexible. As a major, it opens the way to countless careers that require social skills and a passion for gender equality – from jobs focused on diversity, equality and inclusion, to consulting in various educational and industry contexts, to advocacy and Activism in different areas,” Benso said. “As a double major, you can become virtually anything you want – engineer, game designer, naturopath, entrepreneur, political scientist and more – all with the comprehensive, necessary sensitivity to improve gender equality and justice in your own professional field .”

After taking courses in the program for four years, Kohli had already completed much of the work required for the new bachelor’s degree program before its inception. This experience allowed her to change her major to WGSS upon graduation approval.

Kohli says combining her WGSS education with what she learned in her anthropology and sociology minors helped her gain a better understanding of people and how they interact and respond to one another.

“By taking into account people’s different cultures and populations, it is easier to figure out why they react in certain ways and what we can do at a cultural and societal level to mitigate negative reactions to each other,” Kohli said. “A big part of anthropology is making sure that people’s voices are heard and that we promote diverse voices. It’s incredibly important to use this mentality when approaching women’s, gender and sexuality studies.”

After graduating, Kohli aspires to work in a library focused on community building and plans to pursue a master’s degree in library science in the future.

Licona, a double major in WGSS and communications, said she has always been a huge advocate for social justice and feminism. She earned a minor in women’s and gender studies prior to the new course offering and is grateful for the opportunity to pursue the additional major in her senior year at RIT.

As she makes plans and goals for her post-college career, Licona reveals that her dream job is to work in social media marketing for a feminist or women-led organization that shares the same values.

“As president of the Her Campus Chapter here (RIT), I have had the opportunity to write articles about college women and I have seen what it is like to work in a group with college students who are simply looking for a safe place he said to Licona. “This experience really drives me to work for a women’s magazine or women’s organization that provides resources and educational sources for other people about women, feminism and social justice advocacy.”

Licona credits her success in the program to her close friend Mackenzie Vanacore ’22 (English), who introduced her to WGSS, as well as her work with Advance RIT and senior human resources specialist Silvia Caraballo. Both Vanacore and Caraballo inspired her and helped her pursue her goals.

Looking ahead to the next academic year, Benso expects interest in the new course to continue to grow.

“Molly and Gaby both symbolize the different possibilities that a WGSS degree offers. Both understand the value of a WGSS education for the present and the future. “I like to think of them as “visionary” students, students who, in the spirit of RIT, have an innovative vision of a better future world and are willing to take the initiative to make it happen,” Benso said. “I look forward to welcoming more students like her to the program.”

Further information about enrolling in the Bachelor’s program in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies can be found on the department’s website or by email to Silvia Benso at [email protected].