Student & Alumni Spotlight
WGSS STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS–2023 FWGSS Scholarship & Fellowship Winners:
Nine Abad (they/he) is an Honors student pursuing a BA in WGSS & Political Science. They explore critical interdisciplinary humanities research related to colonialism, gender minorities, and the Filipino diaspora. As a 2022-2023 FrameWorks Fellow and a 2023-2024 Mellon scholar, he has researched, published, and presented on Filipino Indigenous folklore and religion, queerness, and anti-colonialism in the diaspora. As a student archivist for UH Special Collections, they’ve worked in both the Carey Shuart Women's Collection and the LGBTQ+ History collection. Now Vice President of the Honors Policy Debate Team, they have won multiple national championships and coach high school debaters.
Karen Mariela Henriquez is a first-generation college student and a second-year graduate student in the Sociology Department at UH. Karen received the Elizabeth Smith Chenoweth Fellowship for the 2023-2024 school year. She is currently writing her thesis project exploring the unique aspects of Latinas providing familial care or hospice care to patients in Texas, and the long-term personal health issues that arise from providing care services.
Manal Matthew (they/them) is a senior majoring in Sociology with minors in WGSS & Philosophy. They have served as a Hall Council Program Chair for UH's Residence Halls, an intern at the UH Women & Gender Resource Center, and a Residential Advisor. As a queer, Indian, woman of color and student leader, their 3+ years as an RA has centered their work around a diverse student population filled with individuals experiencing several roles of intersectionality, fueling passion for social justice and political activism to create safe and equitable environments for all.
Katerina Munoz is a junior majoring in Sociology and minoring in WGSS. She has completed interdisciplinary research through UH’s FrameWorks program, and hopes to pursue a PhD in Gender Studies after finishing her undergraduate studies. Her research interests include sociology of the body, gender roles, and sexual violence.
Lori D. Rhea is a 2nd year PhD student in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at UH, and a licensed master social worker passionate about higher education policy change. Her research interests include analyzing and promoting undergraduate degree completion among underserved nontraditional adult learners, particularly parenting students and single-student mothers. Lori has presented at the American Educational Research Association annual conference three times, is a volunteer graduate student member of the American Journal of Education Student Board, and serves in many other community and campus programs as well.
Elena Zelaya graduated with her Honors Associate of Arts degree from Lone Star College in 2022 and is now a senior at UH, studying English and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. As a UH 2023 Mellon Research Scholar, Elena focused her summer humanities research on media treatment of the 2020 harassment and murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, and the aftereffects on Vanessa’s loved ones, and she will continue to share that story going forward. The UH WGSS Program’s curriculum and faculty have inspired Elena to consider new perspectives, and to advocate on behalf of women and minorities every day. She hopes to work at a women’s and/or children's shelter following graduation.