The Women’s Center for Gender Justice seeks to advance knowledge of gender equity and women’s issues through educational programming, counseling and activism. We collaborate with clubs and organizations at John Jay and throughout the New York City area to promote gender equity, LGBTQ rights, anti-violence education, and reproductive justice. The Women’s Center for Gender Justice is a safe space for all students and their allies, and supportive of student diversity.
Meet the Staff
Elizabeth Yukins, Director (pronouns: she/her)
Elizabeth Yukins is the director of the Women's Center for Gender Justice and a professor in the English Department. She received her MA and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in twentieth-century American literature, with particular interests in critical race theory, gender studies, and law and literature.
Interesting Fact: The most she ever learned was during her time spent as a construction worker in San Francisco, and her favorite ice cream flavor is Ben & Jerry's "Coffee, Coffee, Buzz, Buzz."
Jessica Robles-Morales, Deputy Director (pronouns: she/her)
Jessica Robles-Morales is the Deputy Director and a fierce advocate for reproductive justice. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Hofstra University and a Master of Arts in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. At John Jay, Jessica oversees all aspects of the Gender Justice Advocates Program, strategically hosts events to support the Women's Center for Gender Justice's mission, and seeks collaboartive opportunities with on-campus and off-campus organizations. Jessica is a board memeber of National Organization for Women -NYC, where she advocates for intersectional policies, programs, and practices. She is a NYC native and a chocolate enthusiast, who enjoys traveling and SoulCycle!
Interesting Fact: Jessica has held every major human organ in her hands.
Jessica Greenfield, Women's Center Counselor and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Advocate (pronouns: she/her)
Jessica Greenfield is the Women’s Center Counselor and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Advocate. She is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in gender-based violence, sexual health, and LGBTQI issues. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Master of Science from the Columbia University School of Social Work. At John Jay, she provides advocacy and personal counseling to students, and conducts trainings on Title IX and other topics related to gender justice. Jessica is also a registered yoga teacher and teaches a weekly yoga class for students, faculty, and staff. She has been a passionate advocate for gender justice for as long as she can remember.
Interesting Fact: Jessica has a three-legged cat, who is also a feminist.
Alison Kaslow, Women's Center and LGBTQ Counselor (pronouns: she/her)
Alison Kaslow is a licensed social worker, Mental Health Service Corps Member and counselor in the Women’s Center for Gender Justice. Alison earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from The University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Fordham University. Alison has both individual and group counseling experience working in NYC public schools, and the health and fitness field. Alison has also worked with teachers and administrations in implementing school wide behavior management plans and crisis intervention protocols. Specifically, she specializes in working with LGBTQ youth, clinically and systematically. Alison is also a certified spin instructor and has worked with adults struggling with weight related issues, along with being a published peer contributor to the book “Free Your Child from Overeating.”
Interesting Fact: Alison doesn’t like any seafood! Bummer.
2018-2019 GENDER JUSTICE ADVOCATES
My name is Amy Vera and I am a Gender Justice Advocate. I am also a second-year student at John Jay majoring in Political Science, minoring in Latin American and Latina/o Studies and Sustainability and Environmental Justice. Gender justice explores the intersections of sexuality, gender, race, and community across a variety of people. As Latinx person my interest in gender justice come from the unspoken issues in my culture like machismo, femicide and homophobia. All of these issues have impacted my life and as I continue to fight against them I want to bring others on this journey and share the empowerment I gain along the way so that we can all make a difference in the John Jay community.
Fernanda Silveira Cardoso is a sophomore student majoring in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Criminology. She is an international student who was born and raised in Brazil, and has been living in NYC since 2017. Fernanda is an advocate for gender and LGBT+ equity. She believes every college has the responsibility to provide students with a safe and diverse environment, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, class, disability, or nationality.
Jennifer Garcia is not only a Gender Justice Advocate but also Student Interpreter at John Jay. Jennifer major's in Computer Science and Information Security with a minor in Art and a certificate in Spanish Translation and Interpretation. Jennifer Interprets to be able to help LES individuals communicate in legal matters. Jennifer has interned at non-profit organizations such as Harlem Educational Activities Fund, Witness and Harlem Children Zone. Interesting Fact: Jennifer enjoys creating ceramic pieces.
Hi my name is Michelle Moussot, and I am a junior at John Jay. I currently double major in Forensic Psychology and Gender Studies and I am the President of ABC (Anti-Bullying Club) at John Jay. Gender Justice has pretty much consumed my life for as long as I can remember. Being part of the LGBT community, Latinx, and a woman, many of the injustices faced pertained to me and the loved ones around me. This has had a very heavy influence on shaping my identity and passion for Gender Justice. I firmly believe that all people deserve to be treated and respected as human beings, and be given the same basic human rights regardless of gender, race, or sexuality, and I will not stop fighting until all people are.
Hi! I'm Samantha, my major is Anthropology with a minor in Human Rights Studies. Feeling strongly about human rights and justice since I was a child, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life on fighting for human rights - be it locally, nationally and/or internationally. As a queer woman, I feel especially passionate about LGBTQI+ and women’s rights, as that is still severely deprived in many countries to this day. From my academic work in anthropology (major) and human rights studies (minor) to community organizing and communication work in non-profit organizations, I aim to amplify and uplift the voices of the marginalized. It is one of my life goals and mission to make progress on LGBTQI+ and women’s rights globally, and I have began on this work with local organizations since teenage years and continue to do so today.
Hey, it's Shy! My interest in gender justice stems from witnessing the inequality between the sexes in regards to the legal system. As a pre-law student, seeing how malleable the law has become when it comes to sexual harassment or custody is disappointing. I am an English Literature Major with many hobbies including music, history and mathematics.
Hi, I'm Stacey Morales and I'm currently a Junior majoring in Forensic Psychology. My passion for gender justice comes from my interest in researching sexual abuse, covering everything from sexual harassment to sexual assault and from intimate partner violence to sex trafficking. I am currently involved in a sex trafficking project with Dr. Chitra Raghavan of the Psychology Department.
Tiana Freeman is a senior majoring in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Africana Studies. She holds a 3.84 GPA and was awarded Dean's List for the Spring 2018 semester. She is also an Electroencephalogram (EEG) lab assistant for Dr. Jill Grose-Fifer from the Psychology Department, who is also her McNair mentor. Her research titled "Do Black Lives Matter? Perceptions of Heterosexual Men toward Transgender Homicide Victims focuses on the intersectionality between Black Lives Matter and Transgender homicide victims as well as explore whether disclosure/ non-disclosure is the primary motive or the victims gender identity. She had the opportunity present her research at the Buffalo Undergraduate Research conference and received a certificate of achievement for her participation. In addition to McNair, Tiana was recently accepted as a Vera Institute of Justice Fellow where she was placed at Common Justice as an Outreach Intern. Tiana was hired at Common Justice as a summer research intern where she works under the leadership and supervision of the Assistant Director of Trauma and Support Services and assists with facilitating women's groups, conducting research and providing resources to participants of the program.
My name is Tiffanny Bueno, and I my major is Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. My minors are Gender Studies and Human Rights Studies. Being a Gender Studies minor has opened up the door for me to understand my place in the world better, and how to use my privileges to voice those whose voices have been shut down and oppressed. Through my love for Gender Studies, I have also found the link between immigration law and my career path. My hopes are to go to law school to further study human rights and be able to make a change in US policy to further advance the path to equal rights for underrepresented groups.
