September 9, 2013
Jean and Tynishia are both Education & Training Assistant Coordinators and Mical is the Professional Development Coordinator. They are pictured above, left to right: Tynishia, Jean, Mical.
Mical: What a summer! I ended my job with Coldwater Creek, moved from Kalamazoo to Ypsilanti, and started working for the Spectrum Center on August 1st as the Professional Development Coordinator. I have been loving being back in the Ann Arbor area! I have spent July and August exploring the Ypsi area and rediscovering Ann Arbor. My new favorite places are the Ugly Mug and Beezy’s in Ypsi, and, of course, the Spectrum Center! My partner and I also got two kittens - Tony and Tigger! They are the most adorably spoiled kittens ever. I am very excited to start my master’s program in Higher Education and to be back working at the Spectrum Center!
Jean: I started at the Spectrum Center in the beginning of August as one of the new Education and Training Assistant Coordinators. I will mostly be working with the My Voice panels and the Jim Toy Library. I enjoyed and appreciated the relaxed summer atmosphere of campus and the Spectrum Center. It allowed me to ease into my place in the Center and get to know the campus community before school started. I moved here from Seattle and am a first-year Masters student in the School of Information. My academic interests lie in queer communal information histories, the history of LGBT activism, and the current shift of gay cruising/hook-up culture out of the physical and into the digital realm. In addition to my activities at UMich, I am active in the gay Leather/BDSM community, currently serve as Northwest Leatherboy 2013, and recently competed for International Leatherboy 2013.
Tynishia: I started at the Spectrum Center just a few weeks before school started and fell in love immediately! I just moved to Ann Arbor from Portland, OR and spent my summer transitioning to the new city and driving across the country with my mom (woot!). I am a Masters of Social Work student and will be working with the education and training program focusing on ally training, growing allies and the other training opportunities Spectrum offers. I am very interested in the intersection of social identities and how to address and be allies and advocates for resources.