About
ReachOut is a career conference organized by the Northeastern University LGBTQA Resource Center and NU PLACE in partnership with campus and community partners from across the Boston metro area.
ReachOut centers and celebrates the work and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, trans, non-binary, asexual and aromantic spectra, and Two-Spirit professionals. The conference aims to provide opportunities for reflection, connection, learning, and direct resource access for current students, alumni, and community members through a combination of panels, workshops, and social activities.
This year, the ReachOut panels will take place from 9:30am-3:30pm on Saturday, March 23rd in Curry Student Center. We look forward to seeing you there.
Registration
Registration is free, but pre-registration is required in order to ensure availability of seating, meals, and other materials for all attendees. This event is open to the public, and we especially encourage alumni and current students from Boston-area colleges and universities to attend. Registration is accessible on the Google Form to the left or by clicking here. With questions or concerns, please email Maya Bravo (m.bravo@northeastern.edu).
Schedule
9:30am: Coffee and check-in begins
10:00am: Welcome address
10:30am: Panel Block 1 (details below)
11:30am: Lunch sponsored by Alumni Relations
12:30pm: Panel Block 2 (details below)
1:45pm: Social Mixer
2:30pm: Fashion Show
3:00pm: Close
2024 Panels – March 23rd (Register Above)
Panel Block 1: 10:30-11:30am
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Panel
McLeod Suites, Curry 320
Rashod Blades
Rashod Blades is a Black, non-binary Registered Nurse and a triple Husky, holding a Bachelor of Science in Health Science (’19) and Nursing (’20) from Northeastern University. They are currently in their 3rd and final year in Northeastern’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Rashod has worked in various healthcare settings including hospitals, home, and government roles. Their experience brings an understanding of navigating complex healthcare systems as a diverse individual.
Ashutosh Kshirsagar
Ashutosh Kshirsagar, or Ash, is currently working as a Research Associate at Northeastern’s Khoury College of Computer Science. He graduated in December 2023 with a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence. Prior to that, Ash worked as a software engineer back in India. His current research area is to investigate disparity in internet connectivity in areas with predominantly marginalized populations, using AI techniques to automatically identify such areas and evaluate their internet reliability. In the past, Ash has worked on creating machine-learning models for Billboard predictions at Universal Music Group and studying the impact of AI on queer and trans people. In his free time, Ash likes to hit the gym, cook, or watch anime.
Kelly Wang
Kelly Wang is a first-year PhD student in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, studying usable security and privacy under Dr. Ada Lerner. Instead of innovating new technologies supporting data security or privacy, his research is concerned with studying queer communities, other marginalized communities, and activist groups from a privacy lens, in order to provoke new reflections in computer science about how we center their privacy wants. Kelly’s website is kelwang.com.
Carter Strong, Facilitator
Carter Strong is an educator, community organizer, and cultural organizer dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA2S+ students through community care, direct resource strategies, and the arts. Carter oversees the Center’s signature events and programs, day-to-day operations, and direct resource strategies, including the Affirmation Access Project and the Resource Navigation program. Carter moved to the Boston area as a graduate student while studying religion, literature, and the arts and enjoys reading, writing, watching silly TV shows, making music, skating, and weightlifting.
Liberal Arts and Non-Linear Pathways Panel
Center for Intercultural Engagement, Curry 144
Minna Ito
Minna Ito (she/they) recently graduated with her Master’s in speech-language pathology at Boston University. They have been led to their current role as the Assistant Director of the Social Justice Resource Center because they feel most aligned in their work across student organizing, facilitation, and higher education. She’s also a Scorpio sun, emergent strategist, and lover of life — Minna believes that by practicing how to take care of ourselves and each other, we embody and can better articulate a world of justice, collective care, and sustainability. In this role, Minna hopes to build relationships with the SJRC student community and help make the college experience one that is generative! Please feel welcome to swing by the center and chat :’)
Denise Khor
Denise Khor is a media historian and author of Transpacific Convergences: Race, Migration and Japanese American Film Culture before World War II (University of North Carolina Press, 2022), which explores the historical experiences of Japanese Americans at the cinema and traces an alternative network of film production, circulation, and exhibition. Areas of research specialization include film and media history, early cinema, nontheatrical film, critical ethnic studies, and Asian American film and media.
She is jointly appointed in the Department of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies (CSSH) and the Department of Art + Design (CAMD), with a courtesy appointment in History. She is also affiliated with Communication & Media and Screen Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Ciarán Kiely
Ciarán Kiely (they/them) graduated from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2023 with a BA in Religious Studies. After graduating, they joined Northeastern University School of Law’s Office of Co-op and Career Development as a program assistant; their co-op experiences at the Commonwealth Archives of Massachusetts and Northeastern’s Off-Campus Engagement and Support office guided them to this career path. While a student, Ciaran was a teaching assistant for courses such as Women in Western Religion: Witches, Race, Religion, and Power in the Black World, and Introduction to Global Religions, which fostered a drive to apply their studies to working directly with their community. Unlike their peers, Ciarán’s experiences led them not to pursue graduate school but to instead work in a diverse higher education community. They are now a proud staff member of what students deem to be “The Queerest Law School in the Country.
Gabriel Joy Reid
Gabriel Joy Reid is a writer, filmmaker, animator, and illustrator originally from Kansas City, Kansas. In 2023, they graduated from the College of Arts, Media, and Design at Northeastern University with a B.F.A. in Media Arts in Screen Studies. From superheroes to social justice, sci-fi to slice-of-life, they strive to bring joy, knowledge and hope to anyone who reads their work and help diverse and underrepresented voices take up space. You can find their work at gabrielcreatesart.com.
Maya Bravo, Facilitator
Maya Bravo (she/her) is a learner and advocate committed to creating intersectional, equitable, and inclusive spaces on campus and beyond. She is passionate about supporting students, both individually and through impactful programming. Maya designs and implements programs such as ReachOUT. In her free time, she enjoys word games, documentaries, bouldering, and stand-up comedy.
Panel Block 2: 12:30-1:30pm
Grad School Panel
McLeod Suites, Curry 320
Lauryn Fluellen
Lauryn Fluellen is currently a graduate student at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Science, pursuing a master’s in computer science. Prior to attending Northeastern, Lauryn worked in the tech industry at a startup in NYC, following the completion of a bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Brain and Cognitive Science. Passionate about research and driven to make technology more accessible and equitable, Lauryn actively engages in conducting research, teaching computer science courses as a TA, and serving as a graduate assistant at the LGBTQA+ resource center on campus. Alongside academic pursuits, Lauryn finds joy in attending poetry open mics, going to museums, playing basketball, and reading. Graduate school has been instrumental in helping refine and shape Lauryn’s skills and goals, as Lauryn aims to leverage experiences to advocate for greater inclusivity and diversity in both academia and the tech industry.
Levi Ijebor
Levi Ijebor is a current MBA student at Northeastern University, specializing in Finance and Analytics. With a passion for leveraging data and financial acumen to drive strategic growth, Levi brings 5 years of experience in Research, Strategy, and Expansion.
His career has focused on empowering e-commerce and tech startups in Africa to achieve their full potential. As a skilled Business Developer, Levi thrives on transforming innovative visions into tangible realities. He excels at:
- Market Research and Analysis: Identifying key market trends and opportunities to inform strategic decision-making.
- Business Development: Building strong relationships, forging strategic partnerships, and driving revenue streams.
- Startup Ecosystem Expertise: Deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by African startups.
Levi is a highly motivated and results-oriented individual with a collaborative spirit. He is eager to leverage his academic background and industry experience to contribute to the success of innovative and impactful organizations.
Emma Roney
Emma Roney (she/her) is a graduate student at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education in the Higher Education program. She graduated from Boston College with a degree in Communication and a minor in Theater in 2022. She is particularly interested in working with student leaders and queer students. Currently, she works as a Graduate Assistant for the Robsham Theater Arts Center at Boston College, and the LGBTQA Center at Northeastern University. In her free time, she enjoys singing, reading (@roneyreads), and consuming any and all queer media.
Yukun Yang
Yukun Yang is a Ph.D. student in Network Science in the Communication Media and Marginalization (CoMM) Lab. His general research interests lie in computational social science and computer-mediated communication with a more specific focus on online communities centered on marginalized identities, especially those about race/ethnicity and nationality. Before joining Northeastern, Yukun was a data scientist at the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. He obtained his master’s degree in Information Science at UNC-Chapel Hill.
AK Wright, Facilitator
Dr. AK Wright (they/them) is a Jamaican first-generation healer-scholar who is a Black Feminist Thought postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern University in Africana Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Their book project, Embodying Abolition: Healing Justice, Black Feminism and Ending Carcerality investigates how Black individuals communally and intimately live, resist, and care amid carceral forces. Situated in Black feminist thought, queer and trans studies, and carceral studies, their research explores communal healing justice approaches to carceral abolition, centering the care, spiritual, and life flourishing practices of Black folks. Dr. Wright will be an assistant professor of Black Feminist Studies at George Washington University in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and American Studies after completing their postdoc in 2024.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Work Panel
Center for Intercultural Engagement, Curry 144
Mim Merchant
Mim Merchant (they/them) is a fourth-year majoring in Human Services and Sociology with minors in French and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. They are passionate about building community and spaces for marginalized populations, which is reflected in their involvement with A-Space, Queer Book Club, the Pan Asian American Queer Alliance (PAAQA) and the Human Services Organization (HSO). They completed both of their co-ops in DEI-related fields: their first was with the Asian Studies Program here at Northeastern, and their second was at the Office of Equity at the Boston Public Schools.
Marya Mahmood
Marya Mahmood (they/them) is a queer Muslim activist who works towards the liberation of marginalized peoples through their work with DEIJ in academia and in the community. They are a first-generation college and graduate student, and are graduating in May with a Master’s degree in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at Tufts. They currently work at NU as a Program Manager for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice. Prior to this they were a History and Gender Studies High School teacher, and studied History, Gender Studies, Secondary and Special Education at Seton Hall University. Their personal experiences have fueled my passion for justice and DEIJ work, specifically working with BIPOC FGLI students. They are dedicated to fighting oppression and want to make the world a better place. They love community care and restorative justice practices, as well as facilitating conversations that help empower and mobilize people towards justice.
Their personal interests include making art (whether its painting, jewelry, crafting, etc.!) taking care of their 100+ houseplants, riding their motorcycle, critically analyzing TV and movies, and being the best sibling they can be to 3 brothers!
Carter Strong
Carter Strong is an educator, community organizer, and cultural organizer dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA2S+ students through community care, direct resource strategies, and the arts. Carter oversees the Center’s signature events and programs, day-to-day operations, and direct resource strategies, including the Affirmation Access Project and the Resource Navigation program. Carter moved to the Boston area as a graduate student while studying religion, literature, and the arts and enjoys reading, writing, watching silly TV shows, making music, skating, and weightlifting.
Geo Ferrari, Facilitator
Geo Ferrari (he/they) is a graphic designer and artist originally from Atlanta, GA. They came to Boston to attend Boston University as a Posse Scholar and realized they don’t mind the cold! Geo oversees communications, marketing, and outreach and supports all aspects of the LGBTQA Resource Center’s work. In their free time, Geo enjoys embroidery, weaving, and petting cats.
2024 Pre-Conference Events
Sponsors
