Yifan Xiang
(She/her/hers)
I am from Macau and Beijing. I am currently in my third year and I am majoring in Rehabilitation Sciences with a minor in Chemistry in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science (SHRS). Off-campus, I like stretching, eating ( and cooking without washing dishes), shopping in Costco, karate, Ping Pong, drawing, and studying/hanging out with my friends in less crowded places. I have participated in Muffin and Medicine, Shotokan Karate of America, Student Engaging in Conversation about Consent and Sexuality(SECCS), and the Rehab Science Student Association. I also volunteer a lot outside of Pitt with the elderly and people with special needs. I hope to discover more in my Junior year. I joined SAFE after listening to a peer educator present during my freshman orientation. They spoke about community resources, consent and what is sexual assault, which growing up I did not think much about and didn't have a chance to talk about it with people around me. In my past two years at Pitt, I experienced, heard, and learned the difficulty of initiating or implementing concepts about healthy relationships, supporting myself and friends (especially survivors) , drawing personal boundaries, and barriers such as stigma. These barriers don't stop me but motivate me to participate more and join more discussions to share words, care, support, and awareness!
Alexa Miller
(she/hers)
I am a senior majoring in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies and am pursuing a master’s in Public Health in Community and Behavioral Health Sciences in Pitts 4+1 program. I started as a peer educator through SAFE two years ago and have loved every minute of working with these lovely people. I am also a board member of the Planned Parenthood club here on campus and involved in PantherWELL. I love exploring the city, true crime podcasts, and trying out different cafes in my journey to find the best coffee in Pittsburgh. I joined SAFE because I am passionate about educating myself and others on these important topics. I've always felt that peer education can have a large impact and I hope that through this program I can help ensure that sexual violence prevention and survivor support are high priorities on campus.
Abby Gorman
(she/her)
I am a senior from Washington, D.C. I am double majoring in Sociology and Law & Criminal Justice. This is my 4th year participating in SAFE! I’ve always been a passionate advocate for survivors and SAFE stood out to me as an opportunity to make a positive change in my community. In my time at SAFE, I’ve gained leadership and public speaking skills. Outside of being a peer educator, I am the head writer at Pitt Tonight, the university's late-night talk show, and I also love to do my makeup. SAFE has been an essential part of my college career and I’m excited to spend my senior year with this organization.
Enny Ayo-Gbenjo
(she/her)
I am a junior from Laurel, MD. I am majoring in Biological Sciences, minoring in GSWS, and getting a certificate in Global Health. I have participated in SAFE for 2 years now and joined the organization to educate my peers, in order to combat the alarming rates of sexual assault on college campuses. Outside of SAFE, I participate in Pitt Pantherettes (Majorette dance team), a resident assistant for Women Lead LLC, VP of Leading Women of Tomorrow, and a mentor in Strong Women, Strong Girls. I also enjoy watching Netflix and content creating.
Alexa Pierce
(she/her/hers)
I am a senior from Erie, Pennsylvania, double majoring in Political Science & Law, Criminal Justice, & Society. This year will be my second year participating in SAFE. Outside of being a peer educator, I am involved in Pitt's Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter and a peer mentor in BRIDGES, a university program for first-year scholarship and grant students from diverse backgrounds. My hobbies include finding new content to read, listen to, and watch. I also enjoy gardening and exploring hiking spots around the Pittsburgh area. I joined SAFE to learn more about student-led sexual violence prevention work and improve my public speaking skills. While involved, I hope to not only contribute to the university's efforts to mitigate sexual assault and harassment on campus but grow professionally as I transition into post-undergraduate life. I want to leave an impact that makes students feel empowered in their sexual agency and confident as they navigate a variety of new experiences in college.
Aarushi Pant
(they/them)
I am from Houston, Texas and am a junior here at Pitt studying Computational Social Science with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Womens Studies. This is my second year in SAFE. Aside from being involved in SAFE, I participate in Bring Your Own Bollywood and Strong Women Strong Girls. Outside of school I'm usually reading, writing, going to the gym, hiking, and listening to music.
Ellie
I am a senior from Pennington NJ. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in criminal justice and film and media studies. I have been involved with SAFE since my sophomore year and I am the educator in charge of our social media. I joined SAFE because I’ve always been interested in Prevention work, especially work designed to combat sexual violence. Since joining, my goal has always been to become a better supporter of the people around me, and to get more and more people to become aware of sexual violence and its prevalence on our campus. It’s also been important for me to learn things myself. While I have been working in prevention work for a while, it seems every year I learn new things that help me become a better educator, peer, and supporter. Outside of SAFE I love playing soccer, especially intramural soccer, as well as reading, playing the piano, being active, and spending time with my best friends.
Rosslyn Scott
(she/her/hers)
I am a senior from Severna Park, Maryland. I am majoring in nursing and minoring in social work with a certificate in global health. This is my second year in the SAFE program! I joined SAFE because I am passionate about ending the stigma around conversations about sexual violence and relationship violence, and am passionate about advocating for others. Outside of SAFE I am a member of the Chi Omega sorority, a member of the Student Nursing Association, an undergraduate research assistant for the School of Nursing, and am the Undergraduate Student Recruiter for the School of Nursing. In my free time I enjoy reading, cooking, going on runs, walking in Schenley Park, and exploring Pittsburgh neighborhoods. My favorite is Shadyside!
Julia Vroman
(she/her/hers)
I'm a senior from Maplewood NJ and am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women Studies and a certificate in Global Health. I am also in the 4+1 master of public health program studying Community and Behavioral Health Sciences. I joined SAFE 2 years ago due to the prevalence that sexual assault and unhealthy relationships have had in my life. Due to my experiences, I found I had a passion for community education/prevention and wanted to work to make our campus a safer place for everyone. When I am not doing school work or participating in SAFE I enjoy crocheting, cooking and baking, swimming, and spending time with my friends. I hope that by working with SAFE I can make Pitt a more inclusive and educated campus environment.
Sophia Dallas
(she/her)
I am a sophomore from Harrisburg, PA. I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. This is my first year in SAFE! I joined this organization because I believe it's important to educate others on sexual assault, consent, and relationships, especially on college campuses where rates of sexual assault are far too high. I hope to learn more about these topics myself as well as be able to teach others about them and hopefully contribute to making my campus a safer place for everyone. Outside of SAFE, I am in the Psychology Club and the Wellness Committee in Student Government. I love drawing, playing the piano and baking. I also love going on walks with friends and reading (especially at the Carnegie Library).
Alivia Pierce
(they/them)
I am a junior from Erie, PA. I am majoring in Art History and minoring in studio arts. This year will be my first year in SAFE! I joined SAFE with the purpose to serve and educate my community on topics I know all too well. Discussions surrounding topics like sexual misconduct may be uncomfortable, but are incredibly prevalent issues that college campuses struggle with. As a survivor, I want to do what I can to prevent someone from experiencing what I had to experience as a college freshman to the best of my ability, as someone who was unfamiliar not only to my surroundings but to the resources available to them. Outside of being a peer educator, I am a part of the Queer Task Force within the Black Action Society and have a passion for the arts. I come from generations of artists whose artwork intimately understands and represents the Black struggles for freedom - then, now, and forever. Past projects of mine involving such a theme are mixed media pieces and most recently, a collection of timeless political protest signage in the form of a catalogue for the modern-day Black revolutionary.
Abby Clay
(she/her)
I am a sophomore from Exton, PA. I am majoring in Psychology and English writing and this is my first year participating in SAFE! I joined SAFE because I am passionate about working to prevent sexual and relationship violence on campus. I care deeply about these issues, and I want to do what I can to help make Pitt a safer and more inclusive environment. Outside of being a peer educator I am a research assistant in the Perinatal Health and Behaviors Lab and a member of Pitt's Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter, Psychology Club, and the Student Government Board's Wellness Committee and Support, Advocacy, and Prevention Committee. I enjoy baking, reading, and crocheting as well!
Ryan Walter
(she/they)
I am a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio. I am majoring in Psychology and this is my second year in SAFE. i joined SAFE after I was assaulted by another student and had to go through the legal and title IX processes myself. It was a long and exhausting process and i’ve heard so many stories from friends who have experienced the same, or have chosen to not even go through either process because they don’t want to take on the extra emotional burden. My biggest goal is to bring awareness to the issues of sexual violence and unhealthy relationships so that other students and people within our community can better advocate for and protect themselves and others. Outside of SAFE and school, I work at Chipotle and I spend most of my free time going to concerts and music festivals, mostly rock and metal shows. When i’m not at a concert I spend a lot of my time painting, sewing, reading (mostly manga and horror novels), and watching anime and horror movies. I also have a notoriously wacky sleep schedule so instead of being asleep at 3 am, you’ll most likely find me at the gym 6 nights a week.
Khushi Rai
I am a senior from Fairfax, Virginia. I am pursuing a major in Neuroscience and Philosophy and minor is chemistry. This will be my first year participating in SAFE. I joined the organization because I want to participate in conversations related to consent and survivor support. I believe conducting workshops with my peers to address issues such as sexual violence will cultivate necessary change on our campus. Outside of SAFE I am a senior staff writer at the Pitt News, Vice president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), a HELP Volunteer at UPMC Shadyside and Hotline Volunteer at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR). I enjoy hiking, skiing, reading Joan Didion and travelling!
Rachel Turkington
(She/Her)
I am a sophomore from Sudbury, MA. I am majoring in Public Health and this is going to be my first year participating in SAFE. I joined this organization because I want to help people learn about how they can prevent sexual violence on our campus. I think it is important to spread awareness about these kinds of topics and educate about the resources that are available for those that need support. In addition to safe, I am part of the political science student association. Outside of SAFE I enjoy hiking, cooking, and working on my artwork in my free time.