Lavender Graduation 2020

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25th Annual Lavender Graduation April 30, 2020

25th Annual Lavender Graduation 2020

Program Message from the Director...........3 Award Recipients.........................4 Lavender Graduating Class........8

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History........................................11 Keynote......................................13 LGBTQ Alumni Association.....15

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Trust your instincts! Vibes do not lie.

Pride Outside Fall 2019. Photo by Hannah Brauer 2

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Congratulations Greetings Graduates,

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Congratulations to the Lavender Graduation class of 2020 and welcome to the 25th Lavender Graduation!

Although I wish we could be together, filling the Trotter Multicultural Center with queer celebration, I am grateful for this virtual space. I hope that you are able to take some time to reflect on your journey and the meaning that Lavender Graduation has for you. I know that many of the contributions you have made over the years have been fueled by your passions. Thank you for all that you have given through your scholarship, service, activism, community support, and so much more. Our campus is forever changed by your contributions. We look forward to staying connected as you are now our newest alumnx. We are thinking of you and your loved ones during this especially challenging time and we continue to be available as a resource to you. Congratulations and Go Blue!

Will Sherry (he/him/his) Director, Spectrum Center Project Lead Manager, Division of Student Life

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Ronni Sanlo Cornerstone Award

Juliet Gunther

Peter Bongiorni

(she/her/hers)

(he/him/his)

Juliet and Peter both form part of the oSTEM e-board. Along with other oSTEM board members, they contributed significantly to the advancement, visibility, and success of the student organization. In working with CSG and Spectrum Center, they played a major role in the organization of Pride Outside, reaching over 200 first-year and returning students while also taking summer classes. They are critical thinkers and always have students' best interests in mind when making decisions. Peter and Juliet impacted many LGBTQ+ students on and offcampus and truly deserve this award.

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Award Recipients

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Priya Shanmugasundaram (they/them/theirs) Inspirational Influence Award Eryka Swank (she/her/hers) Excellence in Student Leadership Award

Julia Glassman (she/her/hers) & Josh Child (he/him/his) Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award Alyson Grigsby (they/them/theirs) Intersectional Advocacy Award

LGBT+ Michigan Excellence in Student Leadership Award (Group) 5

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Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people.

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Let yourself be vulnerable while you're here. I know that can be terrifying, but that vulnerability will allow you to build strong, supportive relationships.

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LGBTQ+ Monologues Fall 2019. Photo by Hannah Brauer 7

Lavender Graduating Adela Barbura Adeline Steffen Aisling Shi Zhao Al Haynes Alexander Glasco Alexis Blue Miettinen Allyssa Garza Alyson Elizabeth Grigsby Amy Craven Andrea Tillotson Andy Bui Ankit Patel Anna Catherine Tankersley Bailey Farris McMillian Becca Yin Brandon Bond

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Brendan Jackson Brittany McQueer Casey Tin Chashah Johnson Corrina Lee Danielle M. Coleman Danielle Pasekoff Desislava R. Dikova Diana Davis Dilara Meli Drew Heenan Elsa Ramesh Emily Ann Costello Emily Elizabeth Fletcher Emily White Emmanuel Solis

Erin Provagna Eryka Swank Hailey Margaret Hubbard Hannah Brauer Isabella E. Rios Jack Robert Allan Jane M. V. Roberts Janie Felton Jazmyn Rivera Jess Millar Jessica Wild Jessie Agee Joshua M Childs Julia Rose Lawson Juliet Gunther Justin Nelson Ramirez

Class of 2020 Kaley Makino Maya L. Glaser-Kshensky Kat Shipers Mishell Espinoza Katherine Horning Mitchell Lawrence Katherine Thompson Morgan Provax Katie Romero Naomi Savas Kelsey Toporski Noelle Wade Liam Alex Wiesenberger Olivia Brickley Liv Naimi Patrick McLinden Lolo Furtado Peter Bongiorni Madeline S. Parks Priyanka Shanmugasundaram Mallory Raven Rebekka Hale Marilyn Elizabeth Schotland Riley Marshall Marissa Moore Romeo Jayy PĂŠrez Mary Aradian Renda Samuel Koeppe Mary Zweng Sarah Hiltner Maryse Lundering-Timpano Sarah Landes

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I am going to miss watching my younger LGBTQ+ peers grow more comfortable and proud of themselves and thrive in their respective academic fields. We have such a strong and supportive chosen family here at U of M that I'm certain will last long past graduation, even if we're not all in the same place anymore.

" Pride Outside Fall 2019. Photo by Hannah Brauer

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History The Spectrum Center was co-founded by Cindy Gair and Jim Toy in September 1971. Through persistent dedication by many advocates to the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion on the University of Michigan campus, the Human Sexuality Office, now known as the Spectrum Center, has been transformed over the years to be a place of advocacy and inclusion for LGBTQ+ communities. Spectrum Center is the first center on a college campus to formally serve LGBTQ+ communities.

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Similarly, the annual Lavender Graduation ceremony, lovingly referred to as LavGrad, is a commencement celebration to honor LGBTQ+ graduates of the University of Michigan. Established by Ronni Sanlo, Ph.D., in 1995, the University of Michigan was the first commemorative event of its kind celebrated at an institution of higher learning.

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You have more power than you think. If you see an issue, speak up. Talk to your friends, mentors, peers, and you'll discover that you can have incredible impacts in your community and in the world.

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Keynote Speaker Ronni Sanlo Playwright, author, and LGBT historian Dr. Ronni Sanlo is a well-known keynote speaker at colleges and universities around the country. Ronni speaks not only from her perspective as a higher education/student affairs professor, LGBT center director, dean of students, and faculty in residence but also from her personal life experiences. In lieu of a public speech, Ronni will be providing a pre-recorded video and her remarks in text to be posted along with the 2020 graduating class.

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She began writing Readers’ Theater plays in just the past few years. Her first, Sing Meadowlark, has been performed around the country. Dear Anita Bryant is her second. Her third play, The Soldier and the Time Traveler are currently being readied for table reads. Now retired, Dr. Sanlo directed the UCLA LGBT Center and was a professor at the UCLA Graduate School of Education. She is the founder of the award-winning Lavender Graduation, a commencement event that honors the lives and achievements of LGBTQ students. Prior to her work in Higher Education, Ronni was an HIV epidemiologist in Florida. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Florida, and a master's and doctorate in education from the University of North Florida. Ronni and her wife Dr. Kelly Watson live in Palm Springs, CA, and Sequim, WA. To learn more about Dr. Sanlo, visit ronnisanlo.com.

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I'll miss the opportunities to be surrounded by people with open minds and hearts, each with a different lens, perspective, and outlook on life worth listening to and engaging with.

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Pride Outside Fall 2019. Photo by Hannah Brauer

LGBTQ Alumni Association

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The U-M LGBTQ Alumni Association, as a chartered affiliate of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, seeks to bring together alumni, faculty, students, staff, friends, and allies of all gender identities and sexual orientations in support of each other and to promote the objectives of the University of Michigan by furthering communication, especially of issues relating to gender and sexual orientation; providing a forum for the exchange of ideas; extending community and camaraderie; furthering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment; and providing scholarship support, service opportunities, and programming.

To learn more about and/or join the LGBTQ Alumni Association, please visit www.umalumni.com/lgbtq For questions, reach out to lgbtq.alumni@umich.edu

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spectrumcenter.umich.edu