Women’s and Gender Center Meet Our Staff
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Hi, everyone! My name’s Hayley Georgia Nicholas, and I am the Director of Gender and LGBTQ+ Equity and Engagement. In this role, I oversee both the Women's and Gender Center and the Queer Resource Center. As director of the Women's and Gender Center, my primary role on campus is to support women, femmes, and nonbinary students throughout their journey at Amherst. I graduated from Bowdoin College in 2017 where I studied Sociology and Education Studies. At Bowdoin, I oversaw the Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention and was deeply involved in their Center for Multicultural Life and their Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center.
Before my time as Director, I worked in Amherst College’s Admission Office for 2.5 years on the Diversity Outreach Team. In this role, I supervised the Diversity Outreach Interns and led programs for prospective and admitted first-generation, low-income, and/or students of color. I am passionate about understanding and celebrating the experiences of women, femmes, trans, and nonbinary folks at Amherst and about creating inclusive space for individual and collective learning, growth, and healing. In my free time, I love hiking with my dog, throwing clay on the wheel, road-tripping, cooking, and listening to music and podcasts. I’m excited to continue my journey at Amherst with you as the Director of Gender and LGBTQ+ Equity and Engagement and can’t wait to meet you.
If you have any questions, need support, or want to learn more about the resources and services the WGC provides, please email me at hnicholas@amherst.edu or call 413-542-5667.
My pronouns: they/them/theirs or she/her/hers
My name's Mercédes, and I'm the Assistant Director of the Women's and Gender Center (WGC). I am a community curator and interdisciplinary artist. In May 2020, I obtained my Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing and Film from Hampshire College. My senior thesis, an experimental documentary entitled The World and Then Some highlights the lived experiences of three Black and LGBTQ+ Boston youth. The film premiered at the First Annual PRIDEXTENDED Fest during The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston)'s First Fridays Series, a collaborative fest for the mutual aid initiative-turned nonprofit I founded in June 2020. During this virtual festival, I collaborated with community artists, entrepreneurs and collectives to highlight some of the work being done by my peers in Boston, including and not limited to: visual arts, business ownership, performing arts and community cultivation. Through the efforts of the festival, I was able to tangible support Black LGBTQ+ individuals.
From 2020-21, I was an Outreach Leader at Boston GLASS, a leading organization for LGBTQ+ youth in my hometown. I utilized my position to curate and facilitate programming that recruited and met the needs of LGBTQ+ youth including and not limited to: Defense Workshop for Trans Women and Femmes of Colors, Prisms, a weekly support group for trans youth and Breaking GLASS Ceilings, a bi-weekly interview series highlighting local artists and entrepreneurs.
In July 2021, I made my debut as Mother of the Boston Chapter of The Imperial Dynasty Kiki House of Hua Mulan. I take my role as House Mother seriously, making sure to foster relationships with my children and help them master their artistic crafts.
I'm excited to put my experience to use to serve students here at Amherst!
If you have any questions, need support, or want to learn more about the resources and services the WGC provides, please email me at mlovingmanley@amherst.edu or call 413-542-5667.
My pronouns: she/her/hers
Our Student Staff
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Belem Oseguera Duran ’24E | Program Organizer
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Hola hola! My name is Belem, and I am a program organizer for the WGC. I am a first-generation low-income transfer student in my second semester of Junior year. I am from Guerrero, Mexico but currently call Illinois my home. At Amherst, you can find me singing with the Glee Club, playing with the women’s soccer club, rebelling about one thing or another, and chilling with my friends at Val.
I am excited to be a part of the WGC team this year to advocate for inclusive and safe spaces for marginalized identities in our community. I hope to hold events that speak on the issues faced by minorities in white institutions. Most of all, I hope to create a strong community of vibrant people who celebrate and elevate their differences. Feel free to say hi if you see me around campus! Besos xx
My pronouns: she/her/hers
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Eliza berner ’25 | Program Organizer
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Hi! My name is Eliza Berner, and I am a Program Organizer for the WGC. I am a Sophomore interested in Neuroscience and Pre-Med. At Amherst, I work on ACEMS and am part of the Women’s Club Soccer Team. When I am not on campus, I live in New Jersey with my family and my dog, whose name is Monkey, and I enjoy baking and crocheting stuffed animals.
I am so excited to be working in the WGC because I want to help create a safe and comforting space for students of marginalized genders, and work to educate Amherst College students on the experiences of these communities. I can’t wait to meet everyone in the WGC this year!
My pronouns: she/her/hers
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hibiscus zhang ’25 | Program Organizer
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Hi, helloo! My name is Hibiscus Zhang and I’m a Program Organizer at the WGC. I’m a sophomore and a prospective Environmental Studies and American Studies double major, pursuing a certificate in Culture, Health, and Society! I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina and I’m proudly a queer Chinese/American from a first-gen immigrant family. Aside from working for the WGC, I’m a part of the Asian Students Association and the QTPOC Collective. This is my second year working for the WGC, so I’m super excited to welcome new faces, create safe spaces for students of marginalized genders, and continue being a part of this wonderful community. When I’m not at the Center, you can probably find me reading, thrifting, writing poetry, or pretending to do work in James and the Science Center. Come say hello!
My pronouns: he/him/his
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Kadija Diallo ’25 | Center Organizer
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Hi! My name is Kadija Diallo, and I am the Center Organizer for the WGC. I'm a Political Science and Religion double major, as well as BWG Junior Chair of the BSU. In my free time, I love to read and listen to music (SZA is my favorite artist right now), and I love to go thrifting. I'm super ecstatic to work in the WGC because it's such a welcoming environment and has amazing resources for people to utilize. I hope to create an even more comfortable space, implement some new materials, as well as introduce more students to the center :)
My pronouns: she/her/hers or they/them/theirs
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Logan Maniscalco ’24 | Communications Organizer
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Hi everyone! My name is Logan and I’m the Communications Organizer for the WGC. I’m a junior and an English major. I’m from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—an area not at all unlike Amherst. I am a queer, trans, neurodivergent, low-income, second-gen Dominican with a large passion for creative writing, hiking, chai lattes, and breakfast food. When I am not in the WGC I am participating in Glee Club and Concert Choir for Amherst’s Choral Society.
This is my second year working at the WGC and I am so happy to continue being a part of an inclusive, educational, celebratory, safe space for students and staff of marginalized genders. I am entering my second year in my position with the continued intention of starting and facilitating conversations in our community about the intersections of gender, race, class, ability, citizenship, and more. I’m so excited to see what we can accomplish this year. Please stop by the center, say hello, and learn more about what we’re working on!
My pronouns: they/them/theirs
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Melani garcia ’25 | Program Organizer
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Hey everyone! My name is Melani Garcia and I’m a Program Organizer for the WGC. I plan on double majoring in English and The Practice of Art. In my free time I enjoy creating art, writing poetry, and going birdwatching. Some of my favorite WGC events I’ve hosted before have been Crafting Evenings, and Spa Nights. I am super excited to be working at the WGC and hope to meet a lot of new people and host fun and restorative activities. I am originally from the stolen lands of the Wappinger Munsee Lenape now known as Washington Heights in NYC. I’m a big advocate of self-care and something that I’m currently doing to center myself is creating art through poetry and drawings. I hope to incorporate events that center around the spiritual, mental and physical restoration of women, femmes and queer students because we are often seen as the healers of the community and have to take on a lot of the emotional labor in PWI’s. I hope to create safe, welcoming and relaxing spaces where we can connect with our bodies whether it be through yoga sessions or just dance sessions. Thank you and reach out to me if you have any ideas or questions! My email is mgarcia25@amherst.edu.
My pronouns: she/her/hers
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Xe Enfys ’25 | Program Organizer
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Hello! I’m Xe (pronounced like the letter “Z”) and I’m a Program Organizer at the WGC and a Trans Connection Project Fellow. I’m proudly queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, FLI, and an independent student. I’m a SWAGS and (likely) English double major and am pursuing a Five College Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies certificate. On campus I’m involved in Pride Alliance, the Questbridge FLI community, and am a founding member of the Disabled/Neurodivergent Alliance.
In my free time I love finding new music, writing poetry, hiking in the PNW, and drinking excessive amounts of coffee. I’m so excited to be returning for another year at the WGC and to continue intentional programming which seeks to affirm trans* identities, center intersectionality, and forward disability justice education and community building.
My pronouns: they/them/theirs