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About

Mission and Vision

The LGBTQ+ Student Center (LGBTQ+SC; est. 2005 as the LGBT Resource Center) is one of seven student-support centers housed under Student Equity and Inclusion Programs (SEIP) in Student Life. The mission of the LGBTQ+SC is to provide supporteducationadvocacy, and community for all undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Southern California with an emphasis on students across the spectra of gender and sexuality. In carrying out its mission, the LGBTQ+SC is committed to engaging in its pillars of support, education, advocacy, and community by programming across the multiple intersections of identities within the diverse LGBTQ+ community, collaborating with its SEIP and university partners, and fostering intentional identity development and leadership development for all USC students.

Learning Outcomes

Support

Students will be able to identify and access resources available for LGBTQ+ students at USC, off-campus, or online.

Education

Students/Staff/Faculty will be able to explain relevant concepts, terminology, and identities related to gender identity and sexuality; practical knowledge will be demonstrated through social interaction.

Advocacy

Students will be able to articulate cultural and social contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and identify their roles and opportunities in this ongoing contribution.

Community

Students will be able to discuss their sense of belonging at USC as it relates to diverse gender and sexual identities and its intersections with race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, religion, and more.

Center Staff

Megan van der Toorn

Megan van der Toorn

(she/they)

Director, SEIP Intercultural Services

Megan van der Toorn (she/they) joined the Trojan Family in July 2020 when she began her role as Director of SEIP Intercultural Services, overseeing the LGBTQ+ Student Center and Gender Equity Programs. Prior to coming to USC, Megan worked for six years at UCLA’s LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, serving first as Program Coordinator and then as Assistant Director. Throughout her higher ed career, Megan has had the privilege of mentoring countless students through their identity development journeys and finding their power through their own personal narratives.

Megan comes to Los Angeles by way of Nashville, TN, where she earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration at Vanderbilt University. 

Alyssa Alegre

Alyssa Alegre

(they/them/siya)

Center Supervisor, LGBTQ+ Student Center

Alyssa Alegre (they/them/siya) is a disabled, gen 1.5, Filipinx immigrant navigating higher education as a first-gen student/professional/scholar. Alyssa has been in multicultural affairs since their undergraduate career, having served San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Center for Intercultural Relations & APIDA mental health initiative – (AAPI)phany, as well as Cal Poly Pomona’s Asian & Pacific Islander Student Center. There, they provided culturally responsive programming, social justice education, strategic planning, and curricular development throughout their time.

Inspired by activists like Mia Mingus, Alyssa imbues collective radical imagination and trauma informed practices to uplift the students they serve and foster empowered decision-making. They hold a B.A in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology, Sociology, and Counseling & Social Change) from SDSU and are also a proud USC alum, receiving their M.Ed in Postsecondary Administration & Student Affairs from the Rossier School of Education. As a part of the Trojan Family, they served as a Graduate Assistant in areas such as the Volunteer Center, RSVP, and the Center for Education, Identity, and Social Justice. You can talk to Alyssa about anything from student life, your hyperfixations, to loves like Avatar: The Last Airbender, astrology, witchcraft, live music, and their heart eyes for Rina Sawayama.

Contact Us

Address: 3601 Trousdale Parkway, STU 415 | Los Angeles, CA 90089-0890
Hours: Mon – Thurs: 10am-6pm; Fri: 10am-5pm

Student Staff

Rainbow Fight On

Graduate Assistant

Graduate Assistant

Check back soon to learn more about our Graduate Assistant.

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Digital Outreach Assistant

Student Worker: Digital Outreach Assistant

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Graphic Design Assistant

Student Worker: Graphic Design Assistant

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Operations Assistant

Student Worker: Operations Assistant

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Outreach Assistant

Student Worker: Outreach Assistant

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Programming Assistant

Student Worker: Programming Assistant

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Space Facilitators

Ace/Aro Space Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Ace/Aro Space

Check back soon to learn more about our Ace/Aro Space facilitator.

Beyond the Binary Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Beyond the Binary

Check back soon to learn more about our Beyond the Binary facilitator.

Bi+ Spaces Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Bi+ Spaces

Check back soon to learn more about our Bi+ Spaces facilitator.

Friends of Sappho Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Friends of Sappho

Check back soon to learn more about our Friends of Sappho facilitator.

Queer Book Club Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Queer Book Club

Check back soon to learn more about our Queer Book Club facilitator.

Queer Fandom Fanatics Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Queer Fandom Fanatics

Check back soon to learn more about our Queer Fandom Fanatics facilitator.

Rainbow Fight On

QND Facilitator

Space Facilitator: QND

Check back soon to learn more about our QND facilitator.

QTPOC Lounge Facilitator

Space Facilitator: QTPOC Lounge

Check back soon to learn more about our QTPOC Lounge facilitator.

Rainbow International Facilitator

Space Facilitator: Rainbow International

Check back soon to learn more about our Rainbow International facilitator.

Give to the LGBTQ+ Student Center

Help us continue to make USC an affirming place for LGBTQ+ students by making a gift to the LGBTQ+ Student Center.