Megan van der Toorn

(she/they)

Center Director

Megan van der Toorn (she/they) joined the Trojan Family in July 2020 when she began her role as Center Director of the LGBT Resource Center. Prior to coming to USC, Megan worked for six year’s at UCLA’s LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, serving first as Program Coordinator and then as Assistant Director. During her time at UCLA, Megan facilitated LGBTQ competency trainings for over 5000 UCLA students, staff, faculty, and LA community members; provided career and leadership development for undergraduate LGBTQ students through the creation and implementation of UCLA’s LGBTQ Student Leadership Retreat; conducted broader assessment and strategic planning for the LGBTQ Campus Resource Center; and, most importantly, had the privilege of mentoring countless students through their queer identity development journeys.

Megan comes to Los Angeles by way of Nashville, TN where she earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration at Vanderbilt University. As a proud queer, feminist, lesbian, Megan pursues social justice work through an intersectional lens that focuses on the importance of personal narrative and navigating systems of power and privilege. Megan’s biggest passion and interest in life is the representation of queer women on television and in other media. She believes firmly that media shapes culture and that representation matters. Megan welcomes any opportunity to speak about the importance of the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, why #LexaDeservedBetter, the revolutionizing power of Juliantina, and the narrative tool of the female ga(y)ze.

You can contact Megan at mvandert@usc.edu.

Ab Monzón

(they/them y elle)

Center Supervisor

Ab Monzón (they/them y elle) joins the Trojan Family as the Center Supervisor for the LGBTQ+ Student Center with nearly a decade of experience in social justice education, community organizing, and leadership for social change.  Ab comes to USC with previous experience working in leadership and diversity education and both LGBTQ+ and gender equity resources in higher education, as well as a deep commitment to volunteering and community service.  As a leader, Ab takes an intersectional approach to develop and support thriving and resilient communities.  They enjoy working with young leaders to develop skills and strategies that support positive social change.

Ab was born and raised at the borderlands in Imperial County and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and identify as Latine, queer, and non-binary and a first-generation immigrant, college student, and professional.  They hold a Master of Science in Higher Education Leadership from California State University, Fullerton and a Bacheror of Arts in Feminist Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara.  They are passionate about leadership development and are particularly inspired by Sylvia Rivera and her tireless advocacy to center those at the margins of the LGBTQ community.  On their free time, Ab enjoys camping, spending time with their family (chosen and kin), and supporting all types of drag and queer performers.

Rachel Freeman-Cohen

(she/they)

Graduate Assistant: Peer Mentor Program Coordinator, Graduate Mixers, Lavender Celebration

Rachel is a graduate student in USC Rossier’s Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs program. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2020 with a Bachelors of Arts in Feminist Studies and a minor in Politics. Rachel previously worked in DEI spaces, was a Black Academy Mentor for ABC (African, Black, and Caribbean) identified students, and was the 2019-2020 Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for their Student Union Assembly. Some of Rachel’s favorite themes to explore in her personal and academic life are gender and sexuality, prison abolition, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, and the intersectionality of women in the law, including trans women. She is passionate about community activism, mutual aid, and creating networks of support outside of white supremacist structures.

When not drowning in course work, you can find Rachel raving about the latest queer-coded anime, reading fanfiction, nerding out, and hanging out with her two dogs, Milo and Oliver.

Annika Bjorklund

(she/her/hers)

Student Worker: Graphic Design

Annika is a junior majoring in design at Roski and minoring in cinematic arts. She enjoys road trips, watching movies she’s already seen, working on a book that might never see the light of day, and Italian food.

Meredith Byrnes

(she/her/hers)

Student Worker: Operations Assistant

Reeves is a sophomore in the School of Cinematic Arts. He enjoys computer repair and playing sports-ball.

Reeves Gift

(he/him/his)

Student Worker: Programming Assistant, QTPOC Lounge Facilitator, GNAF Facilitator

Reeves is a sophomore in the School of Cinematic Arts. He enjoys computer repair and playing sports-ball.

Indiana Schnicer

(she/her/hers)

Space Facilitator: Queer Book Club

Indiana is a junior double majoring in Psychology and Law, History, and Culture. She gets way too excited about Halloween and tries out a new hobby every couple of months, from scuba diving to cross stitching. Her happy place is within three feet of the nearest bookshelf, and she most likely has a children’s song stuck in her head at any given time.

Alexia Sambrano