Let’s travel back in time to the halls of high school. Remember that civics or history class where the teacher drummed on about this thing called gerrymandering? Well, it turns out that word is pretty darn important.
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Queen City Pollinators began over a cup of coffee at The Upside Brew and a newfound love for bees. Fully caffeinated, Carrie Driehaus and Jenny O’Donnell set out on a mission to support our city’s pollinators through education, conservation, and collaboration with a multitude of nature-based organizations and local schools. We met up with Carrie this Spring to hear how it all started, score tips for supporting pollinators, and her message on why we should care about these special six-legged creatures.
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“Best all-around gal” was how the C-Ring Women's Leadership Award was first presented in 1922. It was an award given by the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department. The award, like the world around it, has evolved and transformed in the more than 100 years since it was first presented.
The C-Ring award is now presented by the UC Women’s Center and is awarded to a woman-identifying or non-binary graduating senior student who demonstrates outstanding leadership on and off campus. Faculty and staff nominate students, and the lengthy selection process begins. Through rounds of interviews and applications, five final nominees are ultimately chosen, with one winner picked by the selection committee.
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Election season has arrived! There are many choices on your ballot – from city council candidates, to issues, levies, and more it can be overwhelming. If you live in the Cincinnati Public School District, you will also be tasked with electing a new school board this election cycle. Not exactly sure what a school board does? Have no fear! Our Women of Cincy Residents have taken the time to break it all down for you. Happy reading and forget to VOTE on or before November 7. Find your polling place here.
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Dr. Kara Ayers knows the importance of empathy to change hearts, minds, and actions. From navigating a disability, finding community support, expanding her research and prolific career, lobbying policymakers, and raising her family, empathy underscores Dr. Ayers’ life. The summer sun poured into her brightly colored office at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as we talked about why community connections change lives, what’s missing when we talk about disability, and how we can do better in caring for each other.
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The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati campus sits in a suburban neighborhood about 25 minutes from where I grew up and now live – something I didn’t know until Shabana Shakir-Ahmed suggested we meet there. During the time we spent talking and touring the center, I learned there was a lot Shabana and I shared, and even more that I did not know about the Muslim religion and the center.
Like me, Shabana is a mother of three, spent time at the University of Chicago, and is active in the Cincinnati non-profit scene. But unlike me, she battles harsh and unfair misconceptions about who she is – a Muslim woman. Shabana opened up about how she’s working to combat Islamophobia by living authentically and sharing her faith.
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Along Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge sits a charming gray house that, more often than not, is bustling with activity. In this building, countless conversations have occurred between neighbors and friends over steaming hot cups of coffee, cocoa, and tea. This is the home of Community Happens Here, a local nonprofit on a mission to connect people. Its founder, Ruth Anne Wolfe, spoke with us about how Community Happens Here started, the power of conversation, and why she’s adamant about saying, “Hello.”
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Women of Cincy sat down with Dr. Whitney Gaskins in the cutting-edge new Digital Futures building at the University of Cincinnati. With research labs, drone rooms, and contemporary architecture as the backdrop for our conversation, it was impossible to not be inspired and uplifted by all the hard work and advocacy Dr. Gaskins pours into her work every day, making sure everyone has a fair shot at a career in STEM.
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Sitting grounded in the place where she made roots and blossomed, Ewaniki “Niki” Moore-Hawkins talked with us about her history at the African American Culture & Resource Center at the University of Cincinnati and about launching act 2 of her life during the height of the pandemic.
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Late last summer, we met up with entrepreneur, former technology manager, and nonprofit leader Robin Walker at her business space in Springdale. In two adjacent storefronts in a shopping plaza, Walker runs a suite of organizations: one a technology support company (Technology Tailor Made) and one a nonprofit that aims to build careers in technology for minority youth (Camp BYOC). That nonprofit started as a short summer program for a handful of teenagers – as “Build Your Own Computer Camp” – and has expanded to become a wider range of programs including coding, multimedia, and robotics.
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It only takes a few milliseconds to feel the sparking energy that radiates from Cynthia Lockhart—it’s the kind of glittering comfort you want to bottle up and drink when you’re having a low day. She exudes confidence through a contagious smile, fabulous wardrobe, and lively charisma; her words travel with passion and leave a residual feeling of encouragement.
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The best way to describe Annie Ruth is as a bright ray of sunlight on a foggy, hazy day. When she walks into a room, her spirit is a reminder of hope and positivity. She brings her authentic self forward and hopes to inspire others to do the same. Not only is Annie a talented artist and educator, but she's full of compassion and wisdom, and her enthusiasm for life is truly contagious. Even after many difficult obstacles in her path, she’s living proof that strength and determination can move mountains.
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Monica Toro Gomez is a strong and inspirational woman who radiates compassion and strength. She moved to Cincinnati from Colombia with her one-year-old daughter in 2010 and, at the time, didn't know any English. Monica's story of finding her way and a community in a new country is filled with hardships and a tremendous amount of resiliency.
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Huddled in Clifton’s Sitwells Coffeehouse, we sat down with author and community leader, Lauren White. The coffee shop is just a short drive from the University of Cincinnati (U.C.), where Lauren received her bachelor’s degree, is working on her master’s, and is a current employee. She’s made the most of the opportunities U.C. provides to create change for students and youth across Cincinnati. A published poet, Lauren wrote a book of poetry sharing the untold stories of Black women that she hopes will help encourage and inspire anyone who reads it.
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Zoey Peach is, as her name implies, a real peach, with a bubbly personality and excitement behind her glistening eyes. The health educator and outreach maven invited us into the newly re-opened offices at Caracole, a nonprofit AIDS service organization serving the tri-state area in the fight against HIV/AIDS through prevention, housing, and care. Zoey shared stories of the amazing people she’s learned from and how she’s using that knowledge to fight discrimination in the tri-state area.
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Esther Maria Claros Berlioz, Ph.D., is an integral part of the Latinx community in Cincinnati, welcoming and supporting the immigrant community – especially the children, who she lovingly dotes on. In her work with these children, art has become a communal language, with color and scenes representing unique journeys that are understood through shared humanity, history, and dreams.
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I studied art history as an undergraduate at Boston University, and I kind of fell into architecture. They had a fantastic professor, an architecture historian, who became my mentor, and I studied architectural history and art history and then got the design bug. I love learning the history and theory of these things. What if I used my skills differently? I think I always loved watching buildings go up. Thinking about how we build community and society’s fabric – that’s what led me many years later to design school at the University of Cincinnati.
I wanted architecture to be more than it currently is. I wanted it to imprint more on community and society, and how we think about each other and spaces. Since I’ve graduated, I’ve focused my efforts on thinking about that, changing how I think about teaching. With everything that is going on in the world, I’ve been thinking more deeply about how we need to impact future generations and our earth. I would like to leave more of a legacy, getting my students to think about projects more deeply.
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Wendy Calaway, professor and criminal defense attorney, grew up in Williamsburg, Ohio, just east of Cincinnati. She studied both political science and law at the University of Cincinnati. It’s there, in law school, where she found her passion for justice. We sat down via video conference to learn more about bail reform, overturning wrongful convictions, and what it’s really going to take for everyone to truly receive equal protection under the law.
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We talked with Christine in late April about what it’s like to manage a company through a crisis (or two) with two young boys, a husband, and a dog in her immediate space. With characteristic candor and compassion, we learned not only about the struggles she and her colleagues are facing, but she talks first-hand about the struggles of the families, teachers, and school systems who are Possip users.
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