Professional Staff
Aine McCarthy (she/her)
Director
Áine McCarthy started at UNM in 2020 as an advocate supporting student survivors on campus is now proud to be serving as Director. She previously worked at Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe as co-director of the Professional Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program. She is also an ordained Buddhist chaplain with a background in working with women in prison and offering creative and contemplative programming for women and femmes cultivating post-traumatic growth after Intimate Partner Violence. (For more on this, check out this short documentary film by Healing Voices-Personal Stories, “Through the Door—Movement, Meditation, and Healing.”) Áine holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and completed the Living School at the Center for Contemplation and Action in Albuquerque. She’s currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at UNM. Her other passions include goofy dance moves, reading tarot cards, and starting rounds of applause.
Michelle Dugan (she/her)
Campus Advocate
Michelle is a Campus Advocate at the Women’s Resource Center. She provides confidential advocacy for students who experience sexual assault or harassment, and she is also a co-chair for the Prevention Education working group on campus. Before working at UNM, Michelle lived in New York City and worked with LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. She has a master’s degree in social work with a focus on queering the narrative of traditional sex education. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys playing roller derby and supporting her two tiny dogs, Broccoli and Pepper, in their endeavors to defeat their nemesis, the vacuum cleaner.
Gisell Cereceres Barrera (she/ella/ela)
Administrative Assistant 3
Gisell is the Administrative Assistant for the Women's Resource Center, her job duties include performing a range of diverse administrative activities for the center, c oordinates and facilitates meetings/program functions, supervises student staff, assists the director, assists visitors by providing resources/guidance and offers a comfortable/welcoming space for all that come in. Gisell received a B.A in Linguistics and Portuguese with a minor in Spanish and is currently working on obtaining an M.A in Hispanic Linguistics to later pursue an M.S in Speech Language Pathology to work with and assist Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish speaking communities. Gisell is a Mexican-American, trilingual speaker who is aiming to be a positive representation of the Hispanic community and is thrilled to be part of the WRC community where all individuals of all genders are welcomed and empowered. In this leadership role, Gisell is hoping to empower/assist others, especially Mexican-American women who have less opportunities. Gisell's interests include reading books, writing poetry, working out, going on new adventures and is very obsessed with sunflowers!
Miquela Ortiz-Upston (she/ella/they/ellos)
Program Specialist
Miquela, MA, MSW, LMSW, works at the University of New Mexico Women’s Resource Center as a program specialist/project director for the campus grant through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). She holds an MSW from New Mexico State University. While completing her MSW at New Mexico State University, she completed practicum experiences that supported research at the University of New Mexico Prevention Research Center and the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare. She received a previous master’s degree in Family Studies with a concentration in Family Life Education from UNM. While working on her MA in Family Studies, she completed a practicum placement in Child Life with the University of New Mexico Hospital. Miquela started working with UNM as a New Student Orientation Leader over 10 years ago and as a student was involved on campus as an ASUNM senator, UNM Trailblazer, and President of Out Womyn in addition to working with the UNM LGBTQ Resource Center and in the residence halls at Casas del Rio. Miquela also received her bachelor’s degree from UNM in Sociology and Women Studies and has worked in various offices across campus, such as the Dean of Student’s Office and as a senior academic advisor with Arts & Sciences and the School of Architecture & Planning. Miquela loves being a mom, spending time with her family, and dancing to old NM rancheras and 90s jams in the kitchen.
Graduate Assistants
Ivette Acevedo Weatherholtz (she/ella)
Counseling Coordinator
Ivette is a bilingual and bicultural counselor providing trauma-responsive services. She has actively intertwined her passions for mental health services and education over the past decade and has taught and provided counseling services nationally and abroad to children, adolescents, and young adults. Ivette completed a B.Soc.Sc. in Psychology in Mexico, a Master of Arts in Counseling in St. Louis, Missouri and is currently a doctoral student in the Counseling Education program at UNM. Ivette is passionate about integrating creativity, play, somatic-based approaches and natural healing practices to provide holistic therapeutic experiences that rupture cycles of intergenerational, community, and social-political trauma.
Megan Looney (she/her)
IMPACT Program Coordinator
Megan is our coordinator of the IMPACT Leadership and Mentorship program. This program pairs first year students with upper-level students, and together we work to develop the necessary skills to succeed academically, professionally, and personally. Megan graduated cum Laude from Western New Mexico University with her Bachelors in Sociology with a double minor in Pre-law and Psychology in 2019. She then received a full ride basketball scholarship to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, where she received her Masters in Social Justice with a Specialization in Women and Gender Studies in 2021. Megan is currently a 2L at UNM School of Law and has always had the goal of becoming a part of the 5% of black lawyers in America. She has always had a passion for seeking justice for marginalized groups and advocating for people whose voices have been silenced. She is interested in Family/Children’s Law, Sports Law, and Civil Rights. Upon graduating, she plans to work in one of these areas to help change lives and give back to her community!
Student Staff
Gaby Salmeron-Ceballos (she/ella)
STEMinist Coordinator
Gaby is an undergraduate student studying Biochemistry. She is the STEMinist coordinator for the Women in STEM Program at the Women’s Resource Center. Her work focuses on addressing themes of representation in the field by co-creating a space of empowerment and centering an interdisciplinary approach to support students in their academic efforts. Gaby aspires to become a doctor and work in rural communities that are mainly Spanish speaking. She is passionate about science and research but also shares an interest in art.
Milan Ortiz-Ruiz
Women in Health Program Coordinator
[bio will be here soon :)]
Aja Nez (she/her)
Office Assistant
Aja holds an Office Assistant position at the UNM Women’s Resource Center. She is a third-year student studying Biology. Her ineterests are in Anatomy and Anthropology. In the future, Aja hopes to work in the Medical Corps, where she can gain more experience and help communities abroad. She also plans to work with Native communities and find ways to teach and guide upcoming generations. She loves reading books, hiking, archery, and intriguing TV shows and documentaries.
Madalyn Zamora (she/her)
Office Assistant
Madalyn is the newest office assistant at the Women’s Resource Center. This will be her first year as an undergraduate and is studying at the Anderson school of Management. Madalyn’s interested in event planning or becoming an entrepreneur in the near future. She loves to spend time with family, listen to music, or play basketball.
Sweekriti Thapa (she/her)
Counseling Admin Assistant
Sweekriti holds a Counseling Admin Assistant position at UNM's Women's Resource Center. As an international student hailing from Nepal, she is wholeheartedly dedicated to pursuing a Nursing Degree at UNM, with aspirations of venturing into the realm of travel nursing soon. She chose nursing because it lets her turn her passion for caring into something truly extraordinary. Making someone's day a little brighter is a noble act on its own, but for Sweekriti, it's a deep devotion that brings her immense joy and fulfillment.
Now, let's talk favorites! Korean food is an absolute delight for Sweekriti's taste buds, and when she's feeling the rhythm, you'll find her dancing her heart out to Nepali and Bollywood songs. She confesses she's "a total shopaholic! There's just something irresistible about finding that perfect outfit." And when it comes to TV shows, Sweekriti can't get enough of Friends and Modern Family. She finds herself drawn to their timeless humor, so she keeps going back for more.
IMPACT Mentors
Shaelyce Hann
Hello there! My name is Shaelyce Hann and I am one of the mentors for the WRC Impact leadership and mentorship program! I am currently 20 years old and I am starting my level 1 nursing workload in the spring of 2024. I am also going to finish my athletic coaching minor fall of 2023 and my honors college minor in spring of 2024. In my free time I balance working out, eating healthy (trying to at least), hanging out with my best friend, working at a tennis complex and working as a nanny. The WRC is such a great place on campus for all genders and I am happy to be a part of it :)
Breanna Kwan
[bio will be here soon :)]
Maiah Trujillo
[bio will be here soon :)]
Roxanne Marquez
[bio will be here soon :)]
