News by Topic: Women

Rochester has a proud history of breaking barriers and fighting for social change. Susan B. Anthony and Anna Murray Douglass were Rochesterians and our community continues to celebrate their social contributions. RIT upholds a tradition of social equity by supporting female students with a host of clubs and organizations, as well as community resources, that provide platforms for meaningful discussion centering on feminine social justice.

  • May 13, 2022

    student wearing a black shirt and rainbow tie-dyed overalls.

    72 paths to a well-rounded student

    While many colleges and universities require general education courses, RIT’s immersion requirement takes it a step further. Beyond the typical writing, math, science, social science, global studies, art, and ethics requirements, students are asked to fulfill an additional nine credits in a topic of interest. The intended result is to produce well-rounded students who have gained broader, more diverse perspectives.

  • May 9, 2022

    woman sitting in a chair and another woman standing with her arms crossed.

    Protectors of a diverse history

    The field of museum studies is changing. Not only are the people working in nationwide cultural institutions becoming more diverse, but the narratives told within those institutions are more inclusive and equity-focused. RIT’s museum studies program, led by Program Director Juilee Decker, aims to accelerate this momentum.

  • May 9, 2022

    woman on a hiking trail in the mountains.

    Alumna takes passion for sustainable architecture to Vermont

    Catherine C. Lange ’16 M.Arch (architecture) developed a passion for sustainable architecture when she learned the impact the world’s built environment has on climate change, and that buildings designed to limit humanity’s impact on the planet’s resources offer a real and pressing opportunity to combat the climate crisis.

  • May 9, 2022

    woman communicating with American Sign Language.

    Alumna facilitates crucial conversations as medical interpreter

    Debbie Lesser '19 is a catalyst, facilitating crucial conversations taking place in often highly sensitive situations. As a certified medical interpreter, she assists deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing patients and health care providers in communicating with one another regarding everything from mental health crises to detailed complex medical procedures.

  • May 9, 2022

    portrait of Sherry Dadgar.

    Dadgar works to make medicine personal

    Sherry Dadgar ’08 MS (bioinformatics) wants the future of medicine to empower patients. Dadgar, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University, launched her company, Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics (PMCDx), in 2020 with a goal of delivering advanced clinical genomic diagnostic testing to patients and their physicians.

  • May 6, 2022

    three graduating students wearing their cap and gown and important sashes.

    RIT grads told to ‘enrich the world’ with grace

    RIT celebrated its 137th academic convocation Friday morning in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center. Keynote speaker Kimberly Bryant, founder of the nonprofit organization Black Girls CODE, told the graduates to be proud of their achievement, be excited about what is next in their lives, and remember—with grace—what it took to get to this milestone.

  • May 2, 2022

    woman conducting an orchestra.

    RIT’s performing arts teachers come with impressive backgrounds

    As RIT prepares to open a School of Performing Arts, the new instructors that will come with the school will join an already talented pool of faculty and staff members who have been helping students eager to pursue their passions of music, dance, and acting, for years.