Mixner LGBTQ+
Equal Rights Fellowship

Hailing from Harlem, Ashley is a 4th year student at The City College of New York. She is studying Political Science with minors in Black Studies as well as Women and Gender Studies. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys exploring various art mediums, music and cultural events with her family, including exploring different NYC parks with her 11-year-old son. Ashley believes that gender affirming housing, healthcare, and resource centers should be more prominent and available, specifically in extremely low-income and low-income communities. She hopes to continue advocating for the people of the marginalized communities often forgotten about or ignored and to encourage others, like her son, to create the changes the wish to see!

Carla is a sophomore at Queens College majoring in Political Science, and minoring in Legal Studies, Studio Art and English. She was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and moved to Queens, NY at two-years old where she has lived ever since. Her journey with LGBTQ+ advocacy began in high school as president of her school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and she is continuing this passion through the Mixner fellowship.
She is currently in her journey of pursuing law school through Queens College’s pre-law program, in the future Carla hopes to help the LGBTQ+ community through her legal career. In her free time Carla enjoys visiting museums, art galleries, bookstores and cafes. She also loves volunteering at her school’s garden, yoga, traveling, as well as sculpture, and painting.

Charles is a queer, trans man who was raised in the Unification Church, aka the Moonie cult. He left that life and all the oppression that came with, in search of a community that not only accepts his identity but celebrates it. He read works from Neville, Nietzsche, Holiday, hooks, and especially Thich Nhat Hanh to find folks with like-minded values even while struggling with dyslexia. He created a social media profile specifically to find like-minded individuals, which led to his discovery of the queer community. In the end, it has been the LGBTQ+ community that has allowed Charles to find the brightest of lights in a world that felt so dark for most of his life. This community didn’t see Charles’ difference as something peculiar (derogatory) or feared, rather his peculiarity (nonderogatory) was seen as the unique identity that upholds diversity and inclusivity it is. Charles strives continuously to build understanding and acceptance of diverse identities everywhere he goes, so that no child must live in the dark, prejudice world he grew up in. He hopes to expand his impact through the Mixner LGBTQ+ Equal Rights Fellowship and use the experience he gains to continue to expand that impact.

Liz (she/they) is City College Senior who is majoring in English with a concentration in Secondary English Education. She is a Bronx native who is passionate about fostering inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms as they enter their career in teaching. After serving as the president of their school’s PRIDE club and as a member of their Student government, she became passionate about developing the skills on how to foster spaces where students learn the importantance of self-advocacy, and it’s ability to shape and change the future. In their spare time, they enjoy reading, attending PWHL hockey games, and playing puzzle games.

Keira Whitaker is a Senior and an English Major at Queens College. Keira is a member of the Women’s Cross Country Team and Track & Field Team. She is a distance runner. Keira is adopted from Guatemala and has three other sisters who are also adopted. Keira likes to cook, create art posters, and walk around for fun. Keira’s favorite animal is an elephant.

Maliya is a Psychology major currently enrolled at Queens College during the 2026-2027 school year. Originally from Brooklyn, she later moved to Queens with her working class family. Growing up as a Pansexual Afro Latina helped to shape her strong sense of community and compassion for others. She strives to work as an advocate for LGBTQ+ human rights and to promote mental health within healthcare organizations. Outside of her advocacy goals, she has a deep passion for music. One of her dreams would be to open a music store that brings her community together through a shared love of melody and self expression.

Noemi is a senior at CCNY and is currently working toward her B.A./M.A. in Psychology. From a young age, she has known that she wanted a career helping people. After immigrating to the southern United States with her family at 12 years old, she experienced living in very different parts of the U.S. Her interest in psychology began in high school, and she later started as a psychology major at Lehman College. After much consideration, she chose the substance abuse counseling track for her master’s degree through the CASAC program at CCNY. Her decision was shaped by her life experiences, her work with immigrants at an ESL school in New York City since 2025, and her own struggles with acceptance. Noemi plans to work with minority communities, especially immigrants in the queer community. A queer immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Noemi enjoys strength training, arts and crafts, and exploring NYC with her friends.

Sara Montoya is a first-generation student born and raised in Medellín, Colombia. She is a senior pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Health Justice at the Colin Powell School. As a fellow, she hopes to bring a deep commitment to building more compassionate and inclusive communities. She brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by her experiences in Colombia and her multilingual background. Sara has supported community-based mental health efforts through outreach, crisis support, and by creating spaces for conversation, reflection, and care, with a particular interest in supporting LGBTQ+ youth. She is passionate about expanding access to mental health education and fostering communities grounded in dignity and belonging. Beyond the classroom, she enjoys playing basketball, following sports, learning new languages, and spending time in nature.

Tagore Nanavati is a third-year Business Administration and Management major at The City College of New York during the 2026–2027 academic year. Tagore is passionate about entrepreneurship, hospitality, and creating inclusive spaces where people from diverse backgrounds feel welcome. As a transgender woman, she is interested in issues of diversity, equity, and representation, particularly in professional and community settings. Her long-term goal is to open a full-service fine-dining experiential restaurant in New York City that combines exceptional food, service, and atmosphere. She balances her studies with several professional roles, including serving in the restaurant industry and operating her own henna art business. Outside of work and school, she enjoys exploring New York City’s restaurant/bar scene and learning about business growth and restaurant management.

Tammy Zhao (they/she) a senior studying public health at the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Brooklyn College. Their public health philosophy is rooted in the belief that communities should be at the center of decision making processes, making community members not the subjects of public health intervention, but active architects of their own city. Through their work at the New York Birth Control Access Project (NYBCAP), Tammy has developed the Pharmacy Access Initiative, which connects independent community pharmacists to contraceptive state policies in recognition of pharmacies being powerful access points of reproductive healthcare. Her advocacy framework insists that health promotion means health equity, reproductive health means reproductive justice, and urban equality means community justice. Rooted deeply in New York City and everything it can represent, Tammy is committed to creating a place where people, including LGBTQ+ individuals, have the right to their city.