Meet the Reclaim Peer Advocates
The UC Women’s Center Reclaim Peer Advocates are trained to respond to the needs of students who are victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. We have created this page in order to introduce the advocates and share with the students, staff and faculty some of the reasons for why they have devoted their time to this service. Peer Advocates can be reached 24-hours a day should you need help!
If you are interested in the Reclaim Program or in becoming a Peer Advocate, please contact Kimberly Fulbright, program coordinator for activism and education, at 513-556-4328 or Kimberly.Fulbright@uc.edu.
Alyssa Gates
3rd Year, Social Work Major, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? I feel it is important to do activism to change the inequalities and injustices that I see in my community. I feel that in general, people believe a lot of myths and damaging things about sexual assault and rape, and the Reclaim Program is a great outlet for me to educate others in hopes of making a difference.
Fun fact about Alyssa: I had many different pets growing up, including a hermit crab, rats, aquatic frogs, a turtle named Sneaker who ran away and was somehow never found, salamanders, a hamster, fish, pill bugs, toads, guinea pigs, three cats and a dog (though not all at the same time).
Anna Geimeier
4th Year, Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies Major
Hometown: Burlington, KY
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? Serving as a counter force to the prevalent attitudes in our culture that promote violence and injustice.
Fun fact about Anna: I am a cat person, wheat grass harvester and a cyclist.
Ashley Murray
3rd Year, Psychology Major
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? Sexual assault, intimate partner violence and other types of harassment often leave people feeling alone. This can happen to anyone. I love serving the Peer Advocate program and giving these men and women empowerment and hope at the end of the day.
Fun fact about Ashley: I love to sing and dance crazy while in the car. I often use my makeup brush for a microphone, jam out to loud music and pretend that no one can see me.
Emma Southard
3rd Year, Social Work & Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Major
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? As a Peer Advocate, I get to serve my community by providing a safe space for survivors to receive support and resources. Just being part of the Reclaim Program also allows me to educate my peers on issues of sexual assault and gender violence, which is a fantastic opportunity to debunk many myths about sexual assault and change the way our culture addresses this issue.
Fun fact about Emma: I am a vegan!
Ghenet Besera
3rd Year, Health Promotion and Education Major, Community Health Focus
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? Being a resource for my peers to seek when they are going through difficult times, knowing that I can provide them with the information to assist them in the right direction is very meaningful to me.
Fun fact about Ghenet: I love to travel, especially to Africa.
Jessica L. Sarko
2nd Year, Biopsychology/Pre-Law Major
Hometown: Hartford, Ohio
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? I find this program to be meaningful because it lets us reach out to those in need. It lets us do more than help somebody; it lets us empower others to better their lives.
Fun fact about Jessica: I love more than anything to be at the beach, any beach, anywhere, and I’m set.
Kelly Royer
Senior, Addiction Studies Major, Criminal Justice Minor
Hometown: Torrington, CT
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? It is incredibly meaningful for me to be a Peer Advocate because the Reclaim Program gives people the opportunity to reach out for help. Empowering people to make difficult choices is not only rewarding, but also gives us the chance to impact the community as a whole.
Fun fact about Kelly: I love to watch mixed martial arts!
Lauren Blauvelt
4th Year, Addictions Studies, Domestic Violence Major
Home town: Marietta OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? I think it is important to get involved on campus, and serving as a peer advocate gives us the chance to help individuals and educate the public.
Fun fact about Lauren: I collect international dolls.
Maurice Tompkins
Jazz Studies and Music Education Double Major
Hometown: Islip, NY
What do you find meaningful about serving as a peer advocate? Serving as a Peer Advocate gives me the satisfaction of really knowing I make a difference in a hands-on style. I'm not just donating money to a cause or participating in a walk-a-thon; I'm really going into the trenches and personally helping somebody.
Fun fact about Maurice: I am the biggest White Castle enthusiast you will ever meet.
Nicole Burgess
Senior, Criminal Justice Major
Hometown: Batavia, OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a peer advocate? I believe that this is a great service offered by the University of Cincinnati and it allows me to give back to my peers and community. I hope that my involvement in the Reclaim Program will allow me to help survivors in a positive way.
Fun fact about Nicole: I have my motorcycle license.
Sarah Hejma
4th Year, Urban and Women’s Studies Double Major
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? Even though many of us are not directly affected by sexual assault, many of us know someone or have someone close to us who might have been. Being a feminist, I want to be active in the fight against gender based violence and I find the prevalence of it very upsetting. As a Peer Advocate, I can help create a sense of support for survivors and find that this is best way to help in this very difficult time for so many young women like myself.
Fun fact about Sarah: I went to culinary school for a year and make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.
Shannon Adams
2nd Year, Psychology Major
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
What do you find meaningful about serving as a Peer Advocate? I find it meaningful that Reclaim does just what the name says: gives a survivor the tools necessary to regain his/her power over their life. I think it is too tempting to tell someone what to do in a situation where they themselves feel helpless, but much more rewarding to let them decide what’s right for them.
Fun fact about Shannon: I’m a complete bookworm; at almost any given time in my life I’m reading at least one book.