LGBTQ+ Alum Network Volunteers
We hold this space for friends, classmates, and students who support the LGBTQ+ Alum mission and identify as a member of the network, but are not yet out. We are with you.
AV Lee-a-Yong '21
Pronouns: ze/hir
Originally from Miami, Florida, I majored in Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College, with minors in Psychology and Gender & Sexuality Studies. During my time there, I was lucky enough to be a part of and find community in COLORS, a closed group for queer and trans students of color, participate in student and department theater projects, and to establish a background in grassroots organizing and social work. I am currently based in Philadelphia, working in the non-profit sector. In my free time, I love cooking, traveling, and playing video games.
Edward Strickler '78
Pronouns: all of them
The difficult, disturbing, and delightful experiences of study and learning at Swarthmore conditioned me to lifelong learning, including three degrees from the University of Virginia, covering religious ethics, clinical ethics, and public health. These disciplines served well for advocating, teaching, and advising through the early decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including with Virginia Department of Health and other agencies, especially in matters of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities, rural communities, and intersections of class, culture, and lifecourse. Professional work settled down in the School of Medicine, UVA, from which I retired in 2020 (yet continuing in several helpful roles including as a ‘standardized patient’ with medical students). I was able in all that time to help catalyze and sustain some early SGM services (health, youth, and antiviolence programs, liaison with law enforcement, human rights advocacy, etc), assist family and friends in distress, win some ribbons at county fairs, get married (when allowed) to a companion (now of more than four decades), and practice speaking with crows. Crows are strong individuals within groups and so I have tried to be: joining and often co-facilitating many community dialogues on difficult topics, joining and sometimes leading various boards, commissions, and task forces (e.g. American Public Health Association, Diocese of Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia, etc), and acquiring better skills for listening before doing.
Z.L. Zhou '16
Pronouns: he/him
Having lived in Tucson, Arizona for nearly my entire childhood, I was thrilled to exchange the heat of the desert for the botanical beauty of Swarthmore. Of course, Swat wasn't just a pretty place. Academically, I had a great time: I majored in Linguistics, completed the whole slate of pre-med courses, and greatly enjoyed the Creative Writing poetry workshops I took in the English Lit department. With respect to extracurriculars, I had an incredible time: I was involved with the Phoenix, WSRN, the lit mag scene, and a capella — as well as SQU and SAO. After graduation, I obtained a PhD in linguistics at UCLA and now live in San Francisco, working in the AI/ML industry. In my free time, I enjoy hummingbird-spotting, trying new cuisines, chatting with friends, and napping with my dog.
