Elzbeth Islas was applying to master’s programs in student affairs in 2016 and wanted the kind of hands-on experience she could get through a graduate assistantship. After she interviewed at San Diego State University for a spot, she’d made her decision.
“…I distinctly how seen, uplifted, and hopeful I felt afterward,” she says of her position as a graduate assistant with the Women’s Resource Center at SDSU. Over the years, “I have experienced a profound sense of empowerment, community, and growth during the last eight years. To be trusted by my team, to be seen as a person in all the fullness of who I am, and to work in service of gender justice, it is truly incomparable. At the heart of it all, is the students; I am beyond honored to learn from them and to be a small piece in their journey through higher education.”
Islas, 30, has been director of the center since 2020, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has created programming and events in celebration of Women’s History Month, including s, speakers, healing circles, and arts events. She lives in Normal Heights and took some time to talk about her work at the center and the impact of its focus on gender equity on the students who utilize the center, and for herself.
Q: The center is “a gender advocacy center that serves women and gender expansive individuals.” What else can you tell us about the center in of what this looks like in practice?
A: The WRC centers gender equity in all our efforts for college students and, importantly, the center is welcome to all. For instance, our Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative coordinates programs, resources, and referrals across campus and the San Diego community. Additionally, we lead the Brave Project, which is a feminist and trauma-informed sexual violence prevention and survivor program.
Q: You’ve said that you’re “most ionate about intersectionality, mental health, body politics, and feminist mentorship.” Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw and rooted in Black feminist theory, identifies the ways that multiple social groupings uniquely intersect with forms of oppression (i.e. the racism and sexism experienced by Black women, or the kind of discrimination experienced by someone who is disabled and poor). Why is intersectionality so important to you? What’s been your experience in applying this framework to your own life and work?
A: Intersectionality needs to be embedded in everything we do. I, along with all social justice advocates, owe so much to Black feminists like Kimberle Crenshaw who paved the way for truly liberatory work. As a queer Chicana, I needed spaces to make room for different kinds of stories, especially of those who exist in the margins of society. I was able to find these critical conversations and environments of belonging through my work at the UC San Diego Cross-Cultural Center, and learned ways to apply this framework in my life and work at the SDSU Women’s Resource Center and beyond.
Q: Can you talk about the kinds of feminist mentorship you’ve received and what kind of difference it’s made for you?
A: Feminist mentorship is everything to me. I stand on the shoulders of giants, of those who saw potential and value in me, and who believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. So many people come to mind when I envision my feminist mentors, but at the forefront I think of my mother, the collective of women leaders of UC San Diego’s chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan, my professional mentors like Violeta Gonzales, Jessica Nare, Christy Quiogue, and Isimenmen Iyoha.
Q: What are some of the goals, or the vision, that you have for the center as director? What are some examples of how you’ve been able to achieve those goals/vision?
A: I, along with brilliant teams of the WRC throughout the years, created the Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative (PPSI) in 2020. Throughout the years, this program has launched an official website, implemented a needs-based survey with the SDSU Basic Needs Center, and ed the roll-out of priority registration of student parents through AB 2881 (state legislation from 2022 for students with dependent children). We also now offer programming for parenting students, such as the Parent Resource Fair and the Student Parent Healing Circle.
Q: You chose to earn a degree in ethnic studies from UC San Diego. Are there ways that an ethnic studies lens, the work of the Women’s Resource Center, feel like they’ve taken on a different shape over the last few years? Do they feel more necessary, more significant, from your point of view?
A: Having a background in both ethnic studies and student affairs has provided me with an advanced toolbox to approach the work I do. Both of these rich areas provide me with the knowledge and skills necessary to students in their development and empowerment by honing in on a sense of belonging and student retention and success. In the words of intersectional feminist, poet, and civil rights activist Audre Lorde, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” I firmly believe we need community now more than ever. Our collective strength is our greatest tool to work toward a more equitable future, and the WRC provides a space for people, especially those who exist in the margins, to find community, hope, and empowerment.
Q: What has your work taught you about yourself?
A: This work has taught me to believe in myself, and to see much further beyond myself. I love Rupi Kaur’s poem that reads, “i stand / on the sacrifices / of a million women before me / thinking what can i do / to make this mountain taller / so the women after me can see farther.” When I read those words, I think of myself as a little girl growing up in Tijuana, then moving to the United States not knowing any English, to myself now and I am really proud. I am also committed to lifting as I climb because this work is much bigger than me.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: The item I chose to pose with is the Spanish edition of “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. My father used to read this book to my sisters and I when we were growing up, and it’s provided such a path for me as I navigate this world. Though I am far from always living in line with the four agreements (“Be impeccable with your word,” “Do not take anything personally,” “Do not make assumptions,” and “Always do your best”) I am grateful for this guide and for my family for instilling these values in me.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: This will come as no surprise to the people in my life, but when I first meet people, they are surprised to learn how much I love hamsters. I just think they are the cutest little creatures!
Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: I absolutely love food so I would build my weekend around different eateries. I would start each day by getting coffee at either Provecho! Coffee Co. or Mnemonic Coffee with my sisters. I would then eat lunch at either Phở Hòa or Cocina De Barrio with my partner. Afterward, I would visit my parents in Chula Vista and finish out the day spending quality time with my hamster, Honey Bun.
What I love about Normal Heights…
I love living in Normal Heights because it is so close to North Park, University Heights, and Hillcrest. I feel well connected to the places I frequent and am not too far from either work or my family.
