On Nov. 15, the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program held their annual Notable Women ceremony. The ceremony distinguishes two notable women from the community who have positively influenced those around them.

This was the first year since before COVID-19 that the ceremony has been held in person. The ceremony, held in the Reece Museum, welcomed a number of guests to refreshments and also the opportunity to engage in conversation. The two Notable Women for this year gave speeches on their journeys through life and how they have grown within their fields.

Photo of the Noble Women of ETSU ceremony greeting sign. (Nikki Chambers/East Tennessean)

“The event itself is a space in which they (the recipients) can share their research and projects and ideas and the public is invited to interact with them. And in general we look to choose women who we feel have advanced the understanding of women in the community and in an academic profession,” says Katrina Heil, Interim director of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.

The Notable Women recipients for 2023 were Dr. Fereshteh Gerayli and Amber Kinser.

Gerayli is a physician and professor for the Quillen College of Medicine. She shared her story growing up and learning her practice in Iran, facing the drastic changes happening for women in her country at the time. She found a passion for providing proper care for women, and went on to find a calling working in underserved communities in Appalachia. This is what led her to ETSU and her position in the Department of Family Medicine.

Kinser is a former director for Women’s Studies at ETSU and is a professor in the Communication Studies and Storytelling Department. Kinser shared her story of growing up feeling like an “imposter.” having to learn to be proud of her accomplishments and education. She lead the charge for many positive changes in her time as director, including establishing the Notable Women ceremony in 2002 and through her research on motherhood.

“. . . Women in our society still have not achieved perfect equality and it is therefore still, I think, important even in this day and age to especially acknowledge the accomplishments of women and the many good things done for women in our community,” says Heil.

Photo taken during the Noble Women of ETSU ceremony. (Nikki Chambers/East Tennessean)

Notable Women are chosen based on nomination packets from members of the community, which are received by the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies office. The steering committee then reviews the nominations and selects the honorees.

For more information on Notable Women, visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/litlang/wsp/.

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