MEMBER HIGHLIGHT
Salika Vummarao
March 2022
Hi! My name is Salika Vummarao, my pronouns are she/her, and I am a freshman majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Women and Gender Studies. I am currently one of the Education/Advocacy for Period at UCF. Period has helped me become more comfortable sharing my experiences as a menstruator and allowed me to educate others about how the societal stigma surrounding menstruation has legal, cultural, and economic impacts that many people are negatively impacted by today.
Why PERIOD: I joined Period because I thought it was a great opportunity to get involved in advocacy for menstruation-related topics. There is a huge societal stigma associated with menstruation although it is a normal and healthy process that is a part of many people’s lives. By joining Period at UCF I hoped to not only find a platform for me to raise awareness about the issues that menstruators face societally, culturally, and economically, but also build a community of like-minded individuals fighting for the same goal.
Favorite Event: My favorite part of Period is our Coffee Shop Talks/Coffee and Chats because we are truly able to build an understanding within the group that there is no judgement present in the room. I find these types of events a great opportunity to share my own personal experience with menstruation and also hear about other members’ perspectives. Every contribution made during these events often pushes me to think about how menstruation and the ideas associated with it affect everyone differently.
Denise Cuevas
February 2022
Hello! My name is Denise, my pronouns are she/they, and I am a sophomore majoring in Elementary Education. I am also involved in UCF University Singers, SoAl Women’s Choir, Residence Housing Association, National Residence Hall Honorary, and the Future Educators Association. Being a member of PERIOD while also being one of the Volunteering Directors has made me learn so much and has inspired me to prioritize teaching my future students what they should know about reproductive health and strive to eliminate period stigma. I’m so excited to continue to work with PERIOD this semester and in the future!
Why PERIOD: I joined PERIOD because I wanted to be a part of the movement to fight for reproductive justice and period poverty. I saw the PERIOD booth at the UCF’s opening night event where RSO’s were tabling and learning about PERIOD movement along with its pillars just sparked my interest to join.
Favorite Event: My favorite PERIOD event so far was our PERIOD packing party! Creating cards for the bags we were making with menstrual products to encourage menstruators with sweet messages was exciting! Knowing that we were helping out menstruators and that we’re making a difference was so motivating. I cannot wait until our next packing party!
Isabella Wong
November 2021
Hi! I'm Isabella, my pronouns are she/her, and I'm currently a sophomore studying Biomedical Sciences as well as Diversity & Social Inequality and Psychology. I'm also one of the education/advocacy directors for PERIOD.! I have had a wonderful time as both a member and a director in PERIOD. so far, and I'm so excited to see what else period has in store for next semester.
Why PERIOD: I joined PERIOD. because it felt like the perfect way to take action on two issues I care strongly about: menstruation and reproductive justice. I also love how this club strives for intersectionality not only in language but in education as well as advocacy events.
Favorite Event: So far, my favorite event would have to be the coffee and chat! I think it's a great way to start taboo or awkward conversations with other people who may have similar or different experiences to you. Hearing other people's experiences not only validated my own but taught me so much more about the experience of menstruation as a whole.