Building Bridges of Change: Georgetown Grad Students and Alumni Celebrate Pride Month

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences joins Georgetown University in celebrating the identities, histories and achievements of LGBTQIA+ students during Pride Month.

“This month serves as a call to action,” says recent graduate Esteban Morales Herrera. “It urges us to remain vigilant and committed to seek the truth and dismantle systemic barriers that still oppress members of our community. Pride Month inspires us to envision and work toward a future where love, respect and equality are the cornerstones of our society for all.”

Explore the first-person reflections of four graduate students who identify with the Pride community: an aspiring congressman, entrepreneurial ICU nurse, addiction policy advocate and community peacebuilder who are already affecting change in their fields.

Aspiring Congressman

Meet Tyrique Mckie (he/him) from Brooklyn, New York, who will earn his M.A. in Engaged and Public Humanities, with a concentration in American Government and Social Advocacy, in August 2024.

“As an aspiring congressman, I came to Georgetown because one of my inspirations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (G’94) (D-New York), attended Georgetown as well. Its proximity to the nation’s capital and the opportunities to intern in government offices also helped.

I am stoked to be the youngest commissioner within the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA Affairs and tasked with fostering greater unity across the District. In particular, my work will focus on empowering young LGBTQ+ leaders, supporting LGBTQ+ business owners and providing resources for at-risk LGBTQ+ populations in DC.

My favorite tradition is definitely going to a parade, and this year, I attended my first DC Pride Parade. I was looking forward to attending, and it turned out to be an even greater experience than I imagined to celebrate with members of the LGBTQ+ community. From different vendors, music and the overall atmosphere of inclusivity, this Pride parade has affirmed and encouraged me even more to pursue my calling in the nation’s capital. I would encourage you to show solidarity by respecting LGBTQ spaces, even if you’re an ally. Be mindful of why you’re here and why you’re offering support to your fellow LGBTQIA friends, siblings and partners.

I am proud to be an advocate for other LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous and people of color since I didn’t have that growing up. Pride Month is a chance for us to be who we are.”

Connect with Tyrique on LinkedIn.

Entrepreneurial ICU Nurse

Meet Allison Magyar (she/her) from South Bend, Indiana, who will earn her M.S. in Nursing online in December 2024, concentrating as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

“As the daughter of immigrant parents, I am inspired by their journey and struggles to nurture cultural competencies and inclusion among my patients and colleagues.

Georgetown is a place where I feel my values align, particularly with the philosophy of cura personalis – care of the whole person. This means working toward culturally competent care, actively listening and responding to the needs of diverse groups of people.

Pride is about being visible and showing support, which I do throughout the year, but especially in June. I enjoy being surrounded by my LGBTQ family and celebrating our shared history. As a San Franciscan for the past six years, powerful movies like Milk remind me of the power of community in standing together for a cause.

It is a celebration of the LGBTQ community, and for me, that is a celebration of survival and progress. This is a moment to reflect upon and pay tribute to the LGBTQ+ people who endured discrimination, mockery and/or harm solely because of their true selves and their choice of partners. Understanding history holds great significance, as it often recurs, and the most effective means to counter hate is through education.

Pride Month plays a vital role in the battle against hatred and the promotion of love and serves as a reminder that the work is far from being finished.”

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn.

Addiction Policy Advocate

Meet Spencer Morrissey (he/him/his), a proud Vermonter living in DC, who earned his M.S. in Addiction Policy & Practice in August 2023.

“While I was at Georgetown, I served as a student senator in GradGov and was a founding member of Hoyas for Recovery. I chose Georgetown for several reasons: it was one of the first schools to offer any kind of master’s education on addiction policy; the rigor of the one year program is matched by the extraordinary faculty; and I grew up with addiction all around me in rural Vermont and lost my brother, Aaron, to addiction last year. He was so funny, smart and also gay. Our community, in particular, is significantly affected by addiction. It’s important to keep my brother’s legacy alive by helping others who have also fallen through the cracks of our social safety nets.

To me, Pride Month is about solidarity and hope. It’s a chance for us to educate ourselves and others about the many facets of our community and stand together in celebration of our identities, our diversity and our resilience. It’s about pausing to look at how far we’ve come, but also at how far we still have to go.

If you want to show solidarity, I encourage you to educate yourself on the history of our community and how it’s still oppressed today. For example, did you know that when the Holocaust ended, most LGBTQ survivors in the camps were routed to other local prisons because it was still a crime to be gay? It is still a crime to be gay (punishable by death in some) in 67 countries. The U.S. didn’t take homosexuality out of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as a mental disorder until 1973.

In March 2024, I was thrilled to begin working with the National Health Council after completing an internship with the American Psychiatric Association. I have a vested interest in ensuring access to and equity in health care, especially for those of underserved communities and those with chronic conditions. Outside of work, I volunteer with This Must Be the Place, handing out naloxone at music festivals and training festival goers on overdose identification and naloxone administration, and am actively involved with The Trevor Project as a lifeline counselor.”

Connect with Spencer on LinkedIn.

Community Peacebuilder

Meet Esteban Morales Herrera (he/him/his), who grew up in Cali, Valle del Cauca in Colombia and earned his M.A. in Latin American Studies in May 2024.

“As someone who has been Jesuit-educated, continuing my education at Georgetown represented a natural progression in my academic and personal journey. I was particularly drawn to its interdisciplinary approach, which fosters critical thinking and a passion for peace-building in our wounded world. Georgetown’s dedication to the Jesuit principle of faith that does justice resonates deeply with me, and it has provided an ideal environment for me to grow as a person who seeks justice for the victims of conflicts who suffered unspeakable crimes.

As a peacebuilder, my passion for seeking truth and justice, especially for LGBTQ+ victims of the Colombian armed conflict and other conflicts, is a driving force in my life. My research is focused on understanding victims’ trauma and the effective ways to repair them from the transitional justice mechanisms. When I worked for the Colombian Truth Commission, I discovered the resilience and courage of those who have suffered and continue to face persecution and violence by criminal actors; we built a final report, There is Future if There is Truth, where their voices are the soul of our dreamed reconciliation.

My faith as an LGBTQ+ Catholic is a cornerstone of my identity, and, at its core, Pride Month is a celebration of our identity and gifts to serve the community. Pride Month is also a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for our human dignity. It commemorates the struggles and triumphs of those who have paved the way for greater acceptance and equality. One of my favorite traditions is the celebration of Pride Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown. Attending this mass is a profoundly moving experience for me. It is a moment of spiritual reflection and unity, where I can connect my faith with my identity within our LGBTQ+ ministry, families, and allies. We are all called to build bridges with respect, sensitivity and compassion.

Showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month and beyond is crucial in advancing inclusivity and supporting ongoing efforts for equality. Here are several meaningful ways people can demonstrate their solidarity: participate in donation campaigns, support local initiatives and national foundations, and show kindness to an LGBTQ+ friend or member in your community. Showing solidarity requires ongoing commitment and action, but also concrete steps toward healthy relationships with those who are close to you. It’s not just a matter of acknowledging it in June or flying rainbow flags. It’s how you show humanity and act courageously with truth and justice.”

Connect with Esteban on Instagram.

Connect with Others

Interested in connecting with other LQBTQ+ alumni from Georgetown? Follow Hoyas With Pride on Instagram.