Cassandra Collier is the newest addition to Iowa State’s women and gender studies program as a sociology and criminal justice lecturer. 

Collier, who graduated from Arizona State University with her degree in women and gender studies, said it feels good to be back in the Midwest. Originally from Ohio, Collier said the familiarity of the Midwest was something that piqued her interest about teaching at Iowa State.

“I’m from the Midwest, so I kind of just wanted to get closer to surroundings that felt familiar,” Collier said. “And I saw the [Iowa State] lecturer ad go up, I was looking for a job and I was like, ‘Iowa State, that could be a good time.’”

Collier said another reason she was drawn to Iowa State was due to the fact that she had previously visited campus in 2012 for the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference. Collier said having great memories at Iowa State mixed with a great women and gender studies program prompted her to apply for the job.

When asked what her favorite part about teaching at Iowa State has been so far, Collier said it was the culture.

“I’ve really enjoyed stepping in and meeting all of the great colleagues,” Collier said. “I’ve had nothing but great experiences chatting with them and the administration.”

While she has had many great experiences with fellow Iowa State staff members, Collier said her favorite part will always be her students.

“I’ve just been continuously impressed in all of the classes by the level of conversation [and] the enthusiasm,” Collier said. “The willingness to really just dive in is, so far, my favorite part about coming to Iowa State.”

Collier said that she looks forward to working with the women and gender studies program and hopes to bring her best to help benefit the students and the program.

Students can expect to see Collier teaching classes on introduction to women and gender studies, feminist theories and queer studies.

When asked what she is most passionate about teaching, Collier said she is excited to teach feminist theories and queer studies.

“As a scholar…. what I tend to work with repeatedly is sexuality, queer theory, queer of color critique, the body and these processes that historically and contemporarily [focus on] what we think of the body in various realms,” Collier said. “I’m really excited to dive into those topics with students.”

More information on Collier can be found here.