New SGA president looks to make impact on campus, champion for LGBTQ+ community
Christine Link has been selected as the 2021-2022 Student Government Association President at Durham Tech.
Originally from Hickory, North Carolina, 35-year-old Link moved to Durham nearly 10 years ago and works full-time as an esthetician in addition to taking classes at Durham Tech.
“I always want to strive to use my life for positive impacts, and I thought this position would be an excellent opportunity to do just that,” Link said.
As president, she wants to continue hosting “Let’s Talk About It” panel discussions, an open space to have candid conversations about social justice issues. She also wants to help students feel more comfortable about returning to campus.
“During Covid, we all experienced varying levels of trauma and it became necessary and also easier to stay at home. Now it is time to find ways to gather while feeling physically and emotionally safe,” she said.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Link is also passionate about advocating for equality and inclusion. She praised Durham Tech for being a safe and welcoming campus.
“When I was getting my school ID my first year here, I saw a LGBTQ+ Safe Zone sticker on the wall and it made me feel so amazing,” Link said.
As she reflects on Pride Month, she said it’s a time to celebrate, but to remember the history.
“It wasn’t that long ago that it was illegal to be gay and I never want to forget that,” she said. “I think it is an important time to sit with gratitude for all those that have paved the way for our current generation to be open and proud.”
Link says there are misconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community that are challenging.
“Just like with other marginalized communities, it isn't always the obvious discrimination that we face. It is often the little things, microaggressions, and implicit biases that I would ask people to look deeper into,” she said.
Link said she hopes to continue championing LGBTQ+ issues and providing ideas for ways to be an inclusive and welcoming campus. One idea, she said, is to have an option to display pronouns on Sakai next to names of students and instructors.
“People don't realize how supportive that is,” she said. “Not only for trans folk, but for intersex folk as well. The intersex community is one that is so under-represented.”
Link is enrolled in the Associate of Arts program and wants to transfer to a university to earn a Bachelor’s in Communications and minor in Social and Economic Justice.
Though she hasn’t decided on an ultimate career goal, she knows she wants to work with social justice initiatives or preventing poor mental and economic health on a systemic level.
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Contact Marcy Gardner, Content and Social Media Coordinator at gardnerm@durhamtech.edu