Who we are.

William Kidd – I have lived in Asheville now for 5 years. I am a student at UNCA and am an accounting major. I am the Webmaster for this project as well as helping to provide resources for Asheville citizens in the wake of the pandemic.

Hi! My name is Tallis Monteiro. My pronouns are she/her and I am the daughter of my Puerto Rican mother and French/Portuguese father. I grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, where I lived for 18 years before moving to Asheville. Here, I study International, Environmental, and Human Rights Studies at UNC Asheville. I am also a garden manager for the campus community garden, “Sol”. When I don’t have my hands in the dirt over there, I enjoy going for hikes in the area and checking out local music. I enjoy learning about sustainable, organic agriculture, and environmental justice!

Allison Gurliacci is a Health and Wellness Promotion Senior graduating May 2020, a trained Birth Doula, and avid health justice advocate. She serves as the Program Manager for UNCA’s Food Equity Initiative, a group seeking to end food insecurity in our campus community, and believes access to food is a basic human right. In her free time she enjoys creating visual art, primarily through the mediums of photography, painting, and collage. For this project Allison facilitated the creation of a collaborative zine themed around the concept of “Practicing Resilience.” Through this project she hopes as a community we can begin to reflect on, and process, our collective trauma while championing personal empowerment.

Eliana Franklin – I am a sophomore English/Creative Writing major and Environmental Studies minor. I love to write poetry and fiction, as well as make art. I care about environmental justice and am involved in Active Students for a Healthy Environment on our campus and the Sunrise Movement. I am also involved in Headwaters, Amnesty International, Mindfulness Club, and the Honors Program at UNCA. For this project, I worked on collecting art and putting together our digital zine.

Hi! My name is Allie David. I am a psychology major with a passion to help children that may need it. My dream job that I am currently working towards is to be a Child Clinical Psychologist working in a pediatric hospital. My experience being chronically ill gives me a unique perspective of the world around me, so for this project I created info flyers on the wisdom of the chronically and what it’s like to be chronically ill or disabled during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also wrote an article about this same topic and turned it into a digital story for your viewing. Attachments area

My name is Darcy MacFarland and I am a graduating senior this semester at UNCA. I am obtaining my degree in both Biology and French. Health justice in our society today is something that I am really passionate about, and I am eager to push for the change that we need in the field of biology. There is a major disconnect between the scientific community and our local community, and I hope to be a part of bridging that gap in order to make resources more accessible for everyone.

Aryelle is an undergraduate student at UNCA studying entrepreneurship. She is an active community leader, as she has lead several marches and events including the 2019 Asheville Women’s March. Aryelle is the author of “A is for Awkward: A Guide to Surviving Middle School,” where she works to support students in resiliency and empowerment. 

My name is Casey Church, I am currently a junior at UNCA. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I have worked with peers in the LGBT community to create events and volunteered at a local high school through an organization called Vamos!, to encourage Latinx students to go to college. When I’m not studying or working, you can find me hiking local trails or painting. For this project, I worked with friends in the service industry and interviewed them on the changes and stresses of working during the pandemic.