Em Gutierrez ’24: Advocating for Change and Empowering Trans Communities
Since graduating in June, Em Gutierrez '24 is now working as part of the case management team at TransSOCIAL, which advocates for and serves the trans communities in Georgia and Florida.
Tell us about your current career–where are you working, and in what position?
Since graduation in June of this year, I have been working as a Case Manager team member at a nonprofit called TransSOCIAL. I primarily work in helping trans people in Florida get legal name changes. The work has been demanding due to Trump's upcoming inauguration, but it is rewarding and literally life-changing/saving for our clientele. Currently, I am preparing to go to Atlanta, GA, for an in-person grand opening of our office there!
Does your current job relate to your Bennington education?
My work corresponds to a lot of the work on marginalized communities in my humanities courses in Bennington, as well as the studies on queerness that I took with visiting faculty member Lena Retamoso Urbano.
How did your Field Work Term experiences connect to or inspire your current career path?
My Field Work Term experiences have typically leaned in public safety/public service industry, so I was well-prepared for this work in the nonprofit sector. However, it was all the skills I learned from my humanities courses in Bennington that crafted the extreme fine-tuning of details required for legal name change documentation.
What are some of your proudest professional achievements and/or current goals?
I'm super proud of getting this job when I struggled so much right after graduation securing a full-time job that felt rewarding. I am proud to say that I love my job! I look forward to doing what people need. Once, I had a client call me and explain to me that they wanted their name change because it has been their dream for so long to be legally viewed as their chosen name. That call displays the value of the work that happens everyday.
Do you have any career advice to share with current Bennington students?
My career advice would be to always volunteer your help. I secured this position because I went to a free community event that the organization was hosting, and I loved what they did, so I asked if I could volunteer. To my shock, they enjoyed my demeanor and commitment so much that they offered me a job and recently promoted me to a salary position. This came to me because I love to be a part of my community and offer help back!