MORE ON EACH OF US
Caress Roach, Faculty Advisor
Hailing from Delaware, Caress Roach (she/her) serves as the Health Promotion and Well-being Programs Coordinator for Student Wellness! In this role, she coordinates programmatic and strategic efforts, with the rest of the Student Wellness team, through a comprehensive/holistic effort to create a healthier and safer Carolina Community.
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Some of her major initiatives include coordinating large-scale collaborative campus events, facilitating sexual and reproductive health education sessions, advising the student peer health education group, and serving on various committees to ensure health and wellness is a priority, not only in Student Wellness, but campus wide. Receiving her Bachelors of Science in Leadership and her Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Delaware, she has been working in prevention/health promotion since being graduated in 2011 and is a Certified Health Coach (NBC-HWC).
Maanasa Kanimilli, Graduate Assistant
Maanasa graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2021 with a B.S. in Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience and minors in Bioethics and Computer Science. While city living agreed with their mind, body, and spirit, she is excited to pursue a change of pace and a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights at UNC. Her research interests include inequities in reproductive health, gender-based violence in LGBTQ+ populations, and the global effects of environmental racism.
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When she's not thinking about work and school and the state of the world, Maanasa enjoys cooking and getting lost in the woods by her apartment. If you would like to spontaneously summon them or become their best friend, mention a book you've read recently or show them a picture of your pet!
Aneesha Tucker (they/them), Co-Guide
My name is Aneesha! I use they/them pronouns, and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina. I am a senior double majoring in Women and Gender Studies and Health Policy and Management.
I joined the Pleasure Activists because I am passionate about pleasure and joy and centering it in all of our endeavors as humans interacting in relationship to ourselves, each other, and the Earth. I envision a world where pleasure is paramount to conversations around our well-being. I know that means abolition and complete transformation of the current oppressive systems that we live in. I believe this group is a way we can carve out a community to do that. |
In my freetime I dream, rest, and conspire for freedom. I spend my time in nature, basking in the sun, reading, writing, creating art, and staring in awe at the moon.
Naima Cooper (she/her), Co-Guide
My name is Naima Cooper, I use she/her pronouns, and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I am a senior majoring in Human Development and Family Studies with a Child and Family Health Concentration and a Health and Societies minor.
I became a Pleasure Activist because I am passionate about removing barriers that keep vulnerable populations from achieving optimal health. A big part of removing these barriers is removing the shame around engaging in activities that bring us pleasure and in turn heavily contribute to our overall well being. I believe this group will help myself and others learn about the importance of centering our pleasure and healthy ways to do that in a world that tells us to do the opposite. |
In my free time, I enjoy reading, journaling, spending time in nature, and watching movies/tv shows and youtube videos.