Theme: Complexities of Identity

The theme of our event is “Complexities of Identity.” We tend to think of identity as singular, but the more our lives become interconnected, the more we find our identities to be complex. It is imperative to honor the balance between our connections and differences in order to promote a strong community and a more harmonious life. We are all similar, yet we are all unique. And we all must live within that complex reality.

Marshall University Don Morris Room
One John Marshall University
MSC 2nd Floor
Huntington, WV, West Virginia, 25755
United States

Ashalia Aggarwal

Healthcare Patient Advocate + Medical Student

Ashalia Aggarwal is an advocate for centers of excellence in medicine and dedicates her time to improving health outcomes in West Virginia. While in high school she founded her organization, The Giving Palm, which provides books to teenagers in hospitals. Her goal is to create a web of support for hospitalized teens by reaching out with the palms of her hands to hold theirs and provide them with magical realms in books that can be explored many times over. Ashalia also serves on the board of the West Virginia Rural Health Association where she continues to work on policies and initiatives that improve healthcare for rural Appalachians. Outside of her community service work, she is currently a first-year medical student at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. She also completed her undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in English at Marshall University.

Audy Perry

Attorney + Educator + Entrepreneur

Audy M. Perry, Jr. serves as Executive Director of the Heritage Farm Foundation which operates West Virginia’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, the Heritage Farm Museum & Village in Huntington. Established by his parents, A. Michael and Henriella Perry, the award-winning Heritage Farm strives to share Appalachia’s proud, rugged past in ways that inspire an emboldened, vibrant future. Audy and his late father co-authored a book based on life at the Farm: Faith, Family, Friends & Farm (Stories of and from Heritage Farm Museum & Village). Prior to assuming his role as the executive director of Heritage Farm, he practiced law for 18+ years advising clients on estate planning, trusts, charitable giving, business succession planning, project financing, and real estate. He is now Of Counsel with the Dinsmore Law Firm. Audy is very active in the community serving on many local and state boards. He enjoys sharing life’s grand adventure with his wife, Laura, their family, and friends.

Carmen Mitzi Sinnott

Performing Artist + Writer + Producer

Carmen Mitzi Sinnott speaker-performer-community leader ignites change in communities through her own art & the art created by those who work with her. “Start with art and heart” is the guiding motto for her company All Here Together Productions, which works to make lasting social change. She was named in the “top five best diversity speakers in America,” by Campus Activities Magazine. Her unique family saga “Snapshot: a true story of love interrupted by invasion,” is featured repeatedly on PBS nationwide, & on stage internationally. Mitzi was born in WV, raised in KY in the Ohio River valley, & developed her artistic career in New York City. She’s a 2-time recipient of the Brooklyn Arts Council Individual Artist Award, a 2-time recipient of the Kentucky Foundation for Women’s Arts Meets Activism Award, Best Actress nominee at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, & 2020 Tanne Foundation Artist Awardee, & a 2021 Recipient of the WV Humanities Council “post COVID outreach” community programs.

Hilary Brewster

English Professor + Author

Dr. Hilary Brewster (she/hers) is an Associate Professor of English and the Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Marshall University. Her scholarly articles have appeared in publications with Palgrave Macmillan, Sense, Bookbird, and (forthcoming) in the Journal of American Popular Culture. Her creative writing has appeared in Two Cities Review, Cargo Literary Journal, and the 2022 Anthology of Appalachian Writers. Hilary graduated magna cum laude from Muhlenberg College in 2001 with degrees in psychology and women’s studies, earned a Master’s of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and earned her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with an emphasis on young adult literature from The Ohio State University in 2013. She lives in Huntington with her grumpy dog Henson, a rescued purebred Irish terrier, who is currently wearing a onesie. She is an only child vegetarian, does Cody-only classes on Peloton, and has never seen Star Wars.

Kathleen McAuliffe

Science & Health Journalist + Educator

Kathleen McAuliffe is the author of the book This Is Your Brain On Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society (Houghton Mifflin), a bestseller in parasitology and microbiology that has been translated into six languages. In addition, she has written articles for over a dozen national magazines, including Discover, The New York Times, The Atlantic, US News & World Report, Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times. Earlier in her career, she was a health columnist for More Magazine, and a senior science editor at US News & World Report and Omni Magazine. In addition to writing, McAuliffe is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami where she alternates each semester between teaching a course on the human microbiome and environmental journalism. McAuliffe was educated at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, obtaining an M.A. in natural science after graduating with first-class honors (highest distinction).

RaShad Sanders

Community Organizer + Musician

RaShad Sanders is a Huntington resident and Marshall University graduate who has strong ties to the Fairfield community. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in management from Marshall in 2007. Sanders worked with underprivileged youth at Prestera Center, spent nearly a decade as a purchasing agent at Marshall, and later became a contract specialist at Marshall before accepting a position with Special Metals in 2019. He is currently the executive director of the Fairfield Community Development Corporation and serves to enhance the physical, economic, health, safety, and social aspects of life for Fairfield residents. He is happily married to his wife, Mona. The couple loves to spend time with their children, travel, and host gatherings with family and friends. Sanders loves to serve the residents of the neighborhood in which he spent summers growing up and finally relocating there during his teenage years.

Razan Khan

Pharmacist + Educator + Writer

Dr. Razan Khan is a Toronto-based pharmacist with a passion for education, writing, and telling stories. With over six years of experience as a writer and over a decade in the world of pharmacy, Dr. Khan has amassed a diverse body of work. He has held roles as a healthcare copywriter, subject matter expert, instructor, and health & medical consultant for several multimillion-dollar companies. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts. Afterwards, he received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Marshall University School of Pharmacy in Huntington, West Virginia where he also helped shape several programs for learning, community service, collaboration, and leadership, and ultimately became the chosen speaker at his own commencement in 2019. Dr. Khan enjoys learning about other people and how we can all connect with purpose, often finding common ground with everyone he meets.

Sassa Wilkes

Artist + Educator

Sassa Wilkes is a trans artist working to challenge and expand the cultural understanding of gender in Appalachia. They use art as a language to connect, communicate, and learn with others. Allowing space for community dialogue to shape and guide their work gives many of Sassa’s projects a collaborative feel, whether they are working in the studio or in direct artmaking with others. Sassa is primarily an oil painter, but uses a wide variety of media to express ideas. They hold a bachelors degree in Fine Arts as well as a Masters degree in Teaching from Marshall University. Sassa has over ten years of teaching experience, including in public education, at Marshall University, and in a private studio owned and operated in their hometown of Barboursville, West Virginia. Sassa currently serves as the first visual artist-in residence at West Edge Factory in Huntington, West Virginia.