News from Gephardt Institute alumni
Luka Cai ’20 was recognized for their work in co-founding SQSH, the St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline, by STLMade, a magazine that highlights the community and culture that make St. Louis a great place to live and work. Luka was a Fox-Clark Civic Scholar with the Gephardt Institute while at WashU, and during their Civic Summer worked with community members and organizations to establish queer-affirming support and resources for the region’s LGBTQIA+ community. Originally only a peer-support helpline, SQSH has expanded its programs and strategies to address the oppression, violence, and health disparities faced by queer St. Louisans. Today, SQSH aims to empower the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community by building collective capacity for peer support, advocacy, storytelling, education, leadership, and systems change, centering Black and brown trans St. Louisans. Click here to read the piece, and click here to learn about SQSH’s journey.