A conversation with Katrina Camerato, Women’s Center Coordinator

Meet Katrina Camerato, Housatonic’s new Women’s Center Coordinator. With high energy, and just a couple of months under her belt at HCC, she has big plans for our community.

,p>Katrina brings with her a wealth of experience, having most recently served as the Assistant Director of Residential Life at Bentley University where she oversaw educational initiatives. She has held previous residential life positions at UMass Amherst, UConn, and the University of St. Joseph. In these roles she worked with all students, particularly focusing on empowering female students.

“When working on college campuses and individually with students, I have always found myself focusing on supporting young women. I specifically applied to this position at HCC because of the community that it serves, it is incredibly important for our students to get further supports,” said Katrina.

Katrina has volunteered in roles that support female empowerment. At Bentley, she worked with the Women’s Residential Living Community, providing education on being a female in male dominated spaces. She also regularly facilitated “Dress for Success” workshops at the Hartford Boys & Girls Club’s SMART Girls Conference.

At Housatonic, Katrina oversees the Women’s Center (Beacon Hall 371), a respite for students, offering a library and resources, and a chance to relax and talk. The Women’s Center and the vast majority of its programming is open to all HCC students, regardless of gender. With March being Women’s history month, a full slate of Women’s Center programming is offered:

March 1- Women’s Center Open House (Beacon Hall 371, 2-4PM
March 3 – Cup of Love – Coffee & Affirmations (Lafayette Lobby, 9:30-11AM)
March 8 – International Women’s Day Event Series (Beacon Hall Events Center)

• CT Women in Science Virtual Presentation featuring Liz Krebs (11:30-12:15PM)
• Women of the World Panel & Lunch (12:30-1:45PM)
• Live Stream of “Ain’t I a Woman” via Zoom (2:00PM)

March 21 -- Cup of Love – Coffee & Affirmations (Beacon Lobby, 9:30-11AM)
March 23 – Stich and Sip (Beacon Rec Room, 3-4 PM)
All month: “Speak Your Mind” Creative Contest – Submissions accepted from March 1 – March 31

To Katrina, the most fulfilling part of her job is providing direct support to students, especially through the management of two of HCC’s equity programs: The Equity Project and the Family Economic Security Program (FESP), both funded by the Housatonic Community College Foundation and the amazing partnerships they have secured.

In overseeing the implementation of the Equity Project, she and her team offer one-on-one student coaching, and coordinate financial literacy workshops, providing new, important skills to first-year students that are part of a marginalized group and are low-income.

Katrina and her team also oversee the implementation of the Family Economic Security Program (FESP) for single parent students, providing resources and tools to advance their education, career, and economic security for their families. Financial literacy programming helps to educate parents so that skills can transfer on generationally. “Kids on Campus” programs encourage parents to bring their kids to campus in an effort to introduce their families to college campuses, and the college experience.

Outside of HCC, she enjoys cooking, painting, knitting and drawing. Being half Chinese, Katrina’s heritage is important to her, and likes to celebrate it through cooking. With a love for fashion, and a strong sense of her own personal style, she likes to help young women find their power through fashion and style. Katrina lives in Orange, CT with her cat, Roux.

“I encourage anybody to stop by the Women’s Center or say hi if you see me on campus. I’m friendly, and I will make it a point to get to know you,” said Katrina.