Welcome to our monthly DEI Spotlight to recognize students, faculty, staff and alumni who work to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Saint Louis University and the larger community.
Do you know someone who you think should be featured? To submit a nomination for the DEI Spotlight, please fill out this form.
March Spotlights
Aric Hamilton
Aric Hamilton is a senior studying history, American studies and education, and is the president of our Student Government Association. He is a native son of the St. Louis region and in addition to leading the SGA, he is a Martin Luther King Scholar, and has been a resident advisor for the Leadership and Social Change Learning Community, a U101 Peer Instructor, a Project Billiken Content Creator, a member of the Black Student Alliance, and an Undergraduate Core Curricular Fellow for Equity and Global Identities for the University Core. Aric also recently completed the prestigious Newman Civic Fellowship.
Amber Overton
Amber Overton (she/her) is the inaugural chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM). As chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Amber leads the development of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s DEI strategic planning along with overseeing the implementation and assessment of that strategy. With more than 10 years of experience advocating for racial equity in St. Louis, Amber’s unique lens of youth development guides GSEM’s DEI framework to support Girl Scouts in the region. Amber’s career spans nonprofit settings, K-12 education, and corporate DEI, and includes roles in both direct service and leadership. Amber utilizes her specialized knowledge in college and career readiness, advocacy, policy development and implementation, and research to inform her systems-focused approach to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in her work. She was named a 2022 Champion of Diversity by St. Louis Business Journal in recognition of her contributions to DEI in the region. Amber received bachelor’s degrees in social work and psychology from Saint Louis University and her Master of Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
February Spotlight
Melissa Ochoa, Ph.D.
Melissa Ochoa, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at Saint Louis University. She specializes in systemic sexism and systemic racism, but more specifically, the various forms of sexism women experience daily. Ochoa has presented on sexism in STEM and is writing a book on the implications of catcalling for women (under contract with the University of California Press). In addition, she has discussed the DEI shortcomings of "Latinx" in an online article and advocates replacing it with "Latine," which has generated a number of media interviews. Ochoa received a B.A. in psychology and a B.A. in public relations and rhetorical advocacy from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University. At Texas A&M University, Ochoa worked closely with other diversity leaders to successfully change course policy so that all students were required to take DEI courses addressing systemic forms of inequality. She believes in the importance of understanding our social privileges and using them in our activism. Whether it's creating social awareness, teaching a class, conducting research, and/or engaging in community work, we should strive to listen, learn and do better.