Network, strategize, and build community with students and professionals involved in violence prevention, education, and advocacy work! Co-hosted by Cal State LA and Jenesse Center.
Saturday, April 18, 2026
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
University-Student Union at Cal State LA
Event Details
Cal State LA is located at 5151 State University Drive in Los Angeles.
Parking
Off-campus visitors can park in Cal State LA Structure E.
Directions to Event
Follow this guide to get from Parking Structure E to the University-Student Union:
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.: Registration & Breakfast
10:30 – 10:50 a.m.: Opening Community-Building Activity & Welcome
10:50 – 11:45 p.m.: Panel Discussion
- Panelists will be from different organizations/positions all related to the violence prevention field.
- Information on organizations and panelist coming soon.
- Moderated by Emma Patton (she/her) and Rachel Aujero (she/her) both student Peer Advocates from Project SAFE at Occidental College
11:45 – 12:00 p.m.: Moderated Q&A
- Panelists will answer questions from attendees.
- Moderated by Emma Patton (she/her) and Rachel Aujero (she/her) both student Peer Advocates from Project SAFE at Occidental College
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch
12:30 – 1:40 p.m.: Career Fair
- Attendees and representatives from organizations across LA will participate in a speed-dating style career fair designed for org reps to network with participants, share about their work, and promote any events or opportunities for involvement.
1:40 – 2:00 p.m.: Closing, Evaluation, and Gift Bag Distribution (20 min.)
Lizzy Denny (she/her), Director and Survivor Advocate
Lizzy Denny (she/her/hers) is originally from Louisville, Kentucky but has called Los Angeles home for more than 10 years. She received her undergraduate degree from Earlham College in Comparative Languages and Linguistics as well as Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. It was at Earlham that she first began working in the social justice field as president of her campus' Action Against Sexual Violence and completed her thesis by designing and implementing a multi-lingual safe sex and consent program for young people in Curacao. Since graduating college, she has worked with the Philadelphia American Red Cross in an emergency shelter program helping individuals displaced from natural and man-made disasters, as the training and volunteer manager at Center for the Pacific Asian Family, as a senior case manager at Youth Policy Institute, working with California Justice Leaders (a first of its kind AmeriCorps program for formerly incarcerated participants) at Impact Justice, and a Measure J coordinator at Amity Foundation.
Lizzy earned a Master’s in Advocacy and Social Justice with a concentration in Legal Studies and Policy, and has an extensive background in curriculum, program, and training development and implementation, having worked in positions ranging from case manager to teacher to training coordinator. Lizzy was responsible for updating a multi-agency 65-hour training that trains community members and professionals to be paraprofessional domestic violence and sexual assault counselors. She has a thorough understanding of the long and short-term effects of health policies and laws affecting populations with marginalized identities in our city and county, a focus on supporting health policy for these communities, and a dedication to providing trauma-informed care through progressive research, training, and advocacy.
In her free time, Lizzy enjoys doing stand-up comedy, fostering kittens, gardening, and reading books. She speaks 7 languages and loves to travel. She lives with her black cat, Bug and her dog, Bookshelf.
Kylah Duvenary, JD Post-Graduate Fellow
My name is Kylah Duvenary and I am 26 years old. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, reading, and I am a foodie always ready to try new food places! I recently graduated from Loyola Law School, Class of 2025. I was born and raised in Los Angeles County, so I love catering to local communities by encouraging youth and volunteering for local events. I have a one year fellowship with Jenesse Center, Inc., which is a non-profit organization that offers domestic violence prevention and intervention through support and resources to survivors. In my role in the legal department, I am in charge of organizing our free, virtual Immigration Clinics that our company offers a few times throughout the year.
Marisa Faynsod, Senior Community and Campus Outreach Coordinator
Marisa Faynsod is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and National Certified Sexual Abuse Counselor who has served in multiple roles at UCLA. She previously provided therapy to sexually abused children and their families at Stuart House and currently serves as an on-call crisis supervisor at the UCLA Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica.
In her current position as Senior Community Outreach & Campus Coordinator at the Rape Treatment Center, Marisa focuses on prevention education for college students, camp staff, and the broader Los Angeles community. She also collaborates with law enforcement and partner agencies to train recruits, staff, and volunteers on best practices for reporting and referring survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Marisa’s work helps strengthen community awareness, support survivors, and promote safer environments
Devika Hazra, Cal State LA Associate Professor
Devika Hazra is a Professor of Economics at California State University, Los Angeles, and a Research Fellow with the Center for California Studies. Her research examines the intersections of gender-based violence, political institutions, economic inequality, and public policy. Her work has been supported by the Haynes Foundation, Bank of America Philanthropic Grant, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Professor Award and the Provost Faculty Fellow Award at Cal State LA. In addition to her scholarly contributions, she engages extensively with policymakers, community organizations, and advocacy groups to bridge the gap between research and practice. To that end, she is a Certified Violence Prevention Specialist and Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Counselor.
Monica Lopez (she/elle), Trainer and Coach
Monica is an advocate for transformation and community empowerment. Their personal experiences growing up on the Mexico and the U.S. border, ignited their understanding of the urgent need for community empowerment. They are committed to the liberation of all Indigenous Peoples and their territories. Their certifications in support group facilitation, circle keeping, and youth rites of passage, rooted in their cultural practices demonstrate their commitment to creating safe spaces for growth. In their free time they are a community organizer, enjoys spending time with her cats, and caring for their plants. Monica Lopez, shaped by the borderlands and driven by empathy, invites others to join them in practices that build expansive relationships.
Mikey Vibal, Case Worker
Student Moderators
Rachel Aujero (she/her), Project SAFE Peer Advocate, Occidental College
Rachel Aujero (she/her) is a senior Politics major and Religious Studies minor at Occidental College from Fresno, California. She is the captain of the Occidental Women’s Golf team and has been a Peer Advocate/Programming Assistant with the Project SAFE Office for three years.
Growing up in the Central Valley, Rachel was involved at her local domestic violence shelter in Fresno and was a part of a student advocacy group starting in middle school until she graduated high school. The Central Valley has long dealt with a lack of access to patient care in reproductive and sexual health. Alongside her commitment to raising awareness about her community, Rachel has dedicated herself to intimate partner violence prevention education and centering restorative justice practices. She loves working with students and advocating for their rights and voices to be heard. Rachel has attended both of the previous Jenesse Student Leadership Conferences, where she has been further enriched and educated on topics she’s passionate about, like violence prevention, social justice efforts, and mental health support, while being able to develop relationships with peers doing similar work across Los Angeles. She’d like to thank Sandy Pattison at the Jenesse Center and Lizzy Denny, Alexia Sambrosa, and Pilar Montenegro at Project S.A.F.E for all being integral in developing her passion for this work and believing in her! After graduating from Occidental this May, Rachel intends to study law and become a Public Defender.
Emma Patton (she/her), Project SAFE Peer Advocate, Occidental College
Emma Patton (she/her) is a senior Psychology major and sociology minor at Occidental College. She has been a Peer Advocate and Programming assistant for three years at Project SAFE at Occidental College. She is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and was grateful to be part of student advocacy within her High school. She has continued her passion for education at Project SAFE where she additionally has been able to learn more about local Los Angeles organizations and resources. As a Peer Advocate and program assistant she continues to be an advocate and resource for students to learn about local advocacy work, violence prevention, intimate partner violence prevention, stalking prevention, and mental health support. Her Honors in Psychology project focuses on the ways in which having a disability status impacts college women’s ability to navigate sexual consent. She is very excited to attend Jenesse Student Conference for the third year in a row, the community of people and connections to other peers who are interested in this kind of work is very important to her. She’d lastly like to thank Sandy Pattison from Jenesse Center, Lizzy Denny, Alexia Sambrosa, and Pilar Montenegro at Project SAFE who all have contributed to her education and fed her passion for this field of work. After graduating from Occidental College in May, she is planning on continuing to work in prevention education and hopefully bring her knowledge to high schools in her local community.
Jenesse Center is a nationally recognized non-profit domestic violence prevention and intervention organization. Jenesse seeks to end the cycle of domestic violence through education, outreach, advocacy, and collaborations.
This annual Student Leadership Conference is part of Jenesse Center’s outreach and education program focused on collaborations with colleges and universities. Students involved work on and off their campuses to raise awareness of intimate partner violence and support those directly impacted through outreach, advocacy and volunteering. Through participation in the program, students will help build a future free of violence in relationships