Portland State Magazine Spring 2017

18 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE SPRING 2017 A DOCTORAL STUDENT in PSU’s School of Social Work, González-Prats is one of 22 women veterans—six of whom are PSU students—featured in a photo exhibit titled “I Am Not Invisible,” a project of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) and PSU’s Veterans Resource Center. Felita Singleton, director of the PSU center, came up with the idea after repeatedly hearing women student veterans talk of feeling ignored and unappreciated for their military service. Elizabeth Estabrooks from ODVA made the exhibit possible and curated a debut showing at the Portland Art Museum. Women comprise 9.6 percent of all armed services veterans in the United States. Yet they’re under-recognized and continue to face significant barriers in accessing health care and other services. About 22 percent of women who are active in the military have complained of sexual harassment, and in one year, 4.9 percent reported being sexually assaulted, according to a 2014 Rand Corporation study. Photographer Sally Sheldon’s portraits depict the women as a powerful, energetic force. “I wanted to capture what all women have inside them: beauty, strength and courage,” she says.  The exhibit is displayed online at www.iani.oregondva.com , along with a schedule of showings (not all portraits included here) I AM NOT INVISIBLE JACQUELINE CAPUTI Marine Corps veteran, PSU senior in international and global studies CHRISTINA EBERSOHL Army veteran, PSU senior in music performance