Meet the EmPOWER Center Team
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Rima Shah,
EmPOWER Center Director
Rima (she, her, hers), has worked for the last 20 years on sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual health in the U.S. and India, in both university and non-profit settings. She started at the Claremont Colleges as the inaugural director of the EmPOWER Center in late 2015. Prior to coming to The Claremont Colleges, Rima spent three years at DePaul University in Chicago where she served as their first full-time staff member addressing interpersonal violence. She served as a confidential survivor advocate as well as implemented year-round programming on violence prevention and survivor support. Prior to that, Rima worked as a capacity building consultant for Family Health International in New Delhi, as a research associate for the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, and as a program development consultant and national trainer at the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center in San Francisco. She also develops sports-based empowerment programs for girls in Indian orphanages on a voluntary basis.
Rima holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters in Sociology from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She speaks English, Hindi, and Gujarati. Rima is also the Assistant Coach of the Claremont Nighthawks, a track club for kids.
Self-care: Biking, walking, reading, teaching Bollywood dance at the local elementary schools, and time with her ten year old son.
To contact Rima, email her at RShahEmPOWER@claremont.edu or call her at (909) 607-2689
Natalie Akins,
EmPOWER Center Student Intern
Natalie (she, her, hers), is in her final year of graduate school at Claremont Graduate University studying Public Health and Positive Health Psychology. In undergrad, she majored in Neuroscience at Scripps College where she was interested in mental-health and human/animal behavior. At Scripps she was an active member of Café con Leche (CCL) and a CLSA (Chicano Latino Student Affairs) Sponsor. She became interested in sexual violence prevention the summer of her junior year, after interning with the University of Michigan Special Victims Unit and Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here she researched how culture impacts help-seeking behavior in survivors of interpersonal violence, particularly in Latinx communities. Her internship inspired her to continue working in advocacy along with multiple final projects connecting mental-health interventions with interpersonal violence awareness and prevention. Natalie aspires to continue to explore the intersectionality of mental-health and sexual violence prevention to not only create a safe and equitable environment at The Claremont Colleges, but beyond.
Self-care: reading, listening to music, nature walks, cuddling her cat, trying new foods, watching her favorite streamers, and spending time with friends and family.
To contact Natalie, email her at natalie.akins@cgu.edu
Elita Kutateli,
EmPOWER Center Student Intern
Elita (she, her, hers) is a second-year student at Scripps College studying Philosophy. She has had a longstanding passion for reproductive justice, accessible sex education, and sexual violence prevention work. In highschool, Elita focused on preventative work by developing Oregon sex-ed curriculum as well as teaching it to students, in collaboration with SouthWestern Oregon Planned Parenthood and Respect(Ed). Entering college, Elita switched gears and is now focusing on both preventative work as well as restoration and healing for survivors. Elita is a Scripps Advocate and serves as their Social Media Head. Elita is a design editor for the Scripps Voice and is a member of the vibrant Scripps dance community. Elita aspires to learn more everyday and use her skills in hopes of achieving a safe, healing, and equitable environment for everyone.
Self-care: yoga, journaling, cooking, talking to loved ones, painting, dancing, going on walks, and watching cartoons.
To contact Elita, email her at ekutatel9347@scrippscollege.edu