Have you met Health Initiatives staff member, Deontez Wimbley? He is a health educator specializing in sexual violence prevention. His role focuses on facilitating workshops and coordinating the VOICE peer education program. Previously, he worked with Planned Parenthood Southeast as the Atlanta area community health educator and team action group coordinator where he facilitated sex education curricula and trained local high school’s on peer to peer sex education. We spoke to Wimbley to learn more about Sexual Assault Awareness month, his new role and why he loves what he does!  

Why did you decide to pursue a degree in sociology? 

I enjoyed studying sociology, because it allowed me to understand how systems, institutions, and groups shape the word around us.  

Where did you go to school? 

I attended Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC.  

Tell me about your role as a health educator? 

Four of the educators in Health Initiatives are generalist, However, I focus entirely on sexual violence prevention. I lead most of the campus wide primary prevention efforts to end sexual violence at Georgia Tech.  

 
What do you enjoy most about your job?  

I enjoy witnessing students have "a ha" moments. Student often times need to work to unlearn a lot of negative ideas about sex and body autonomy. In many of the workshops I have facilitated, students have moments where the concepts click and it is a beautiful experience to witness.  

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), why is this month important? 

Our local and national community is plagued by a multitude of social concerns competing for solution driven attention. SAAM is an important month, because it compels us as a community and nation to pause, reflect, and have intentional conversations about the solutions needed to end sexual violence.  

How can Georgia Tech stay involved in this issue past April? 

The campus community has a variety of opportunities available for anyone -student, faculty, or staff- to get involved in the work to end sexual violence at Tech.  

PAUSE: People against unwanted sexual experiences is a student group on campus.  

VOICE Peer Education is a student group that does peer-to-peer sexual violence prevention education throughout campus.  

Sexual Violence Prevention Alliance (SVPA) is an interdisciplinary community that is engaged and committed to collaboratively ending sexual violence at Georgia Tech. You can also request a VOICE presentation for your residence hall, chapter or student organization.  

For more information about VOICE and how to get involved go to healthinitiatives.gatech.edu/ voice.