Staff

Administrative Assistant: Cameron H. Dexter grew up in Easton, NH and attended Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, VT graduating with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, concentration in Photography. Cameron has worked for newspapers, magazines, and as a professional photographer. In 2010 she won Second Place in The Unbound Press Literary Competition for “First Chapter of an Unpublished Book” for her story about the violent deaths of a police officer and young man during a roadside shoot-out two miles from her childhood home.

Cameron appreciates both the challenges and benefits of communication across all mediums in our evolving technological landscape. She believes creative expression is a gift possessed by everyone-waiting to be explored.

She is working on her first novel, and enjoys refinishing and selling furniture at her studio in downtown Santa Barbara. news@awcsb.org.

Staff Photographer: Rachel (“r.s.thurston”) Thurston worked for many years throughout the American West as a river guide and Outward Bound Instructor before landing in Santa Barbara nearly 13 years ago. She’s been working as a freelance writer, and travel, events, and portrait photographer ever since. A blogger and writer for most of that time, her writing and photography have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Women’s Adventure Magazine, Santa Barbara Magazine, as well as the best-selling Travel Humor Anthology Series by Travelers Tales. After earning an honors master’s degree in Writing from USC, Rachel went on to collaborate with award-winning photographer Chuck Place on the book The Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Passionate about music and performance, she is also the lead singer of the popular retro rock n’ roll band King Bee. An avid user of social media, she loves connecting communities of people around the world and locally through their shared passion for the arts and inspirational living. She is thrilled to be a part of the AWC Team! You can view more of her work at www.rsthurston.com.

Interns

Newsletter & Editorial Assistant: Rachel Cansler will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Communication and a minor in Applied Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in June of 2014. She currently works as a student researcher at both the Koegel Autism Center and Dr. Brenda Major’s Self & Social Identity Lab. She previously assisted UCSB faculty member, Dr. Tamara Afifi, with her research on Communication in friendships and worked as the Marketing and Publicity Intern for CMND-Z Art Apparel. Committed to fulfilling her passions in Social Psychology and holistic mental health, Rachel intends on attending graduate school to earn a doctorate’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Rachel has been a part of the AWC-SB team since her Freshman year at UCSB and is grateful to have this chance to meet and work with all of AWC-SB’s inspiring women members. rcansler@cox.net

Osaro Althouse graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before starting her studies at UCSB, Osaro lived in Los Angeles and Germany. She has worked as a Social Media Marketing Strategist and is currently a Public Relations Intern for a PR Agency in Los Angeles. Osaro is eager to combine her passion for public relations and marketing with her interest in women’s empowerment. If you don’t find her reading an engaging book, you’ll discover her writing articles on her blogs. OsaroWrites@gmail.com