INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST STUDENT ORGANIZATION COURTESY PHOTO
The Intersectional Feminist Student Organization at UTRGV advocates for human rights and equality through events and demonstrations. The organization works to unite and empower students to bring awareness and create a change on campus.
Kylie Torres, a biology senior and IFSO vice president, said “IFSO is the intersectional feminist student organization that works on inequalities in the community.”
One of the organization’s main advocacy efforts focuses on menstrual equity, including its End Period Poverty campaign. Through the initiative, members place boxes containing free menstrual products in women’s restrooms on the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses.
Torres and Cindy Zamudio, a criminal justice junior and IFSO president , said the organization also advocated for menstrual equity legislation that was approved by UTRGV’s Student Government Association. The legislation established menstrual product dispensers in select women’s restrooms on Edinburg campus, including the second floor of the Student Union.
In addition to menstrual equity, IFSO addresses issues involving immigration and religious rights while providing support to students facing challenges.
“We try our best to help other people … [and] to actually navigate with them when they are struggling,” Zamudio said.
On Nov. 2, the organization hosted a walkout supporting sexual assault victims. The demonstration also allowed students to show their support by signing their names.
“We never know [if any] of those signatures … are victims themselves. We also don’t know if they’re not and they’re just doing it for support,” Zamudio said. “I think that’s the beauty of having a demonstration like that, because you never know the story of somebody else until they tell you.”
IFSO also held its annual Missing in the Border event Nov. 5, 2025 to bring awareness to people who have gone missing in border communities and remember those affected.
Zamudio said the organization displayed a blanket containing more than 40 names of missing people during the event.
“The main reason is to remember all of these people were people. All of these people were somebody’s loved one. … We didn’t want their names to be forgotten,” she said.
Fernanda Palacios, a biology freshman, said she believes IFSO is important to have on campus because “with the current state of the world,” it’s difficult to stand out and a lot of underprivileged people and minorities go unseen.
“I think it’s very important that we are able to acknowledge and take care of the people that can’t do it by themselves or that are being overlooked entirely,” Palacios said.
Zamudio said one of the organization’s goals is to increase membership and establish a new team of students who are willing to continue its advocacy efforts next year.
“We welcome just about anyone since we’re intersectional feminists,” Torres said. “We believe in equality but also equity for all. … We’re welcome to everyone, not just women.”
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