HISTORY

Andrea O’Donnell was an activist, a leader, a hero, and a dear friend to many at San Diego State University and the community. Andrea graduated from Chichester High School in 1985. She left her home in Pennsylvania to attend community college in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then attended San Diego State University to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies.

As a volunteer of the Women’s Resource Center at SDSU, Andrea was active, energetic, and dedicated to improving women’s lives. She soon became director of the WRC, organizing events such as student scholarship workshops, a women’s health fair and workshops that taught women how to be strong. One of her proudest achievements was bringing Patricia Ireland, then president of the National Organization for Women to speak at SDSU. In addition to teaching self- defense courses, she tirelessly worked to provide aid to victims of violence and abuse, and bravely fought against the distribution of sexist materials at Aztec Shops.