Therese Agnes Hughes, M.A. U.P. '99

Therese Agnes Hughes, a graduate of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with a master's degree in urban planning, celebrates women veterans in her photographic exhibition "In a Heart Beat." The exhibition is a traveling photography showcase featuring 100 women veterans in 98 portraits.

"In a Heart Beat" is one part of the "Military Women: WWII to Present" project. The project is vetted through and supported by the Department of Defense; all five branches of the military; the National Association of State Women Veteran Coordinators; the Women in Military Service to America Foundation, the Women's Memorial; Prevalence, Inc.; LeadStar, Inc.; Syracuse University's V-WISE Program and others.

The "Military Women: WWII to Present" project was more than five years in the making; its primary goal was to interview 1,200 women who have served in defense of the United States from WWII to present.

Hughes is also working to include the Nisei Women WACs of WWII and Arab-American Women Veterans, and was invited to participate in The White House Project's "The United State of Women" in Washington D.C. She currently has completed two Nisei Women Veteran interviews and photo sessions.