RRASC Interns
Biography: Alex is an intentional college student with a growing love for sociology. Coming out trans and queer as a teenager is what initially propelled Alex into social justice work. An ex-radical cheerleader and burlesque character, he hopes to fight the man from a different angle. Alex is super excited to work with queer youth this summer. There were many amazing queer role models that guided him through the beginning stages, and he can only hope to be that for someone else.
Biography: Amina attends Westfield State University. She is an Ethnic and Gender Studies major and loves it. Amina was born in Somalia and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to Massachusetts. Amina is very easy going and loves everything there is to love about life, good, bad, ugly, different, difficult, hard, sad, happy and hurtful. She believes that experiences and acceptance are the best part of human growth.
Biography: Shaddae is a student at Hampshire College. She has a passion for language. Growing up in the Boston area in a household where Spanish was predominantly spoken, she found herself relied upon for her hard-earned English language proficiency. Constant study eventually turned into debate team success in high school. Currently at Hampshire, she uses her research and public speaking skills in the study of legal theory and ethnography.
Biography: Blair is a third year at Hampshire College studying feminist theory and politics. She works as a history research and archival assistant at the library, a leader for Anti-Sexists & Feminists United Collective (ASFUC), a leader for the peer sexual health advocacy group the Sexperts, and a co-chair for the CLPP Conference's Entertainment Committee. She is a strong advocate for comprehensive sex education, building coalitions across social justice movements, and politically conscious post-punk music.
Biography: Carly is a junior at Westfield State University. She loves her major, Ethnic and Gender Studies, and also minors in Communications. She is a co-founder and VP of her campus's gender equality club, S.A.G.E., and deeply passionate about social justice, especially for women's and immigrants rights. Carly's interests include astrology, traveling, and environmentalism. She is extremely excited to be working as a COLOR this summer, and to be seeing the west!
Biography: Casey Anne is a young LGBT and Women's Rights activist. She loves creating art, writing and making people think. This summer she is most looking forward to the opportunity for increased independence because she has never been away from home this long before.
Biography: Elise is a Long Beach, CA native who is going into her final semester at Smith College this coming Fall. She took a year off between high school and college to pursue a Pilates Teacher Certification before she entered Long Beach City College where she discovered Anthropology and transferred to Smith a year and a half later. Being at Smith she has loved discovering her own history through Latin American studies as well as the Study of Women and Gender department.
Biography: Kate is going into her senior year at Mount Holyoke College, where she studies Politics and Gender Studies. After growing up with a single mother in a suburb of Detroit, Kate became more conscious of gender, class and racial inequalities. She strongly believes that the personal is political and is very passionate about addressing the gap between legal rights and accessibility.
Biography: Kelsie is currently approaching her final year at UMass Amherst. While she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, she is also interested in an array of social justice issues such as (but definitely not limited to): women's empowerment, community organizing, access to alternative birthing options, and pretty much anything to do with the Prison Industrial Complex.
Biography: Lauren is a third year/Division II student at Hampshire College. She is studying Social Medicine with a specific emphasis on Women's Health. Lauren is a student group co-coordinator for the Spring 2012 CLPP Conference. She also works as a Residential Life intern. Lauren really enjoys listening to Ratatat, drinking coffee and wearing boots. She is super excited to be working with Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health this summer in the hopes of empowering herself and those around her through reproductive and social justice!
Biography: Lydia is a Frances Perkins scholar in her junior year at Mount Holyoke College. She is a Gender Studies major with a minor in Queer and Sexuality Studies. Lydia is passionate about social justice, abortion access, and sex workers’ rights. In her free time she enjoys knitting, reading, performing, watching TV with her cats, and making zombie films.
Biography: Morgan is going into her final year as a Hampshire student, and is studying Environmental Chemistry. She is interested in making the connections from science to social and reproductive justice and in creating a more socially relevant sphere of scientific research. In her time away from studying thermodynamic properties of elements, Morgan loves skiing, perusing bookstores and spinning, then knitting her own yarn. As a lifelong New Englander, Morgan is excited about seeing the desert and driving cross-country to her internship site.
Biography: Peter is an upcoming third year at Hampshire College, concentrating in African Studies and Theatre. He’s interested in the intersectionalities between race, gender, and sexuality in issues surrounding social justice and reproductive rights. He is excited to be living and working in New York City during the summer. Peter is interested in providing support and a voice for those from different communities.
Biography: Petey identifies as a fabulous queer diva. She is a rising junior at Smith College where she is pursuing a sociology degree with a focus on community engagement and social justice. She has been involved in activism since she was fifteen, and her main focus is on the queer youth community and urban youth empowerment. She is committed to the idea that real change comes not from the hands of the few but from the efforts of the many. Petey is excited to learn more about organizing and to empower young queer leaders in the South.
Biography: Sarah grew up in Southern California, and now studies Sociology at Smith College. She enjoys learning about rock climbing, power, instant gratification, pecan pie, and multicultural ethnic identities. In the near future, she will go to graduate school to keep on learning. Sarah is looking forward to exploring the practical applications of intersectionality, and meeting friendly Midwesterners.
Biography: Shaun was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Shaun is currently finishing his second year at Mount Holyoke College as an African American Studies Major, with a concentration in African American women. After college he plans to attend law school, so he can become a civil rights lawyer for HIV positive poor women of color. His mother has been an HIV counselor for the better half of his life. This career has opened Shaun’s eyes to the devastation HIV/AIDS has caused in poor communities, especially amongst women.
Biography: Sonali is from India. Two of her favorite hobbies are learning languages, and having conversations about almost anything. Sonali has moved around all her life. She has lived in fourteen different houses and attended eight schools, and is still counting! She is really excited to work with real life legal cases in a field she is passionate about: sexual and reproductive justice. This will be her first plunge into the world of law. She hopes to go on to law school and become a human rights lawyer!
Biography: Turner is a rising senior and an Environmental Science & Policy major at Smith College. Their academic interests include environmental justice, post-colonial studies, and the prison industrial complex. In their spare time, they enjoy growing green things on sunny windowsills and channeling their inner diva. Turner is most excited to intern with NAPAWF because they get to build community and work with inspiring API activists!!!
Biography: V. is a rising senior at Smith College, majoring in the Study of Women and gender. A self-identified "Brazilian redneck," she is a transbutch excited to work in the Big Apple. A recent transfer from Cottey, a college in rural southwest Missouri, she has never experienced big city life and is anxious to become a part of the activist community in NYC and to engage with the multitude of individuals in the city. Her passions lie with social justice and radical politics, and her focus is on LGBTQQIA individuals in under-privileged situations.
Biography: Veronica is a soon to be super-senior with social justice interests in emotional justice, pedagogies of empowerment, critical media studies, and alternative histories. She is known for laughing too hard at her own jokes (both in telling them, thinking them, and remembering past ones). She is a proud Co-Manager of People’s Market, an all student collectively run business at UMASS. She is also a Policy Advocacy Coordinator for Student Bridges, which works around college access and success for underrepresented students.
Biography: Wilberthe is a second-year student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, majoring in Nursing and minoring in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is a certified rape crisis counselor and volunteers as a counselor advocate at the Everywoman's Center. She aspires to become a nurse-midwife and incorporate her passion for feminism and social justice in her future career.
Biography: Zaynah is a second-year student at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is studying English and Philosophy and hopes to declare a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major in the near future. Her interests include having picnics, exploring, and drinking tea. She hopes to be a community organizer. She is excited to work with the National Priorities Project in making federal budget documents accessible for all, but what interests her most is working at the local level.