2009 Intern Profiles

Safia Albaiti

Internship highlights: Safia examined the intersections of gender and immigration through research and documentation of human rights abuses by for-profit detention centers throughout the United States against immigrant women for an upcoming report on the role of gender in migration trends; advocated for immigrants facing detention and deportation.

Martina Bottinelli

Internship highlights: Martina joined the new Youth Reproductive Justice team at SPARK and helped organize a focus group on the needs of queer youth around sexual health, sexuality, relationships, communication, services and an art party where youth created art which then was published for the Atlanta community in the form of a ‘zine; also attended the State Social Forum in Kentucky.

Diana Castillo

Internship Highlights:Diana researched and wrote an article on faith and spirituality for the COLAGE newsletter, Just for Us; helped organize Family Week, a program that offers community, empowerment and fun for youth entering third grade and older who have one or more LGBT parents.

Elyse Chastain

Internship Highlights: Elyse staffed the domestic violence hotline and aided shelter workers with case management and advocacy work; created and implemented a summer-long peace and conflict resolution curriculum for children living in the shelter, which culminated in the children using art to illustrate their own visions of peace.

Leticia Contreras

Internship Highlights: Leticia explored the intersections of reproductive rights and immigration through research and blogging; brought an essential voice to meetings and discussions in which young Latinas were scapegoated and vilified for their reproductive choices and sexuality.

Katie Crisona

Internship Highlights: Katie organized a city-wide forum linking AIDS and faith communities; researched and blogged about the critical nature of HIV/AIDS coverage in a national health care program; launched their summer membership drive.

Ellen Dai

Internship Highlights: Ellen created a webpage, teaching materials and an e-newsletter issue highlighting the intersections between reproductive rights and class; helped outline a new, dynamic web site for the organization; and reorganized Class Action's library database, improving constituent access.

Bio:Ellen Dai is a current sophomore from Mount Holyoke College. Her major is International Relations and she hopes she can really contribute to promote the social justice through this internship!

Shanel George

Internship Highlights: Shanel researched intimate partner violence against women and girls in the Caribbean based on a reproductive justice framework; helped organize the Southern Regional Conference on Reproductive Health Disparities; and developed information on all SisterSong member organizations for a new membership database and mapping project to show the organization's history and impact.

Mia Giardina

Internship Highlights: Mia worked closely with a prisoner in one of California's women's prisons to develop a resource guide for prisoners on navigating the prison medical system; drafted advocacy letters and letters of support for prisoners and their family members; helped edit a human rights report on the reproductive rights of incarcerated women; and staffed a resource hotline for inmates in women's prisons.

Rachel Hamalainen

Internship Highlights: Rachel envisioned and conducted a focus group and an online survey to create a workshop for parents on minors' rights to confidential health care; researched incarceration statistics, banned books and library censorship, and the school to prison pipeline for a civil liberties curriculum for public schools; developed the first Teen Health Initiative specific brochure.

Corina Leu

Internship Highlights:Corina wrote, directed, produced and edited a documentary film featuring Luz collective members articulating their vision for reproductive justice, available on YouTube; overhauled the organization's website.

Lydia Mills

Internship Highlights: Lydia co-organized the national student membership conference which brought 70 young activists to the Capitol to lobby in support of comprehensive sexuality education; conducted a case study on comprehensive sexuality education programs in Virginia; wrote grant proposals and progress reports for foundations.

Bio: Lydia is finishing her third year at Hampshire College. She loves the summer, el lenguaje español, cooking and getting things done with groups of dedicated women.

Symone New

Internship Highlights: Symone designed and conducted a focus group for young women, ages 18-25, on intimate partner violence, media messages about it, and its relationship to reproductive justice; organized the entire New York City intern brown bag series for all RRASC sites and allied organizations, which included 10 workshops on issues ranging from contraception to incarceration; provided critical input on PEP’s strategic planning process.

Scarlett Phan-Weston

Internship Highlights: Scarlett researched and wrote a comprehensive review article on new formulations of oral contraception, exploring efficacy, risks, etc.; observed first and second trimester abortions, provided patients with intake and post-op one-on-one support.

Charlie Rose

Internship Highlights: Charlie brought innovative, hands on teaching techniques to the math and writing portions of the GED prep program working with pregnant and parenting teens; brought teen mothers to college campuses; mentored young mothers on healthy intimate relationships and various parenting styles, including how to raise boys to be nurturers.

Emily Ryan

Internship Highlights: Emily conducted research on legislators and proposed legislation; served as the primary blogger for the national Raising Women's Voices coalition, significantly increased MergerWatch's presence online via Facebook and Twitter; and attended a national health care meeting in June in D.C. where she met with Howard Dean.

Leah Sakala

Internship Highlights: Leah researched and contributed to legal briefs, including a brief that was used to free a pregnant, immigrant woman who was HIV+ facing an extended prison sentence to “ensure the safety of her unborn child;” contributed to a national report on reproduction and the legal system; co-authored a research proposal for a study on maternal drug use and parenting ability; helped create an online legal database; maintained the website.

Unika Shrestha

Internship Highlights: Unika researched the influence of funding and policy on maternal mortality rates in the Philippines; researched and translated from Nepali to English the inclusion of reproductive rights, maternal mortality and comprehensive abortion care in the drafting of Nepal’s Constitution.

Stefana Soitos

Internship Highlights: Stefana researched and developed a handbook for local funds across the country on how to raise money to start up and sustain themselves; answered hotline calls and helped up to 30 callers per day find sources of local and national funding.

Laura Turyatemba

Internship Highlights: Laura answered HIPS’ 24 hour hotline providing support, resources and referrals to sex workers across the country; staffed the free clothes program and syringe exchange; helped organize and outreach for constituent specific support groups, including Quickies, Beauty School, Trade School, and gender specific groups.

Jaymie Zapata

Internship Highlights: Jaymie wrote a workshop on spirituality in the style of HIFY's health workshops, exploring the meaning of religion in young people's lives; created and staffed a support group for newly out and questioning youth, called The Outlet, in the Castro area of San Francisco; supported Q-Lab, a digital story-telling project where youth record audio footage on issues in their lives - including everything from gang violence to absentee parents - and organized all the digital files on the website.

Lucy Zhou

Internship Highlights: Lucy conducted field research and authored a ten-page report on green business standards and the environmental and reproductive risks associated with nail salons, which disproportionately employ Asian American women; compiled statistics on health disparities between Hmoung, Native Hawai’ian and Pacific Islander women and other API communities.