In 2013, I applied for the Young People For (YP4) Fellowship, a program of the People for the American Way Foundation. The fellowship is “a strategic, long-term leadership development initiative that works to identify, empower, and engage the newest generation of progressive leaders.” It provides support, empowerment, and resources for student and community leaders. Fellows work on a variety of issues that impact women, from women’s rights, reproductive justice, economic justice, educational equity and access, immigrant rights, and much more. Needless to say, this fellowship was perfect for a junior working on women’s rights issues and aspiring to get involved with social justice work. When I received that acceptance email, I knew that I had become a part of a family that would last a lifetime, and it sure has. This past January I attended the 2015 National Summit as an alumni that was volunteering to help ensure that the new fellows received the appropriate materials before their sessions and to coordinate morning and afternoon check-ins. To be back in the YP4 environment was absolutely thrilling and invigorating. I was surrounded by the same energy and passion that had awakened my own interests and that had motivated me to aspire and dream for more. Young people from all over the country gathered together for four days of collective efforts to learn and grow together. 150 diverse leaders committed to creating social change in one space is the most encouraging and incredible environment. It reminded me of why I got involved in the women’s rights movement, of why I wanted to encourage young women of color to run for office, and why I aspired to public office myself. My YP4 Blueprint was called “Watch.Her.Lead.”, an initiative I designed and developed to encourage young women of color to think about running for office while also raising awareness around the race gap in elected office. Too often we discuss the lack of women in politics and overlook the lack of diversity in those women in elected office, an issue that is also important and must be addressed. The diversity of our country should be mirrored by public servants that represent the myriad of identities that our country offers. YP4 allowed me to plant this seed and watch it bloom into a beautiful flower with great potential for more growth. The Summit was the boost of energy that I needed to start off this internship and my last semester of college. It soothed my nerves and reminded me of why I am here and why I do what I do. Sometimes we are in need of these gentle nudges.
WIN’s 22nd Annual Young Women of Achievement Awards
About a year and a half ago I was added to an exclusive Facebook group called “Young Women in Politics.” It was created by a wonderful young woman from Illinois, Emily Spangler; a high school student who had already begun her political career by teaming up with a state representative to create a website for young women interested in running for office and those already in office. It was a great resource for us all over the country, teaming up women from all experiences to create a network that would benefit us all. I was able to mentor younger women in high school and women running for office were able to mentor me and those already in office were able to mentor them, and etc. One day, there was a post in the group by a friend mentioning the WIN Young Women of Achievement Awards. I was so interested in applying, but wasn’t eligible because it required D.C. residency. This year, I received another notification about the awards and was determined to receive a nomination. You must be nominated by a member of WIN, so I reached out to two friends that I know begging for a nomination, and luckily enough, they were both more than happy to nominate me (thanks Edwith and Katie). I received an email notifying me that I was nominated for the awards, and that there would be a networking event about a week prior to the awards itself. There, all the nominees are given a chance to meet the other nominees in their category and outside, members of WIN, members of their Board, and those that would be selected for the awards. No pressure, right? I was in a category with about 13 other successful, established, and accomplished women. We were all trying to reach those on the Advisory Board that would be making the decision, and I can’t even imagine the task at hand for the Board members with so many amazing women to choose from. I convinced myself that I did not earn this award, but that the process was an amazing experience and I met some incredible women along the way. After all, creating this amazing sisterhood is the point of such efforts. The night of the Awards I was at ease. I was in the second to last category, so was able to witness many winners before my own category was up. They called out the names of all the nominees for each category, and I remember feeling so grateful to be among D.C.’s finest in the Service/Non-profit Advocacy section. They called out the winner’s name, and I was clapping and too excited to realize my friend nudging me. About 10 seconds after her name was called, I felt my friend urgently whispering to me “DONYA, GO UP ON THE STAGE!” That’s when it hit me: they had called my name as the recipient of the Young Women of Achievement Award in Service/Non-profit Advocacy. I was so shocked that it took everything I had to walk up on stage and give a small speech about how grateful I was to receive such an honorable award. I thank my mom for everything I’ve accomplished so far, and that didn’t stop here. Because of her sacrifices, I’ve been able to dream and reach for the stars.
Last March, I applied to the first annual National Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit hosted by Generation Progress for youth leaders interested in preventing such violence. I was accepted for my skills, experience, and enthusiasm, and was overjoyed to attend a summit and improve my coalition building, policy expertise, and organizing. It was an experience that I could never forget, so I decided to reapply to this year’s summit. I was pleased to be informed that I was accepted to attend the Generation Progress’ 2015 #Fight4AFuture Gun Violence Prevention Summit in early February of this year. Attending the summit was important to me because I wanted to improve on the knowledge I was able to gain at last year’s summit. The skills I was able to acquire and the knowledge I was able to attain would be for naught if I wasn’t apply to really bolster the information I had learned. I wanted to be a part of this movement because I understood the disproportionate effects of gun violence on women and knew I could apply that to my work as a leader in the women’s rights arena. Let’s take a look at some of the facts here: 1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the U.S. have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, the only national organization that provides direct services to anyone affected by domestic abuse, conducted a survey in 2014 regarding firearms with people who used their online and phone services. Out of the nearly 5,000 people who participated, nearly 16% had partners who had access to guns and of those, 22% said their partners had threatened to use a firearm to hurt the victim, their children, family members, friends, pets, or to commit suicide. 10% had fired a gun during an argument. 52% of those women said they would feel safer if law enforcement took their partner’s or ex’s firearms. 67% of those who completed the survey believed their partner was capable of killing them. The Hotline statistics are even more horrifying. Women in America are 11 times more likely to be murdered with guns than women in other developed countries. The presence of a gun in domestic violence cases increased the risk of homicide for women by 500%. In those states that require background checks for handguns, 38% few women are shot to death by their partners. These are statistics that we were given at the summit that allowed me to expand upon the existing information I had in regards to gun violence and how it affects women. If female intimate partners are more likely to be murdered with a firearm than all other means combined, then why don’t we discuss gun violence in the context of the feminist movement more often? It’s clearly something that impacts women, particularly those who are victims of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. We must also consider trans* women in these discussions, especially trans* women of color, who experience violence at disheartening rates. I suggest this summit for anyone who wants to learn more about gun violence and prevention in order to give back to the women’s movement and understand the issue from a feminist perspective.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Board Experiences
This semester has been beyond anything I could’ve ever expected. Having the privilege of serving as a White House Senate Intern in the Office of Legislative Affairs was a dream come true on its own, but my experiences with Planned Parenthood are a different dream come true entirely. When I was Vice-Chair of the College Democrats of America Women’s Caucus, I had the pleasure of meeting Kelley Robinson. She served on the panel we hosted at the 2013 College Democrats of America conference, and I felt very connected to the material she presented. As a young woman of color herself, she engaged (and continues to do so) with youth as part of Planned Parenthood staff. She effectively addressed intersectionality and how we must understand gender and reproductive justice through a variety of lenses and perspectives as there is no unilateral approach we can take that wouldn’t exclude at least one group. I connected with Kelley and stayed in touch with her through social media. In November of last year she reached out to me notifying me of a job opening in Planned Parenthood that she though I would be perfect for because of my experience with youth engagement and women’s rights advocacy. I had to respectfully, and very painfully, turn the position down because I was still in college with a semester left so was not in a position to accept a job. Of course it was exciting and I was flattered; one of the biggest fears of modern day graduates is whether we will be successful in landing a job upon graduation and here I was being offered my dream job before I could even accept it. The disappointment eventually wore off, and by that time Kelley had reached out to me again about an incredible opportunity. She mentioned that the Planned Parenthood National Board had an opening for a Board member that was 25 years or younger. In their pursuit to remain inclusive and make sure all voices are heard, they wanted to ensure that there would be a young woman’s voice heard on the Board. Sure enough, if I were to be confirmed, I would be the younger by the youngest board member by about 10 years or so. Of course I was more than excited to be considered for such an incredibly opportunity, and gave the okay to initiate the process. It was definitely challenging; I had to go through a series of interviews and then a vote by the membership in order to confirm my position on the Board. The night before I was confirmed, I was able to attend the PPFA 2015 Awards and Gala. As I sat right behind the three queens: Cecile Richards, Valerie Jarrett, and Kathleen Sebelius, I realized just how amazing this opportunity was and how lucky I was to be able to contribute the expertise I’ve gained thus far to such a worthy cause. The next day, I was approved by the membership as the youngest member of the Planned Parenthood National Board. When I attended our first meeting, I was thrown into budget deliberations, discussions about affiliations, and review of the President and her job thus far. At first I felt intimated and a bit overwhelmed, but I had to convince myself that I deserved to be in that space and I earned a voice at the table. It is too often that young women are taught that they are inadequate, that they must “wait their turn.” You know what? It is our turn, right now, and I took it without looking back.
In my junior year of college, I was accepted to the Sadie Nash Leadership Program’s ELLA Fellowship. It gave me the resources necessary to support my Watch.Her.Lead. Initiative, and introduced me to the annual Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference (CLPP) hosted by Hampshire College. This past year I was selected to speak at the CLPP conference on two panels: 1) Youth Warriors for Reproductive Justice: A Strategic Action Session for Youth People and 2) Cultivating Authentic Youth Leadership. The CLPP conference is about building the movement for reproductive justice. It is a “national reproductive rights and justice organization dedicated to educating, mentoring, and inspiring new generations of advocates, leaders, and supporters.” It combines the methods of activism, organizing, leadership training, and reproductive rights movement building to prove an inclusive agenda that advances reproductive justice, social justice, and economic justice. It was one of the most inclusive spaces I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving in. CLPP has created a culture of respect that acknowledges and honors the differences we represent by out identities and politics without marginalizing or tokenizing individuals. They advocate for the strength in difference in the movement by creating a space that is safe and inclusive. They were able to establish such accountable spaces through some key community agreements: engaging in open and constructive dialogue, using “I” statements and speaking from our personal experiences, expressing curiosity and being open to different viewpoints, and asking genuine questions in order to understand better. Most importantly, CLPP created a conference that was open and responsive to evaluation and feedback, very important to improvement. In my first panel, we discuss the power young people have to make change in their communities right now. We came together to celebrate, learn, connect, strategize, and strive for youth empowerment as we shared our visions for a stronger youth-led reproductive justice movement (a cause important to me in my new pursuits on the Board of planned Parenthood). The second panel I spoke on provided real world examples of youth organizing that centered on youth voices. My partner from Sadie Nash and the group from Colorado’s COLOR organization shared how we include youth in every step of our organizing model, as both participants in these programs as well as advocates and spokespeople. We related as we were all advocates in our communities combating legislation, attacks against women of color, and threats against our bodies and our autonomy. Being able to speak at this conference alongside accomplished individuals that shared my passions, dreams, and goals in working towards a more inclusive society was beyond rewarding.
Running Start was one of the first organizations I got involved with in order to delve into the “young women in politics” scene. Running Start is dedicated to encouraging young women to run for office through a variety of programming from their Young Women in Politics Summit to their Star Fellowship Program. Each year, Running Start hosts the Young Women to Watch Awards in order to fundraise for their incredible cause by celebrating alums of their programs. It is a wonderful way to show investors what, or rather who, they are investing in and the amazing return they are receiving from these awesome young women. I myself was a Finalist for an award just last year at the 2014 Women to Watch Awards for my work with Watch.Her.Lead. This year, one of my closest friends was selected as a Finalist for the Awards. In the past two years, the selection has been much more crowd-friendly by including the audience in the selection process. This past year’s technique was incredibly unique and original. First, any young woman who was an alumni of a Running Start Program could apply to be considered for the Awards, and among the semi-finalists selected, the 3 who were able to get the most votes moved on to the next stage as finalists. Then, those finalists would campaign and rally up votes at the Awards dinner as if they were running a true campaign. During dinner they were each given time for a small speech and viewing of the video they submitted for the application, followed by voting by the audience. It effectively mimicked a Democratic process to electing a public servant, and in the end, my friend Rana won, no doubt due to her skills and personal narrative, but also to our awesome campaigning! That same night we heard a wonderful story from Congressman Roby about the inspiration she is able to provide to her daughter. Being able to relate to her despite being of different parties was a wonderful feeling of bipartisanship that Running Start strives to foster. At the end of the day, no matter our political affiliation, we are still women who face difficulties in running for office simply because of our gender. Sure, the obstacles might be different woman to woman and party by party, but the criticisms and inequalities still exist and still hinder us from achieving equity in politics and subsequently almost every other sector too. If only we had 50% of the House and Senate, 50% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, 50% of University Presidencies, and just 1 woman to call a former U.S. President. The numbers speak for themselves, and the numbers for women of color in politics and leadership positions is even more dramatic and horrifying. Women have proven to have a different leadership technique than men that is just as effective and even more so in different ways, such as working across the aisle and setting aside differences for a common goal. The women in the Senate have bipartisan breakfasts each month where they don’t talk about politics but discuss issues that affect them all, such as their families. It’s the sisterhood that matters and what we must hold on to because without one another we can never achieve unity and influence.
About two years ago, I applied to join the Youth+Tech+Health (YTH) Youth Advisory Board. I was interested in understanding more about the intersection of youth, tech, and health because they are so intertwined with one another. Youth really respond to tech which has become an integral part of their lives and so why not utilize that ubiquitous presence and respond to health issues in that manner? How can we create apps that are reaching youth and maintaining healthy communities, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, reproductively, etc? This was something I didn’t have that much experience in, but had the interest and passion for, as is evident through my pursuits for reproductive health and health justice for women. I also wanted to improve upon my social media advocacy and tools, and that’s exactly what the Youth Advisory Board offered me. I was beyond thrilled to be accepted onto the Board and serve alongside and learn from amazing youth leaders from all over the country, and now even the world (one of our members is currently located in Portugal for a Fulbright!) Each year, YTH hosts the YTH Live conference for “trailblazing technology advancing the health and wellness of youth, young adults, and other underserved populations.” Great minds in youth advocacy, health, and technology convene at the conference in order to showcase their work, share ideas, and launch new collaborations. Beyond the 600 attendees this year, we had a global audience of about 2,000 participating online. Who attends this conference? Individuals and organizations that deal with health programs serving these populations as well as “technology experts, social entrepreneurs, health professionals, researchers, educators, government representatives, pop culture influencers, developers, philanthropists, youth advocates, etc.” YTH really makes an effort to include their Advisory Board members in the conference planning and the conference itself, and that is exhibited through out shifts at the Social Media Lounge and the panels we either moderated or participated in. The Social Media Lounge is designed to provide support and guidance to those at the conference who seek it in regards to social media and how to work certain sites/apps or how to improve your efficiency with them. It’s a great way to help attendees with their social media accounts, especially because that is such a integral role in our positions on the Advisory Board. I had the privilege of moderating two panels: the first was labeled, “The Evolving Classroom: How Tech is Disrupting the Traditional Classroom” and the second was, “Bringing Health a Little Closer to Home.” Both were incredibly informative and helpful to my future endeavors: the first allowed me to expand my knowledge and understanding of gender, and the second helped me to better understand telehealth, a huge component of my new role with HHS as a Truman-Albright Fellow in the Office of Rural Health. It’s amazing how interconnected our social justice projects and initiatives can be.
White House Office of Legislative Affairs Internship
When I first applied to the White House Internship Program, I understood that it was a competitive process that selected the best applicants that could serve the administration. Sometimes this criterion is understood by future applicants, but often times it isn’t so it’s like feeling for hope in the dark. There are amazing applicants that are selected, and there are amazing applicants that aren’t selected. This was my personally second time applying, so I understand first hand how difficult the process is. The application itself is no different than any other I have encountered in that it consisted of the standard essays and a few interesting questions. We were required to provide answers regarding our education history, our future goals for our education, our future goals for our career, what we would like to achieve aside from educational and career accomplishments, etc. We are also required to submit a policy proposal and a personal statement. My policy proposal was concerned with the breast density information found in mammography reports and requiring doctors to provide that number to their patients. I found the questions about my favorite song, favorite city, favorite sports team, and hobbies to be interesting because those are not questions you are generally asked in a professional application. However, they really represent the White House and the ideals and values this institution harbors. They truly value people for all they are, not just what they can offer. A White House staffer is more than their morning meetings, the weeklies they must write, and the portfolios they have. Of course they have countless tasks to complete that are absolutely necessary, but they are also invaluable to the Administration because of their inherent value as people who have real lives and real families. They are more than the work they are given to complete, and that is the beauty of the White House led by President Obama and First Lady Michelle. They are humble and down to earth, quick to say hi with a warm welcome and more than happy to recognize the hard work of anyone in the White House, even the most recently appointed staffer. White House Interns are integral to the everyday workings of the building. We range from 90 to over a hundred interns depending on the semester, and are mostly located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, although there are some placed in the East Wing and on Jackson Place. When you apply to the Internship Program, you rank the departments that you are interested in and thus your application is sent to those divisions for review. If one or more are interested, they reach out to the applicant requesting an interview. I was interviewed by the Office of Legislative Affairs, and was privileged enough to receive a placement in their office.
The White House Office of Legislative Affairs “serves as the President’s primary liaison to the United States Congress, and is responsible for advancing the President’s legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.” The Legislative Affairs office works close with Senators, Representatives, and their teams to promote and push the President’s legislative priorities. The Legislative Affairs team has worked incredibly close with members and their staffs to pass many critical bills important to solving the issues facing our country today, such as our economy, equal pay, and healthcare. The Office is divided into the House team and the Senate team and is divided as such: Director of the Office, three Deputy Directors, one for the Senate, one for the House, and one for reporting back the Hill’s legislative priorities to the White House, and then Special Advisors to the President on both the House and the Senate side. The Special Advisors to the President are assigned to a certain number of members and each has certain issue areas that they are experts in and work on. Interns work alongside staff members in both the Senate and House liaison offices by “helping notify Senators and Representatives about Administration initiatives, assisting with research on legislation and floor activity, staffing legislative events, and serving as an initial point of contact for Members of Congress.” Based off of my past internships with Senators Bill Nelson and Kirsten Gillibrand, I was assigned to the Senate team and was given the opportunity to notify the team of my interest areas in order to look out for assignments that would speak to those interests (women’s issues, electoral politics, health legislation, etc.)
Although my daily and weekly tasks differ on the day and week, many of my assignments remained constant. For example, each afternoon, I would compile relevant press clips from 50 Senators and the other Senate Intern (2 interns on the House side and 2 interns on the Senate) would compile the other 50 and we would then compile them and send them out to all of the Senate staff. These press clips keep the office updated on the issues different Senators are working on, legislation they are going to present or have passed, and hearings they have served on. Every week (with the exceptions of the weeks before Congressional Recesses), all interns work on the Hearings calendar, which is a compilation of all the Hearings that both the House and Senate host the next week. This calendar is valuable not only to staff in our office, but in other offices that work with Legislative Affairs as it is important to keep up to date with where and what agency officials are testifying on since many are Administration appointments. The Office of Legislative Affairs works closely with other offices because much of our work is intersectional and requires the assistance and support of other offices. For example, our office has a specific allotment of White House tours from the Visitor’s Office that the Special Assistants are allowed to hand to Members’ that request them. We work closely with the Visitor’s Office to ensure that we can accommodate these Members’ tour requests, whether they are personal or on behalf of their staff or constituents. We coordinate closely with the Office of Presidential Correspondence in order to confirm that the Presidential Greetings requested from Members of Congress have been reviewed and sent out if approved. If a constituent requests a letter from the President for an event from their Member (Senator or Representative) and if that Member requests our support with such an ask, then we work with Correspondence to see that Greeting through.
There are tasks that are not regularly required daily and weekly such as vote counting and assistance with events. If there is a vote scheduled for the Senate floor, then the interns are asked to “count” the vote. As the Senators in affirmative are called on CSPAN for each vote, I go through and check those who voted yes. As those in opposition are called, I go through and mark an x next to those who voted no. Then I also note the Senators who were not in attendance. This information is important to the White House and the legislation that it tries to keep track of. One of my favorite tasks has been assisting with events because the interns are asked to escort Members of Congress to the event inside the White House Complex. We get an overview of who will be escorting which Member and at which gate, and it is wonderful to have face time with Members you’ve only had the chance of seeing online or on TV. Being able to hug Senator Elizabeth Warren and speak to her for a couple minutes was one of the most rewarding moments of my Internship as she is such an inspiration to me. Interns are given quite a bit of responsibility and trust, so it is important to maintain professionalism and a collected demeanor around White House Staff, Members of Congress, and of course the President and First Lady. It has been an opportunity that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.
SJU Women and Gender Studies 
YP4 2015 National Summit
In 2013, I applied for the Young People For (YP4) Fellowship, a program of the People for the American Way Foundation. The fellowship is “a strategic, long-term leadership development initiative that works to identify, empower, and engage the newest generation of progressive leaders.” It provides support, empowerment, and resources for student and community leaders. Fellows work on a variety of issues that impact women, from women’s rights, reproductive justice, economic justice, educational equity and access, immigrant rights, and much more. Needless to say, this fellowship was perfect for a junior working on women’s rights issues and aspiring to get involved with social justice work. When I received that acceptance email, I knew that I had become a part of a family that would last a lifetime, and it sure has. This past January I attended the 2015 National Summit as an alumni that was volunteering to help ensure that the new fellows received the appropriate materials before their sessions and to coordinate morning and afternoon check-ins. To be back in the YP4 environment was absolutely thrilling and invigorating. I was surrounded by the same energy and passion that had awakened my own interests and that had motivated me to aspire and dream for more. Young people from all over the country gathered together for four days of collective efforts to learn and grow together. 150 diverse leaders committed to creating social change in one space is the most encouraging and incredible environment. It reminded me of why I got involved in the women’s rights movement, of why I wanted to encourage young women of color to run for office, and why I aspired to public office myself. My YP4 Blueprint was called “Watch.Her.Lead.”, an initiative I designed and developed to encourage young women of color to think about running for office while also raising awareness around the race gap in elected office. Too often we discuss the lack of women in politics and overlook the lack of diversity in those women in elected office, an issue that is also important and must be addressed. The diversity of our country should be mirrored by public servants that represent the myriad of identities that our country offers. YP4 allowed me to plant this seed and watch it bloom into a beautiful flower with great potential for more growth. The Summit was the boost of energy that I needed to start off this internship and my last semester of college. It soothed my nerves and reminded me of why I am here and why I do what I do. Sometimes we are in need of these gentle nudges.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
WIN’s 22nd Annual Young Women of Achievement Awards
About a year and a half ago I was added to an exclusive Facebook group called “Young Women in Politics.” It was created by a wonderful young woman from Illinois, Emily Spangler; a high school student who had already begun her political career by teaming up with a state representative to create a website for young women interested in running for office and those already in office. It was a great resource for us all over the country, teaming up women from all experiences to create a network that would benefit us all. I was able to mentor younger women in high school and women running for office were able to mentor me and those already in office were able to mentor them, and etc. One day, there was a post in the group by a friend mentioning the WIN Young Women of Achievement Awards. I was so interested in applying, but wasn’t eligible because it required D.C. residency. This year, I received another notification about the awards and was determined to receive a nomination. You must be nominated by a member of WIN, so I reached out to two friends that I know begging for a nomination, and luckily enough, they were both more than happy to nominate me (thanks Edwith and Katie). I received an email notifying me that I was nominated for the awards, and that there would be a networking event about a week prior to the awards itself. There, all the nominees are given a chance to meet the other nominees in their category and outside, members of WIN, members of their Board, and those that would be selected for the awards. No pressure, right? I was in a category with about 13 other successful, established, and accomplished women. We were all trying to reach those on the Advisory Board that would be making the decision, and I can’t even imagine the task at hand for the Board members with so many amazing women to choose from. I convinced myself that I did not earn this award, but that the process was an amazing experience and I met some incredible women along the way. After all, creating this amazing sisterhood is the point of such efforts. The night of the Awards I was at ease. I was in the second to last category, so was able to witness many winners before my own category was up. They called out the names of all the nominees for each category, and I remember feeling so grateful to be among D.C.’s finest in the Service/Non-profit Advocacy section. They called out the winner’s name, and I was clapping and too excited to realize my friend nudging me. About 10 seconds after her name was called, I felt my friend urgently whispering to me “DONYA, GO UP ON THE STAGE!” That’s when it hit me: they had called my name as the recipient of the Young Women of Achievement Award in Service/Non-profit Advocacy. I was so shocked that it took everything I had to walk up on stage and give a small speech about how grateful I was to receive such an honorable award. I thank my mom for everything I’ve accomplished so far, and that didn’t stop here. Because of her sacrifices, I’ve been able to dream and reach for the stars.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
Generation Progress Gun Violence Prevention Summit
Last March, I applied to the first annual National Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit hosted by Generation Progress for youth leaders interested in preventing such violence. I was accepted for my skills, experience, and enthusiasm, and was overjoyed to attend a summit and improve my coalition building, policy expertise, and organizing. It was an experience that I could never forget, so I decided to reapply to this year’s summit. I was pleased to be informed that I was accepted to attend the Generation Progress’ 2015 #Fight4AFuture Gun Violence Prevention Summit in early February of this year. Attending the summit was important to me because I wanted to improve on the knowledge I was able to gain at last year’s summit. The skills I was able to acquire and the knowledge I was able to attain would be for naught if I wasn’t apply to really bolster the information I had learned. I wanted to be a part of this movement because I understood the disproportionate effects of gun violence on women and knew I could apply that to my work as a leader in the women’s rights arena. Let’s take a look at some of the facts here: 1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the U.S. have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, the only national organization that provides direct services to anyone affected by domestic abuse, conducted a survey in 2014 regarding firearms with people who used their online and phone services. Out of the nearly 5,000 people who participated, nearly 16% had partners who had access to guns and of those, 22% said their partners had threatened to use a firearm to hurt the victim, their children, family members, friends, pets, or to commit suicide. 10% had fired a gun during an argument. 52% of those women said they would feel safer if law enforcement took their partner’s or ex’s firearms. 67% of those who completed the survey believed their partner was capable of killing them. The Hotline statistics are even more horrifying. Women in America are 11 times more likely to be murdered with guns than women in other developed countries. The presence of a gun in domestic violence cases increased the risk of homicide for women by 500%. In those states that require background checks for handguns, 38% few women are shot to death by their partners. These are statistics that we were given at the summit that allowed me to expand upon the existing information I had in regards to gun violence and how it affects women. If female intimate partners are more likely to be murdered with a firearm than all other means combined, then why don’t we discuss gun violence in the context of the feminist movement more often? It’s clearly something that impacts women, particularly those who are victims of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. We must also consider trans* women in these discussions, especially trans* women of color, who experience violence at disheartening rates. I suggest this summit for anyone who wants to learn more about gun violence and prevention in order to give back to the women’s movement and understand the issue from a feminist perspective.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Board Experiences
This semester has been beyond anything I could’ve ever expected. Having the privilege of serving as a White House Senate Intern in the Office of Legislative Affairs was a dream come true on its own, but my experiences with Planned Parenthood are a different dream come true entirely. When I was Vice-Chair of the College Democrats of America Women’s Caucus, I had the pleasure of meeting Kelley Robinson. She served on the panel we hosted at the 2013 College Democrats of America conference, and I felt very connected to the material she presented. As a young woman of color herself, she engaged (and continues to do so) with youth as part of Planned Parenthood staff. She effectively addressed intersectionality and how we must understand gender and reproductive justice through a variety of lenses and perspectives as there is no unilateral approach we can take that wouldn’t exclude at least one group. I connected with Kelley and stayed in touch with her through social media. In November of last year she reached out to me notifying me of a job opening in Planned Parenthood that she though I would be perfect for because of my experience with youth engagement and women’s rights advocacy. I had to respectfully, and very painfully, turn the position down because I was still in college with a semester left so was not in a position to accept a job. Of course it was exciting and I was flattered; one of the biggest fears of modern day graduates is whether we will be successful in landing a job upon graduation and here I was being offered my dream job before I could even accept it. The disappointment eventually wore off, and by that time Kelley had reached out to me again about an incredible opportunity. She mentioned that the Planned Parenthood National Board had an opening for a Board member that was 25 years or younger. In their pursuit to remain inclusive and make sure all voices are heard, they wanted to ensure that there would be a young woman’s voice heard on the Board. Sure enough, if I were to be confirmed, I would be the younger by the youngest board member by about 10 years or so. Of course I was more than excited to be considered for such an incredibly opportunity, and gave the okay to initiate the process. It was definitely challenging; I had to go through a series of interviews and then a vote by the membership in order to confirm my position on the Board. The night before I was confirmed, I was able to attend the PPFA 2015 Awards and Gala. As I sat right behind the three queens: Cecile Richards, Valerie Jarrett, and Kathleen Sebelius, I realized just how amazing this opportunity was and how lucky I was to be able to contribute the expertise I’ve gained thus far to such a worthy cause. The next day, I was approved by the membership as the youngest member of the Planned Parenthood National Board. When I attended our first meeting, I was thrown into budget deliberations, discussions about affiliations, and review of the President and her job thus far. At first I felt intimated and a bit overwhelmed, but I had to convince myself that I deserved to be in that space and I earned a voice at the table. It is too often that young women are taught that they are inadequate, that they must “wait their turn.” You know what? It is our turn, right now, and I took it without looking back.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
Civil Liberties and Public Policy 2015 Conference
In my junior year of college, I was accepted to the Sadie Nash Leadership Program’s ELLA Fellowship. It gave me the resources necessary to support my Watch.Her.Lead. Initiative, and introduced me to the annual Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference (CLPP) hosted by Hampshire College. This past year I was selected to speak at the CLPP conference on two panels: 1) Youth Warriors for Reproductive Justice: A Strategic Action Session for Youth People and 2) Cultivating Authentic Youth Leadership. The CLPP conference is about building the movement for reproductive justice. It is a “national reproductive rights and justice organization dedicated to educating, mentoring, and inspiring new generations of advocates, leaders, and supporters.” It combines the methods of activism, organizing, leadership training, and reproductive rights movement building to prove an inclusive agenda that advances reproductive justice, social justice, and economic justice. It was one of the most inclusive spaces I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving in. CLPP has created a culture of respect that acknowledges and honors the differences we represent by out identities and politics without marginalizing or tokenizing individuals. They advocate for the strength in difference in the movement by creating a space that is safe and inclusive. They were able to establish such accountable spaces through some key community agreements: engaging in open and constructive dialogue, using “I” statements and speaking from our personal experiences, expressing curiosity and being open to different viewpoints, and asking genuine questions in order to understand better. Most importantly, CLPP created a conference that was open and responsive to evaluation and feedback, very important to improvement. In my first panel, we discuss the power young people have to make change in their communities right now. We came together to celebrate, learn, connect, strategize, and strive for youth empowerment as we shared our visions for a stronger youth-led reproductive justice movement (a cause important to me in my new pursuits on the Board of planned Parenthood). The second panel I spoke on provided real world examples of youth organizing that centered on youth voices. My partner from Sadie Nash and the group from Colorado’s COLOR organization shared how we include youth in every step of our organizing model, as both participants in these programs as well as advocates and spokespeople. We related as we were all advocates in our communities combating legislation, attacks against women of color, and threats against our bodies and our autonomy. Being able to speak at this conference alongside accomplished individuals that shared my passions, dreams, and goals in working towards a more inclusive society was beyond rewarding.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
Running Start’s Young Women to Watch Awards
Running Start was one of the first organizations I got involved with in order to delve into the “young women in politics” scene. Running Start is dedicated to encouraging young women to run for office through a variety of programming from their Young Women in Politics Summit to their Star Fellowship Program. Each year, Running Start hosts the Young Women to Watch Awards in order to fundraise for their incredible cause by celebrating alums of their programs. It is a wonderful way to show investors what, or rather who, they are investing in and the amazing return they are receiving from these awesome young women. I myself was a Finalist for an award just last year at the 2014 Women to Watch Awards for my work with Watch.Her.Lead. This year, one of my closest friends was selected as a Finalist for the Awards. In the past two years, the selection has been much more crowd-friendly by including the audience in the selection process. This past year’s technique was incredibly unique and original. First, any young woman who was an alumni of a Running Start Program could apply to be considered for the Awards, and among the semi-finalists selected, the 3 who were able to get the most votes moved on to the next stage as finalists. Then, those finalists would campaign and rally up votes at the Awards dinner as if they were running a true campaign. During dinner they were each given time for a small speech and viewing of the video they submitted for the application, followed by voting by the audience. It effectively mimicked a Democratic process to electing a public servant, and in the end, my friend Rana won, no doubt due to her skills and personal narrative, but also to our awesome campaigning! That same night we heard a wonderful story from Congressman Roby about the inspiration she is able to provide to her daughter. Being able to relate to her despite being of different parties was a wonderful feeling of bipartisanship that Running Start strives to foster. At the end of the day, no matter our political affiliation, we are still women who face difficulties in running for office simply because of our gender. Sure, the obstacles might be different woman to woman and party by party, but the criticisms and inequalities still exist and still hinder us from achieving equity in politics and subsequently almost every other sector too. If only we had 50% of the House and Senate, 50% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, 50% of University Presidencies, and just 1 woman to call a former U.S. President. The numbers speak for themselves, and the numbers for women of color in politics and leadership positions is even more dramatic and horrifying. Women have proven to have a different leadership technique than men that is just as effective and even more so in different ways, such as working across the aisle and setting aside differences for a common goal. The women in the Senate have bipartisan breakfasts each month where they don’t talk about politics but discuss issues that affect them all, such as their families. It’s the sisterhood that matters and what we must hold on to because without one another we can never achieve unity and influence.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
YTH Live 2015
About two years ago, I applied to join the Youth+Tech+Health (YTH) Youth Advisory Board. I was interested in understanding more about the intersection of youth, tech, and health because they are so intertwined with one another. Youth really respond to tech which has become an integral part of their lives and so why not utilize that ubiquitous presence and respond to health issues in that manner? How can we create apps that are reaching youth and maintaining healthy communities, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, reproductively, etc? This was something I didn’t have that much experience in, but had the interest and passion for, as is evident through my pursuits for reproductive health and health justice for women. I also wanted to improve upon my social media advocacy and tools, and that’s exactly what the Youth Advisory Board offered me. I was beyond thrilled to be accepted onto the Board and serve alongside and learn from amazing youth leaders from all over the country, and now even the world (one of our members is currently located in Portugal for a Fulbright!) Each year, YTH hosts the YTH Live conference for “trailblazing technology advancing the health and wellness of youth, young adults, and other underserved populations.” Great minds in youth advocacy, health, and technology convene at the conference in order to showcase their work, share ideas, and launch new collaborations. Beyond the 600 attendees this year, we had a global audience of about 2,000 participating online. Who attends this conference? Individuals and organizations that deal with health programs serving these populations as well as “technology experts, social entrepreneurs, health professionals, researchers, educators, government representatives, pop culture influencers, developers, philanthropists, youth advocates, etc.” YTH really makes an effort to include their Advisory Board members in the conference planning and the conference itself, and that is exhibited through out shifts at the Social Media Lounge and the panels we either moderated or participated in. The Social Media Lounge is designed to provide support and guidance to those at the conference who seek it in regards to social media and how to work certain sites/apps or how to improve your efficiency with them. It’s a great way to help attendees with their social media accounts, especially because that is such a integral role in our positions on the Advisory Board. I had the privilege of moderating two panels: the first was labeled, “The Evolving Classroom: How Tech is Disrupting the Traditional Classroom” and the second was, “Bringing Health a Little Closer to Home.” Both were incredibly informative and helpful to my future endeavors: the first allowed me to expand my knowledge and understanding of gender, and the second helped me to better understand telehealth, a huge component of my new role with HHS as a Truman-Albright Fellow in the Office of Rural Health. It’s amazing how interconnected our social justice projects and initiatives can be.
In solidarity,
Donya in D.C.
White House Office of Legislative Affairs Internship
When I first applied to the White House Internship Program, I understood that it was a competitive process that selected the best applicants that could serve the administration. Sometimes this criterion is understood by future applicants, but often times it isn’t so it’s like feeling for hope in the dark. There are amazing applicants that are selected, and there are amazing applicants that aren’t selected. This was my personally second time applying, so I understand first hand how difficult the process is. The application itself is no different than any other I have encountered in that it consisted of the standard essays and a few interesting questions. We were required to provide answers regarding our education history, our future goals for our education, our future goals for our career, what we would like to achieve aside from educational and career accomplishments, etc. We are also required to submit a policy proposal and a personal statement. My policy proposal was concerned with the breast density information found in mammography reports and requiring doctors to provide that number to their patients. I found the questions about my favorite song, favorite city, favorite sports team, and hobbies to be interesting because those are not questions you are generally asked in a professional application. However, they really represent the White House and the ideals and values this institution harbors. They truly value people for all they are, not just what they can offer. A White House staffer is more than their morning meetings, the weeklies they must write, and the portfolios they have. Of course they have countless tasks to complete that are absolutely necessary, but they are also invaluable to the Administration because of their inherent value as people who have real lives and real families. They are more than the work they are given to complete, and that is the beauty of the White House led by President Obama and First Lady Michelle. They are humble and down to earth, quick to say hi with a warm welcome and more than happy to recognize the hard work of anyone in the White House, even the most recently appointed staffer. White House Interns are integral to the everyday workings of the building. We range from 90 to over a hundred interns depending on the semester, and are mostly located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, although there are some placed in the East Wing and on Jackson Place. When you apply to the Internship Program, you rank the departments that you are interested in and thus your application is sent to those divisions for review. If one or more are interested, they reach out to the applicant requesting an interview. I was interviewed by the Office of Legislative Affairs, and was privileged enough to receive a placement in their office.
The White House Office of Legislative Affairs “serves as the President’s primary liaison to the United States Congress, and is responsible for advancing the President’s legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.” The Legislative Affairs office works close with Senators, Representatives, and their teams to promote and push the President’s legislative priorities. The Legislative Affairs team has worked incredibly close with members and their staffs to pass many critical bills important to solving the issues facing our country today, such as our economy, equal pay, and healthcare. The Office is divided into the House team and the Senate team and is divided as such: Director of the Office, three Deputy Directors, one for the Senate, one for the House, and one for reporting back the Hill’s legislative priorities to the White House, and then Special Advisors to the President on both the House and the Senate side. The Special Advisors to the President are assigned to a certain number of members and each has certain issue areas that they are experts in and work on. Interns work alongside staff members in both the Senate and House liaison offices by “helping notify Senators and Representatives about Administration initiatives, assisting with research on legislation and floor activity, staffing legislative events, and serving as an initial point of contact for Members of Congress.” Based off of my past internships with Senators Bill Nelson and Kirsten Gillibrand, I was assigned to the Senate team and was given the opportunity to notify the team of my interest areas in order to look out for assignments that would speak to those interests (women’s issues, electoral politics, health legislation, etc.)
Although my daily and weekly tasks differ on the day and week, many of my assignments remained constant. For example, each afternoon, I would compile relevant press clips from 50 Senators and the other Senate Intern (2 interns on the House side and 2 interns on the Senate) would compile the other 50 and we would then compile them and send them out to all of the Senate staff. These press clips keep the office updated on the issues different Senators are working on, legislation they are going to present or have passed, and hearings they have served on. Every week (with the exceptions of the weeks before Congressional Recesses), all interns work on the Hearings calendar, which is a compilation of all the Hearings that both the House and Senate host the next week. This calendar is valuable not only to staff in our office, but in other offices that work with Legislative Affairs as it is important to keep up to date with where and what agency officials are testifying on since many are Administration appointments. The Office of Legislative Affairs works closely with other offices because much of our work is intersectional and requires the assistance and support of other offices. For example, our office has a specific allotment of White House tours from the Visitor’s Office that the Special Assistants are allowed to hand to Members’ that request them. We work closely with the Visitor’s Office to ensure that we can accommodate these Members’ tour requests, whether they are personal or on behalf of their staff or constituents. We coordinate closely with the Office of Presidential Correspondence in order to confirm that the Presidential Greetings requested from Members of Congress have been reviewed and sent out if approved. If a constituent requests a letter from the President for an event from their Member (Senator or Representative) and if that Member requests our support with such an ask, then we work with Correspondence to see that Greeting through.
There are tasks that are not regularly required daily and weekly such as vote counting and assistance with events. If there is a vote scheduled for the Senate floor, then the interns are asked to “count” the vote. As the Senators in affirmative are called on CSPAN for each vote, I go through and check those who voted yes. As those in opposition are called, I go through and mark an x next to those who voted no. Then I also note the Senators who were not in attendance. This information is important to the White House and the legislation that it tries to keep track of. One of my favorite tasks has been assisting with events because the interns are asked to escort Members of Congress to the event inside the White House Complex. We get an overview of who will be escorting which Member and at which gate, and it is wonderful to have face time with Members you’ve only had the chance of seeing online or on TV. Being able to hug Senator Elizabeth Warren and speak to her for a couple minutes was one of the most rewarding moments of my Internship as she is such an inspiration to me. Interns are given quite a bit of responsibility and trust, so it is important to maintain professionalism and a collected demeanor around White House Staff, Members of Congress, and of course the President and First Lady. It has been an opportunity that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.