leave the Family Equality Council nest! We will miss them dearly,
but they will undoubtedly soar to great heights. One of our
interns, Susana, wished to write a good bye to all our blog
friends:
To Family Equality Council, our families and our friends:
My search for a spring internship placement began late last October
as a simple effort to secure the 8 credits worth of “independent
learning” that my academic transcript was lacking. I was looking
forward to graduating in May and, therefore, was more than willing
to jump through the few final hoops that stood between me and my
bachelor’s degree. It never occurred to me that my last leaps and
bounds through the undergraduate system would have such an
immediate and lasting impact on my understanding of self and the
world I live in.
The objective of this semester-long internship, as outlined by my
school, was to provide me with career oriented work experience that
would help to inform the choices I would undoubtedly be forced to
make upon entering the “real world.” For someone like me who
has always been more comfortable going with the flow than
considering the shape of her future, I was at a loss for
inspiration. What did I want to do with the rest of my life? Well,
as an English major, interning at a publishing house seemed like a
logical choice – the problem was that it didn’t necessarily
peak my interest. I loved to read, I loved to write, and editing
work had, after four years of relentless undergraduate paper
writing, become second nature to me. No doubt a position in the
publishing field would be a good skill-based fit, but would my
heart be in it? Would I feel good about the work I was doing? Would
it impact my life in a positive way? Would it make a difference? I
wasn’t convinced.
Ultimately I decided to search for an internship in the non-profit
business sphere, hoping to find a position within an organization
whose work I felt strongly about. After bookmarking a number of
postings on Idealist.org, my saving grace during the whole
“search and apply” process, I submitted applications to the
three organizations whose work I felt a personal connection to.
Family Equality Council was one of those organizations.
To make a long story short (the whole process was actually
relatively brief, I just happened to be on pins and needles the
entire time – crossing my fingers and hoping that everything
would fall into its rightful place), I was offered the position of
Program & Education Intern within Family Equality Council. My
groggy, Dayquil fueled phone interview had clearly left a better
impression than I thought (when asked to describe myself in three
words, I made the honest but not-so-desirable choice of identifying
myself as “quirky.” What well-learned English major couldn’t
deliver simple terms like “intelligent,” “dedicated” and
“passionate” when given the opportunity to sell themselves
professionally? I was mortified!), my orientation date was
scheduled, and I happily became an official member of the Family
Equality Council team.
Having been raised in a family that celebrated bare feet, tie-dye,
peace and love, the values of equality and acceptance were staples
of my liberal childhood upbringing. Today, looking back on my three
months working as a member of the Family Equality Team, I am proud
to say that those values have only been strengthened. I am no
longer a simple supporter of LGBTQ rights; I am an ally – still
soft-spoken but now OUTSpoken, still aware but now empowered and
informed. I have received an incredible education beyond the
academic bounds of my college campus and have learned that my voice
is as valuable as any other in the greater fight for family
equality.
Jenn, Nina, Dustin, Ariana, Julia, Sara, Daniel, Lisbeth, David,
Kent, Jen, friends and families: I can’t tell you how much your
stories, insight, instruction and support have meant to me. You
have all played an intricate part in making this experience such a
positive one. Thank you!
With lots of love (and a newfound fondness for cramped & dimply
lit office space),
Susanna
If you know of anyone who may be interested in interning at
Family Equality Council, bookmark https://dev-fec.pantheonsite.io/about/joinourteam.html
and stay tuned for future internship opportunities.