I know this is not supposed to be how blogs work, but due to the fact that I felt the city of NY consumed me, added to the fact that I was restricted to one hour of internet during the two weeks that I spent in Dominican Republic, this is my attempt to make up for the lost posts.
The Cornell Urban Scholars Program (CUSP) was an amazing experience. I have to say that I have learn many things that will be useful for me, professionally and personally. For once, I am not scared of the city anymore: I can take the subway, I know more than one entrance to Central Park, I can tell the difference between midtown and everything else, I even know how to get to the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
However, more important than all this, I have made connections with people I will continue to communicate with and who will be amazing resources in the career that I envision for myself in the women's health arena. The organization I was working with opened doors for me to understand who works on issues of reproductive health and justice and in which ways, what the most important issues related to this topic are, and who cares about them and will open the door if I knock.
Maybe the most enriching part of my experience was the opportunity to participate in brown bag discussions held in different offices of organizations doing reproductive justice work, like the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Reproductive Health Access Project, and National Advocates for Pregnant Women. I loved these sessions because they allowed me to learn about different topics and the different approaches these organizations take. I also met other students my age who interned at these organization, students who in a future I will be working next to. I also had the honor of meeting some great leaders, like the executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Lynn Paltrow, who turned out to be a Cornell Alumna!
The program ended with a reception where the participants shared their experiences and the things they learned during through CUSP. Most of us were willing to talk about the great benefits we've earned through the program because there is the concern that the department will not have enough funds for this AMAZING program to happen next summer. I hope our communities will care enough so that CUSP can continue to enrich the experiences of college students interested in social justice and public service.
More on Dominican Republic soon, very soon...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
It's time to have fun...after work!
Hey! So, I've been a little lazy and have not posted anything since my first couple of days here in NYC. I've had enough time already to get settled in my room, get to better know most of the other people in the program, and feel comfortable in my position at the Latina Institute (short for National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health....and an alternative to acronyms, which I dislike).
Working at the Latina Institute has been a little different from the experience I envisioned at first. I am working with the Communications and Development department. Does it have anything to do with biology? I'm not sure. Does it have anything to do with public health??....Well. I believe it does! A lot! My department is in charge of two main things: first, put the name of our organization out there and facilitate communication between our organization and people interested in the work we do; second, find the funds to do all the work we do! Both are integral parts without which a non-profit organization cannot function-- this includes the ones with a focus on public health.
If there is one thing that I will learn about this summer experience, it's that working in the public health arena demands a knowledge and familiarity with a number of different subjects: medicine, policy, business administration, etc. Knowing only about one of these areas will not help anyone build a successful non-profit. However, you do not need one person to be an expert in everything! That would be very inconvenient....and probably impossible. Because the Latina Institute understands this, they have identified different departments within the organization that, even though work very closely together, also have their own defined goals. The departments are: Community Mobilization, Policy and Advocacy, Research, and Communications and Development. With all these departments you would think we have an army of dozens of women (yes, I know you think we are all women....actually we are!). You would be amazed to know how much 7 amazing full-time staff and a couple of interns have been able to achieve!
If you want to learn more details about all the work the Latina Institute does, I invite you to visit the website www.latinainstitute.org . And thanks to me (and of course, my supervisor) , you can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter! That's exciting..no? By the way...I was avoiding so much getting hooked on Twitter, and now my job demands me to spend time following people and updating statuses... It's amazing how much non-profits (and of course, a good amount of "for-profits") are utilizing these websites! Maybe I'll expand on that later. Also, I know I owe you some pics! I'll get on that--promise.
Working at the Latina Institute has been a little different from the experience I envisioned at first. I am working with the Communications and Development department. Does it have anything to do with biology? I'm not sure. Does it have anything to do with public health??....Well. I believe it does! A lot! My department is in charge of two main things: first, put the name of our organization out there and facilitate communication between our organization and people interested in the work we do; second, find the funds to do all the work we do! Both are integral parts without which a non-profit organization cannot function-- this includes the ones with a focus on public health.
If there is one thing that I will learn about this summer experience, it's that working in the public health arena demands a knowledge and familiarity with a number of different subjects: medicine, policy, business administration, etc. Knowing only about one of these areas will not help anyone build a successful non-profit. However, you do not need one person to be an expert in everything! That would be very inconvenient....and probably impossible. Because the Latina Institute understands this, they have identified different departments within the organization that, even though work very closely together, also have their own defined goals. The departments are: Community Mobilization, Policy and Advocacy, Research, and Communications and Development. With all these departments you would think we have an army of dozens of women (yes, I know you think we are all women....actually we are!). You would be amazed to know how much 7 amazing full-time staff and a couple of interns have been able to achieve!
If you want to learn more details about all the work the Latina Institute does, I invite you to visit the website www.latinainstitute.org . And thanks to me (and of course, my supervisor) , you can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter! That's exciting..no? By the way...I was avoiding so much getting hooked on Twitter, and now my job demands me to spend time following people and updating statuses... It's amazing how much non-profits (and of course, a good amount of "for-profits") are utilizing these websites! Maybe I'll expand on that later. Also, I know I owe you some pics! I'll get on that--promise.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
So...here we go
I'm regretting a little that I waited so long to write my first post. I left the Cornell Campus two weeks ago, spent two weeks in Puerto Rico, and I'm already back in the States, getting ready for my internship! So much going on!
Saludpromujer
Being in Puerto Rico was not really a vacation... Instead of just being home, seeing family and friends and going to the beach, I worked part time with the organization that hired me last summer: Saludpromujer (translates to Health pro women). Saludpromujer is a small organization in the Medical School of the University of Puerto Rico. They work in transforming the medical school curriculum to be more inclusive of women's topics, do reaserch and organize educational events, mostly on different topics of women's reproductive health and rights.
So they called me: they needed a hand with organizing their library and writing some educational articles on reproductive health services for their website. I could not and I did not want to say no, and I collaborated with them by working on those tasks. However, the real experience of working with Saludpromujer has come from the conversations and interactions I've had with the people who work there. Eventhough I am not always working on something directly related to biology or medicine, whenever I'm in that office, I'm absorbing information, feelings, and experiences of these women who work there, experiences that nurture my interest in the subject. And now, I'm ready to keep exploring the field...
Welcome to NYC. Now...explore.
New York City. I've been here, several times. I've walked around, I've taken pictures, I've visited the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building. Now...living and working in Manhattan for a summer as a college student, that's something else.
CUSP gives 30 students the opportunity to work for a summer with a non-profit organzation in NYC on a social justice issue of our interest. We get housing, an unlimited metrocard, and a salary. It's a great deal! As you already notice (or know, if you read the 'about me' box) I'm very interest in issues of women's health, specially reproductive health and rights. So we found the perfect non-profit for me: The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Yes, I know, very long name. I'll be working as part of their research department. I'm very very excited! Everyone there seems to be nice, great, passionate people. I know it will be an awesome learning experience.
Today is day 2 in the city. So far, I've had a great time. We have orientation for three days, and today we had a special project to complete for orientation. We were divided in groups of 5 or 6 and each group was assigned a neighborhood. We just went out into the field to explore and do an informal ethographic study of them. My group was assigned to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It was a very interesting place, and we only walked accross a third of the neighborhood! We walked for hours identifying the different ethnicities of the residents, observing the shops, the buildings, the people at the park. It was a great learning experience, and... I think I am actually less scared of walking around places I don't know and exploring...let's see how that goes.
Tomorrow we're supposed to have a tour of the city. That means lots of walking! I'll write about it later on.
Saludpromujer
Being in Puerto Rico was not really a vacation... Instead of just being home, seeing family and friends and going to the beach, I worked part time with the organization that hired me last summer: Saludpromujer (translates to Health pro women). Saludpromujer is a small organization in the Medical School of the University of Puerto Rico. They work in transforming the medical school curriculum to be more inclusive of women's topics, do reaserch and organize educational events, mostly on different topics of women's reproductive health and rights.
So they called me: they needed a hand with organizing their library and writing some educational articles on reproductive health services for their website. I could not and I did not want to say no, and I collaborated with them by working on those tasks. However, the real experience of working with Saludpromujer has come from the conversations and interactions I've had with the people who work there. Eventhough I am not always working on something directly related to biology or medicine, whenever I'm in that office, I'm absorbing information, feelings, and experiences of these women who work there, experiences that nurture my interest in the subject. And now, I'm ready to keep exploring the field...
Welcome to NYC. Now...explore.
New York City. I've been here, several times. I've walked around, I've taken pictures, I've visited the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building. Now...living and working in Manhattan for a summer as a college student, that's something else.
CUSP gives 30 students the opportunity to work for a summer with a non-profit organzation in NYC on a social justice issue of our interest. We get housing, an unlimited metrocard, and a salary. It's a great deal! As you already notice (or know, if you read the 'about me' box) I'm very interest in issues of women's health, specially reproductive health and rights. So we found the perfect non-profit for me: The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Yes, I know, very long name. I'll be working as part of their research department. I'm very very excited! Everyone there seems to be nice, great, passionate people. I know it will be an awesome learning experience.
Today is day 2 in the city. So far, I've had a great time. We have orientation for three days, and today we had a special project to complete for orientation. We were divided in groups of 5 or 6 and each group was assigned a neighborhood. We just went out into the field to explore and do an informal ethographic study of them. My group was assigned to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It was a very interesting place, and we only walked accross a third of the neighborhood! We walked for hours identifying the different ethnicities of the residents, observing the shops, the buildings, the people at the park. It was a great learning experience, and... I think I am actually less scared of walking around places I don't know and exploring...let's see how that goes.
Tomorrow we're supposed to have a tour of the city. That means lots of walking! I'll write about it later on.
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