arkeigan’s Articles at WOW Fellowship Blog

Blog Post #3 – NARAL

One of the main goals I had for my summer internship experience was to enhance my communication skills. I was able to achieve this goal while evolving as a professional in ways that I could not anticipate before my internship began. When I originally set this goal, I assumed I would meet it by engaging with folks one on one to discuss NARAL’s work. I absolutely did communicate with people in this way, especially at events where NARAL hosted a table, such as the Boston Pride Parade and Suffolk University’s Menstrual Health Conference. Overtime, I did become more confident in representing the organization and its mission by talking to people individually and in smaller groups. However, another way in which I was able to bolster my communications skills was through my work as a member of the NARAL staff and intern team.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, my supervisor left the organization a few weeks after my internship started, which proved to be a difficult transition for my fellow interns and me. I expressed concern about the transition to my interim supervisor and engaged in an honest dialogue about the environment that resulted from my initial supervisor’s departure. This conversation was a turning point for me, in both a professional and personal way, as I embraced the opportunity to advocate for myself and express my honest sentiments in a constructive manner.

In the past, I have had difficulty expressing or advocating for my needs, as it is more my nature to please others and shy away from disrupting the flow. However, I realized that if I did not advocate for myself in this situation, my internship experience would suffer. I had a positive dialogue with my temporary supervisor during our initial conversation, which resulted in her understanding and action. My temporary supervisor enacted immediate changes and was sure to check-in with me periodically to keep the communication lines open and honest. This entire experience proved to be extremely rewarding since I stepped out of my comfort zone and went out on a limb to advocate for myself. I found my voice in a way that I did not know existed. Despite the brief period of disruption, this experience was valuable to my personal and professional growth.

For any students interested in interning with NARAL or another organization in the field of health care advocacy, I would advise them to ask as many questions as possible. The realm of politics and health care policy is filled with nuances and an overwhelming amount of information. The best way to become familiar with all of this information is by continuing to learn and ask questions. The staff members at NARAL have always happily answered my questions and have taken the time to thoroughly explain policies to me. The staff’s openness to inquiries contributes to the positive atmosphere of the office, which is something that I really appreciated about this internship.

(NARAL is currently looking to hire a graphic design intern, and put this image out!)

Overall, this was a fantastic summer, and I am so grateful to the WOW program for allowing me to have this experience.

Here is a picture of another NARAL intern dropping off petitions at the State House.

For more on recent legislative hearings that included NARAL bills, check out this article!

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/08/13/legislation-aims-protect-privacy-health-insurance-forms/HGvYA5Xip9SLXOK9IGRhzH/story.html

For more on the Joint Committee that heard our NARAL bill, look at this government site:

https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J11

Blog Post #2

The work environment that I am in has proved to be fluid, fast-paced, and unpredictable. About two weeks ago, my supervisor notified my intern cohort that she would be leaving our organization to take on a new position elsewhere. Wow! Her departure was certainly unexpected and shocking. Another employee in the office is now overseeing my internship program, which has been somewhat of a difficult transition so far. While I am still enjoying my internship, it has been challenging to get used to the different leadership style of my new boss. However, I think that once the entire office gets acclimated to having one less employee, everything will smooth back out. The work environment has also proven to be fast-paced given the nature of the state legislature. Our office is always on its toes since we have to react quickly to the new bills, vetoes, and other actions carried out by the legislature. The most recent example of this occurred this past Tuesday, when Governor Baker made a line item veto to the new state budget plan in which he cut $600,000 for family planning. Our organization had to respond immediately to this upsetting news, which meant shifting our priorities at the last minute. Instead of focusing on creating testimony for our next legislative hearing, we had to strategize a mini-campaign to respond to the Governor’s disconcerting actions. Despite the stress that comes along with the nature of politics, I find the fast pace to also be really exciting.

The most exciting part of my summer so far occurred this past week, when I had the opportunity to testify in front of the Joint Committee on Financial Services in the state house for one of NARAL’s bills regarding confidential health care. I read an anonymous personal story that was submitted to NARAL that related to the bill that was being heard before the legislature. This is a picture of me testifying before the legislature.

(Picture taken by NARAL intern)

This next picture was taken the same day, but at a separate hearing for pay equity and pregnant workers’ equity.

(Picture taken by NARAL intern)

You can also find information on the bills that were heard with these links.

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H871

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H948

Life in the working world comes with a lot of freedom and responsibility that I do not have in university life. I like being in the city, where there is a lot of excitement and movement, as opposed to the sheltered atmosphere of campus. I have also come to value the feeling of returning home after a day at the office and having no more work to do. During the academic year, I always feel as if there is more work to be done. I think that the physical separation from the office to my house back in Waltham also creates a psychological barrier between work and free time. On the other hand, constantly being on campus makes it harder to separate the two.

This internship experience has forced me to adapt to change, which is something I have always struggled with. The skills that I am building as a result of the transition in my office, which are hard to put a name on in the moment, will definitely come in useful in the future. I am learning to be more flexible and patient when facing situations that are not ideal. I am also learning how to advocate for my needs, as I have had the opportunity to express to my new boss how this transition has affected me personally. I think that this summer has been transformative to say the least, and I am looking forward to returning back to campus this fall with the new skills I have developed from this internship.

First Week at NARAL

This summer, I am a Political Organizing Intern for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts (NARAL PCM). NARAL PCM is a nonprofit, pro-choice organization and affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. The organization’s mission is to develop and sustain a grassroots constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices. NARAL is committed to expanding abortion access and ensuring that all women can exercise their right to comprehensive and unbiased reproductive healthcare information. In addition, NARAL advocates for comprehensive sex education and for a woman’s right to a safe and health pregnancy if she decides to carry her pregnancy to term.

As a Political Organizing Intern, I am assisting with NARAL PCM’s legislative and organizing efforts. NARAL PCM has endorsed five bills being put to vote in the current legislative session in the state. The majority of my duties have to do with constituent outreach in regards to these bills. My intern cohort and I must find creative ways to show the legislature that these bills are important to a large percentage of their constituents. One strategy that we frequently use to do so is by collecting signatures. Another effective strategy we use to generate support around these bills is through testimony. It is crucial to present these testimonies, both written and oral, at legislative hearings. NARAL PCM has found that stories play an extremely important role in the legislative process because they provide a personal aspect to the proposed legislation, which enables politicians to see how their decisions on our bills will directly affect the lives of their constituents.

Finding stories can often be difficult, which is why our Political Organizing team must be strategic and creative. We must be sure to always mention that we are looking for stories at any event, petition signing, etc. We also make sure to utilize our social media presence to ask for stories. This also means posting on our personal accounts so that we can tap into the largest network possible. However, these strategies are not as extensive as we would like them to be. When dealing with reproductive health, people often tend to hold back on disclosing personal information and are reluctant to share their stories, which is something we respect but also struggle with at NARAL. Some bills are harder to collect stories for than others, while some may apply more to a specific community than it does to others.

My overarching goal for this summer is to improve my communication skills. This position requires me to be in close contact with politicians and constituents and will help me in becoming more proficient in communicating with others. I hope to become more confident in making asks of politicians and constituents for their support of NARAL’s efforts. I also hope to become more skilled at making cases for support of NARAL’s mission to those who are unfamiliar with the organization and the pro-choice movement. I care deeply about NARAL’s mission, and I hope that I can connect to others and have them feel the same way too.

Here is our Pro-Choice legislation for this session:

Here is the Anti-Choice Legislation that we are opposing:

NARAL Interns at the Boston Pride Parade

*this post was originally published on June 14, 2015.

– Ari Keigan ’18