Summer brings so many perks with it, we can hardly keep count. But along with warm weather and time spent at the beach, we’re equally excited about our newest – and largest – cohort of All-Options interns! This group is fierce and have already started making an impact at our Oakland, CA headquarters and at our All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center in Bloomington, IN. We’re so glad to have their help this summer and look forward to providing opportunities for them to participate in the reproductive justice movement through their work at All-Options. Let us introduce you to these movers and shakers!
Lauren Alexander
Lauren is a junior at Indiana University Bloomington studying Biology and French and joins All-Options PRC as a 2017 RRASC intern. After graduating, she hopes to pursue education and a career as a Certified Nurse Midwife, centering reproductive justice and the wellbeing and agency of people experiencing pregnancy. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys playing video games with friends, exploring new methods of self-care, and planning out her future dream home. She also loves gardening, cuddling dogs, and being in nature.
Lauren had this to say about her internship at All-Options PRC, “Working with All-Options has become a way for me to channel my frustration with the political climate and constant injustices into active and productive community building, activism, and support. To me, liberation looks like ensuring that every adult and child has their needs met and has agency over their own body and self. I see this as a vital aspect of reproductive justice and believe that as we work toward accomplishing these freedoms, everything else will fall into place.”
Lucy Brannigan
Lucy is a rising high school junior from Oakland, California who is passionate about reproductive and LGBTQA+ rights, and is a self-described “vocal proponent of intersectional feminism.” She is very excited to be working with All-Options this summer, expanding her knowledge around providing pregnancy support and resources to people located in red states. Lucy just completed her junior year at College Prep and spends most of her time doing homework or playing and watching sports (let’s go Warriors!!). When she’s not busy with school, she is an avid reader (Harry Potter, Joan Didion, and Fahrenheit 451) and a Netflix aficionado (talk to her about Stranger Things, Parks and Rec, or Breaking Bad!). She loves creative writing and storytelling of all kinds, and has a penchant for personal essays, noting, “I love hearing (or reading, or watching) people’s stories!”
Monay Cavazos
Monay will be a senior at Indiana University’s Bachelor of Social Work program this fall and is excited about all things social justice. She writes, “I love the BSW program because I love everything that has to do with social justice, such as volunteering, keeping up with politics and readings, activism, etc. In my opinion, social work covers a lot of that.” In her free time, Monay likes to spend time at home, binge-watching TV shows and movies. She’s recently watched almost all of Shameless and Dear White People, and is looking forward to the return of Game of Thrones and Insecure. She loves to spend time with family (especially her mom!) and also loves to travel – Monay has already visited Mexico, Spain, Canada, Croatia, and the Dominican Republic! Monay joins our Hoosier team at our All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center this summer, but is excited to learn more about our work all across the country and on the All-Options Talkline.
Mariquisha Matthews
Mariquisha is thrilled to be interning with our Center staff because, “I love the approach All-Options PRC takes when discussing parenting options. The nonjudgmental and caring atmosphere at the Center is a really important aspect and one of my favorite parts about the organization. I also love that All-Options PRC provides services that are very much needed in my community, as well as in communities similar to it.”
Mariquisha recently graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she majored in Public Health and minored in both Global Health Promotion and Psychology. She hopes to pursue future opportunities in the reproductive justice movement, namely in underserved communities – and her internship at All-Options PRC is laying the groundwork! Mariquisha is preparing for a solo travel adventure in the next few months and intends to vlog her entire experience on YouTube. We’ll be tuned in, for sure!
Katherine Wines
Katherine will be a senior at Indiana University this fall, majoring in Political Science and American Studies, with a concentration in social justice, and minors in History and Anthropology. Upon graduating, she plans to attend law school. Katherine writes, “I grew up in a small town where I was sheltered from the rampant inequalities prevalent in our society, so when I came to college, my reality shifted completely. Since then, I have made it my goal to land a career where I will be working so that my job eventually becomes irrelevant, by eradicating our society of judgement and inequality based on race, gender, or class.”
Katherine credits growing up in a household where her interests were always encouraged to her being “savagely curious about everything.” She loves learning new things, Adele, Harry Potter, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Katherine has a cat named Hercules, who she describes as the love of her life and enjoys spending time with her friends by the pool, watching documentaries, and reading.