The Women's Center's interns are a diverse group of students who play an important and integral role in the Center's events and programs.

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Interns

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Interning at the Center gives students hands-on experience developing skills that will be useful to them in the wide variety of fields they pursue after graduation, and the professional quality of their work enriches the Center’s operations and programs. Many of our interns take the two semester course, “Women Engaged in Peacemaking and the Promotion of Global Justice”, taught by Jen Merritt, as part of their Women’s Center experience.

We have a vibrant and dedicated group of interns joining the Center for the 2009-2010 academic year. Check back soon for pix and profiles!

2008-2009 Intern Profiles

Name: Hang Chen
Email Address: hc7d@virginia.edu
Year: 3rd
Job Title: Web Development and Publications Coordinator for YWLP
Previous Experience at the WC: N/A
Major: Economics and CS
Extracurricular Activities: Madison House Volunteer, International Student Ambassador, ELS interpreter
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Helen Keller
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
It’s hard to say which issue of today’s women is the hottest: Increasingly, women, particularly young women, are becoming active in the feminist movement. But whatever activities women are involved in, I believe that the request for social equality is always behind them.

Name: Mun Yuk Chin
Email Address: munyuk@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Assistant to the Director of International Initiatives
Previous Experience at the WC: Nothing “within” the WC but I’ve had interactions with the WC as an RA.
Major: Economics and Psychology
Extracurricular Activities: Psychology representative for the Arts and Science Council, member of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Georgia O’Keefe
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
The formation of women’s identities in relation to socially constructed ideologies – independent or otherwise!

Name: Dawn Culpepper
Email Address: dkc2r@virginia.edu
Year: 3rd
Job Title: Marketing and Communications Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: YWLP
Major: Government
Extracurricular Activities: YWLP Big Sister and Facilitator
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Christiane Amanpour
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Political participation. I think that the 2008 election, particularly for younger voters, showed how many outlets there are to get women’s issues back on the agendas of our politicians.

Name: Abby Diamond
Email Address: amd8e@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: MLP Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: I’ve been a Big Sister in YWLP
Major: Art History and Psychology
Extracurricular Activities: Adopt-a-Grandparent through Madison House, working in childcare at a local church
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Hilary Clinton
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Reproductive rights

Name: Jackie Dolan
Email Address: jmd7q@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Diversity and Advocacy Events Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: First year as an intern, but have used the Center as a resource in the past.
Major: Spanish and Anthropology
Extracurricular Activities: YWLP Big Sister, Virginia Women’s Club Volleyball
What female icon do you find most inspiring: My mom – she’s getting her PhD in Public Policy from GMU right now!
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Overcoming the social stereotype of feminism as something negative.

Name: Katie Gorman
Email Address: keg4w@virginia.edu
Year: 3rd
Job Title: Outreach Intern, Sexual and Domestic Violence Services
Previous Experience at the WC: This is my first time working at the WC but I have been aware for the past few years because it is such a valuable resource in our community.
Major: Economics, Mathematics minor
Extracurricular Activities: SAFE, Visas, Big Sibs, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
What female icon do you find most inspiring: I have a lot but I like Oprah
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
I think the nomination of Sarah Palin brings up a lot of interesting issues about women in the working world. I think it will spark a lot of debate about balancing working and being a good mother.

Name: Elizabeth Greksouk
Email Address: eag6p@virginia.edu
Year: 3rd
Job Title: SALC Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: Not much – class EDLF 589 Gender Violence and Society, various involvement with SAFE and now SALC.
Major: Sociology, Pre Med
Extracurricular Activities: SAFE, SALC, Global Medical Brigades, Madison House Volunteer
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Too Many
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
People who believe that sexual violence only affects the victims of it. Sexual violence affects everyone, from the woman scared to walk by herself at night to the man powerless to help a friend or himself. We all have to work to end the violence.

Name: Kristina Hamilton
Email Address: kah6c@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Intern Assistant to the Associate Director
Previous Experience at the WC: None, but I have had a great experience so far!
Major: History and African-American Studies
Extracurricular Activities: Aquatic and Fitness Center Supervisor, B.U.C.K.S., Black Student Pre-Law Association
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Ida B. Wells-Barnett
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
I think that despite the social, political and cultural advances of women over the past decades, it is important to recognize that there is a lot left to be done in terms of women in leadership roles, especially in the professional world.

Name: Natalie Martos
Email Address: nam7e@virginia.edu
Year: 2nd
Job Title: Assistant to the Director of International Initiatives
Previous Experience at the WC: This is my first year at the Women’s Center, so I’m definitely excited about all the projects I’ll be working on in the next year.
Major: Undecided
Extracurricular Activities: Madison House, Salsa Club, Spanish House Tutoring
What female icon do you find most inspiring:
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Women in politics – especially with the current presidential election going on this year, the prejudices women still face in the workforce is apparent.

Name: Alejandra Montano
Email Address: am4fd@virginia.edu
Year: 2nd
Job Title: Diversity and Advocacy Events Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: N/A
Major: History and Latin American Studies
Extracurricular Activities: La Alianza (Treasurer), Peer Mentor Program
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Cristine Garcia
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Sexual/Domestic violence and abuse

Name: Gina Ou
Email Address: gro8h@virginia.edu
Year: 3rd
Job Title: YWLP Assistant
Previous Experience at the WC: First year as an intern, so I have no previous experience with the WC
Major: Economics and Foreign Affairs
Extracurricular Activities: YWLP Big Sister, Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Restaff, Virginia Interracial Student Association, Outdoors Club
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Haven’t found one yet
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Societies acceptance that more and more women are choosing not to fit into the traditional roles of gender and that they are content to do so.

Name: Erin Rickard
Email Address: ejr3x@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Iris Magazine Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: None
Major: Modern Studies, Spanish minor
Extracurricular Activities: Feminism is for Everyone, S/He Said Zine Managing Editor
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Virginia Woolf
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
The belief that we are living in a “post-feminist” era. Today many young women reject the term feminism not only because of the negative conations it has accumulated over the last century (especially during the sensationalized media coverage of the Second Wave) but because they don’t recognize that the problems of sexism and equality have not been completely solved.

Name: Marina Warner
Email Address: maw9w@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Outreach Intern, Sexual and Domestic Violence Services
Previous Experience at the WC: First year as an intern, but I was a Big Sister with the YWLP program last year.
Major: History and Sociology, Studies in Women and Gender minor
Extracurricular Activities: Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy, Organization of African Students, Pride Magazine
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Eleanor Roosevelt
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
I don’t think that every woman is facing one same dilemma; there are too many racial, ethnic, sexual, and economic differences, to name a few. As for me, I’ll just put the issue I am most concerned about, which is violation of women’s human rights, specifically sexual violence.

Name: Talia Wise
Email Address: tmw3n@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Diversity and Advocacy Events Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: This is my first year at the Women’s Center
Major: English
Extracurricular Activities: UVA Track and Field, Vice President for Perfect Praise Dance Ministry, “Talk to Me” Weekly Forum Leader
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Oprah Winfrey
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
One of the hottest issues concerning women is AIDS/HIV. It is a growing problem that more readily effects women, so I think that it’s important to address women’s health in that arena.

Name: Colleen Wolfe
Email Address: cmw5v@virginia.edu
Year: 4th
Job Title: Marketing and Communications Intern
Previous Experience at the WC: N/A
Major: Art History
Extracurricular Activities: Club Field Hockey, Phi Sigma Pi Co-Ed Honor Fraternity, Institute for Public Life and Practical Ethics
What female icon do you find most inspiring: Georgia O’Keefe
What is the hottest issue concerning today’s women?
Body image and eating disorders

Interns Jacjie Dolan and Dawn Culpepper

Hands-On Experience

The Women's Center at the University of Virginia is unique in its dual role as a service provider and a teaching institution. Student interns make up nearly half of our staff. Jackie Dolan (left) and Dawn Culpepper present their year-end project in the Spring of 2009.