What My Internship With UN Women Taught Me

This past summer, I was lucky enough to be able to intern with the Los Angeles chapter of UN Women. I applied on a whim after I saw the application advertised in a Facebook group and was incredibly excited when I actually got in. I could finally tell my mom I did have plans for the summer! Over the course of the few months I interned with them, I became more knowledgeable on current events, more comfortable with vulnerability and more aware of my place of privilege.  

As part of my role as a member of the communications team, I was responsible for finding and posting current news articles on Facebook that were relevant to women both locally and internationally. This forced me to read at least 10 articles a week. I’ve always considered myself decently informed on politics, but I definitely wasn’t reading so much on my own before this internship. I only really knew about hot topics or things that would impact me more directly. However, scouring the Internet for articles made me read about smaller events that were happening in the LA community or about things happening across the globe that most Americans aren’t aware of. Since the internship has ended, I will admit I haven’t entirely continued the habit of consistently reading the news. However, I do check up on the New York Times or Huffington Post more than I used to. I care a great deal about being mindful of politics, but it wasn’t until this internship that I really put in the effort to be more aware.  

During my internship, I also helped work on the UN Women LA’s Annual Assembly “Belonging and Displacement: Uniting Heads, Hearts, and Hands”. This event focused on stories of displacement and ways to find belonging. Part of the event included breakout sessions, where small groups of around 10 people would discuss various topics, ranging from gentrification to art. I sat in on a session about implicit biases, which required all participants to talk openly about our different identities and experiences. I’m generally a pretty closed-off person, but I was surprisingly comfortable being candid with complete strangers. Through this event, I learned that I can relate to nearly everyone in some way. We all have common thoughts and experiences. It’s much easier to connect with a variety of people than I realized. All we have to do is be willing to open up to each other, and the world would be a much friendlier place.

At some of our weekly meetings and at our retreat, we would discuss pretty heavy topics, like sexual assault and abuse. I am lucky to have only experienced the mildest forms of this- catcalling on the streets or weird guys on the train at night- but some of my fellow interns had been through much more horrendous ordeals, or had close friends who had been. Sharing our stories was very emotional for everyone, especially since we had gotten to become close friends. Each time after we discussed these issues, I would feel incredibly grateful that I’ve lived a relatively tranquil life. I have a decent relationship with both my parents, I’ve never been threatened by a teacher and I’ve never had a traumatic experience at a frat party. When you hear about stories in the media about terrible things that happen on college campuses, it doesn’t really feel real (“Surely, not here.)”. But all the interns attended local colleges; UCLA, Santa Monica College and Loyola Marymount were just a few. These things happen every day and they happen everywhere. I’ve just been lucky that they haven’t happened to me. 

I will always remember my summer with UN Women. I met wonderful women, made amazing memories and learned incredible lifelong lessons.

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