My final few weeks at Lift Louisiana have been just excellent. We have worked so hard as a team for these past few weeks and accomplished so much.
One of the most important accomplishes for Lift this month was that we hosted the Justice for Louisiana Women Advocacy/lobby day at the capital. We hosted over 100 people to organize, learn, and advocate for women’s health and rights. So much of my time this semester had been spent planning for and organizing this event, so to see it come to life was incredible. We took advocates on tours of the capital, held a press con
ference, had a multitude of speakers to speak about current bills and policies, and went to the capital to lobby our legislators directly. The experience was extremely educational and fulfilling, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to plan and be a part of it.
My other exciting project that I have completed is that I hosted the My Louisiana Sex Ed campaign’s first filmed, small group discussions. Here, we hosted several Tulane students from various different backgrounds to talk about their differing experiences with sex ed. Students compared and contrasted their sex educations and exposed gaps in many states’ education systems. Hearin
g stories about the good and the bad of sex ed. from all over the country was truly eye-opening and certainly reinforced for all of us how important it is to have comprehensive sex ed., not only in Louisiana, but all over the country.
Overall, I am so grateful for my time with Lift Louisiana. I have learned so much about sex ed., policymaking, and being a good advocate. I am so thankful for Lift, NCI, and the individual and communities I have met throughout my internship. This education and these relationships will impact me throughout the rest of my life, and I will continue my fight for reproductive rights and justice, even outside of the scope of this internship.