Interning at VAYLA New Orleans has been such a rewarding experience in just a matter of two weeks. The program coordinator, Ellen, has done a wonderful job incorporating Maya and I into VAYLA. Doing a remote internship while also balancing school can be certainly tough, but our flexible times has allowed us to be productive on our own time. Over the past couple weeks, we familiarized ourselves with Canva, a graphic design app that is both very efficient and also quite fun to use. I used to think that I had enough experience to work with apps like Canva, but I feel as if in just a matter of a week I have gained so much more experience in promotional work with graphic design. Also, we have been looking at other avenues in promoting our message, like podcasts, vlogs, and even Tik-tok!
Currently, we are helping out with the Ginger Roots Workshop that is being hosted by VAYLA’s Reproductive Justice Program on September 25th. The event includes a training workshop and is encompassed of storytelling open to anyone at the event. I am extremely excited to be able to work on this workshop and hopefully tell my own story that coincides with our theme: To A Person I’ve Loved Before. Overall, I feel that the adjustment into my internship at VAYLA has gone very smoothly, thanks to my co-workers and also the help of the Newcomb Institute. I have already learned a lot about both reproductive justice and promotional work, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for me for the duration of the semester.