Combining my Passions with Give Light Stories From Indigenous Midwives
By: Melany Cutno
Being an Intern with Give Light Stories From Indigenous Midwives has shifted my perspective on the healthcare system and film. As I ventured into my second term working with the organization, I continued to learn about discipline, work ethic, and purpose.
Give Light is a nonprofit organization promoting the importance of midwives in the healthcare system and dispelling the lies/ stereotypes around them, and my supervisor, Steph Smith, is the creator of the film. Before my time with Give Light, I knew about midwives but not how vital they truly are to women and our reproductive rights. Midwives are the creators of how to properly give care to women before, during, and after childbirth. They are vital to the history of childbearing and the importance that it holds in society. This internship showed me how to advocate for my own rights as a woman while using my passion to do it. I was able to tie my two passions, film, and public health, together in this internship and expand my knowledge on a very important topic.
This semester, I did intense research on different universities around the country to aid in creating the Give Light tour. I created marketing material to promote the movement and reached out to different organizations all over the South for the film. As a result of my contributions, we have connected with organizations such as Xavier University. This internship showed me how to be disciplined in my work ethic for the betterment of the team in order to reach our goals. I was taught how to work in a formal business space at a pace that worked best for me. My supervisor, Steph, was great to work with and shared so much knowledge about her work on the film and her experience in the documentary space, which I appreciated as I am a filmmaker myself.
As I’m nearing the end of my college experience with Tulane, I appreciate the time I had at this internship and all the support Newcomb gave me through the Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health Internship program.