My Internship with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
By Carlie Cintrón
My name is Carlie Cintrón, and I am a junior studying Sociology and Social Policy & Practice with a minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies. This fall, I had the wonderful opportunity of working with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast as a Nonprofit Management Intern through the Reproductive Rights, Health, and Justice Internship. I was drawn to this position and work because of my goal of starting or leading a non-profit one day. The fight for reproductive health, specifically in Louisiana, is a cause that I am extremely passionate about. Growing up as a low-income, Hispanic female in Southern Louisiana gave me the drive to stay close to home and be involved in the amazing work surrounding reproductive health constantly being done here in New Orleans. This internship combines my interests and background and gives me meaningful experiences and information that have and will continue to help me grow intellectually and personally.
My main responsibilities so far have included reaching out to donors to thank them for their contributions and ask for more of their generosity, helping to plan events with donors and people in the community, attending the events and assisting with what was needed, and creating a social media campaign at an event for people to share why they support PPGC. Also, I have been continuously working on organizing materials for the teen sex education program and gathering the demographics of all donors in Louisiana. Being able to speak with and learn from people who have similar ideas and passions as I do, but come from many different backgrounds, has been an incredible and eye-opening experience. The importance of the work being done here in Louisiana is apparent and I am extremely appreciative to be able to contribute my personal background and perception.
Through this semester, I have learned a lot about how a nonprofit is run and the multiple parts of them that make them successful. I had the opportunity to learn from each department and gain an understanding of the work they do that contributes to the overall fight for reproductive justice in Louisiana. With this knowledge, I have been able to grow professionally and accumulate a new insight into the nonprofit space. I hope to use this progress as a way of advocating and educating the people in my community. I am looking forward to continuing my internship with PPGC in the spring and working further on my projects. Eventually, I will gather what I have learned and been a part of and put it toward planning an event of my own. I am grateful for these new skills and wisdom that will assist in the development of my future career, hopefully in nonprofit work in the fields of reproductive rights, health, and justice.