By: Isabelle Lian
I’m sure most of us did not expect this. The semester was unexpectedly cut short, shocking the campus as our university lives as we knew it would be shifted online, along with our internships. Many students I knew faced much tougher decisions in regards to returning to a stressful family life, not having a home to return to, and many others who lost their jobs or were furloughed as businesses scrambled to make ends meet. While it has been difficult to adjust to social distancing and being away from campus while still trying to be productive, I feel fortunate to be able to return home in Oregon and pick up where I left off.
My work with Planned Parenthood this semester continues to be the highlight of my otherwise STEM-filled coursework and research. I really appreciate this internship experience because I feel that it keeps me grounded and engaged in the community while still leaving me that space to pursue my academic dreams. This semester, Kristin worked with me and Janice to start up a health advocacy table at the clinic. One of my goals was to interact more with patients especially since most of the work I have been doing on site is in the office rather than the clinic. Through tabling, I was able to reach out to patients about registering for voting and volunteering opportunities with PPGC. Not only this but I had some productive chats with the security guard (the table was set up in the spot that he would usually sit). We talked about the protestors that the clinic sees every weekend and also our thoughts on discrimination in light of the budding coronavirus outbreak. These conversations will definitely stick with me for years to come.