My first few days at NOW

This summer, I'm working at the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Washington, D.C. I've been working there for three days, and so far, I love it! Specifically, I'll be working as the President's Assistant Intern.

Me after my first full day at NOW

On Monday, I got up early, got dressed, and headed to work. I have a pretty long commute, and I gave myself extra time to be sure I got on the right trains. It's about an hour ride on the train then a couple minutes on the metro. Not too hard, actually. I was really surprised. I have been on a bunch of subways/metros in different cities around the US, but had never done it alone. Cake!

I exited the station and found the building where the NOW offices are. I jumped right in as soon as I got there. I met Emily, the President's Assistant, found my cubicle, and read over some routine first-day papers. Emily gave me a tour of the office. Even though the rest of the summer interns weren't there yet (PSU got out suuuuuper early this year) there were a lot of people to meet! They were all super friendly and made an effort to stop by my cubicle to introduce themselves to me if I didn't see them on my tour. I felt very welcomed. I knew it would be a place that I enjoyed working and being in.

My first task was to draft letters to invite prominent people in social justice to NOW's conference in July. Each year, NOW holds a conference for all women's rights activists to network, attend workshops, and hear amazing speakers. It was tricky because it was new, but eventually, Terry (the current NOW President) and I were able to get a form letter all worked out with the correct wording. 

A view from my commute

 

I also dabbled in a few other things. I had my training for the database that NOW uses for their membership information. Databasing is actually pretty therapeutic. I also designed a certificate for an award that will be given at the conference, honoring women who made contributions to advancing women's health. 

That first day was a great way to get my feet wet. Since then, I've sat in on a meeting, attended a rally on social security, and started working on researching our speakers so that I could draft bios. 

So far, I'm loving the experience. It's been different from day to day and I enjoy learning new things, especially in the women's rights sphere. I thoroughly enjoy being surrounded by smart people who have made our passion a career. 

My current read

 I'm hoping to archive my experiences here. I don't know that anyone will read them, but I'm happy to share if you're willing to listen. =)