It’s an understatement to say this summer has been a challenging one for our interns. All of them have been working remotely—and doing a great job—while wondering if they’ll return to the classroom this fall. And dealing with the stress of quarantine on top of everything!
As we do every year, we asked each intern to create a personalized WomenCount slate that reflects their values, interests, and experience this summer. Please read all about our interns and consider supporting their slates! All included women on their slates who are in competitive races and need our support to win in November.
And a huge thank you to the interns from all of us at WomenCount. We will miss you!
The Interns & Their Slates
“My name is Stephanie Shields and I’m a recent graduate of the Nueva School in San Mateo, California. I worked as a finance intern for two high-profile campaigns and interned for two political fundraising nonprofits so I’ve seen it first hand: Big money and corporations have too much power in our political system. In the ten years since the Supreme Court ruling Citizens United v. FEC, outside spending by unregulated groups has overwhelmed campaigns. Through my Campaign Finance Reform slate, I decided to feature 10 End Citizens United-endorsed women who have each pledged to not take money from corporate PACs.”
Check out Stephanie’s Campaign Finance Reform slate and chip in $5 or more to these women today so they can win their toss-up races and fix our rigged political system: womencount.org/teams/campaign-finance-reform.
“Hi, I’m Monse Marin and I’m an incoming freshman at the University of California San Diego with the hopes of majoring in mechanical engineering. Growing up, I didn’t know any female scientists, engineers, or mathematicians to look up to, which is why I decided to feature women with STEM backgrounds on my slate. There are not very many congresswomen in STEM, and I’m hoping that by electing these women, we can increase representation.”
Check out Monse’s STEM slate and chip in $5 or more to increase the number of women with STEM backgrounds in Congress: womencount.org/teams/women-in-stem.
“My name is Laura Gomez and I’m an incoming freshman at Cañada College. I am passionate about immigration, women’s rights and social justice. I also love to spend time with my kitten and go for walks. My slate Immigration Rights Champions focuses on the female candidates who are fighting to improve the conditions at the border and implement cohesive immigration legislation.”
Check out Laura’s Immigration Rights Champions slate and chip in $5 or more to candidates who are working to fix our broken immigration system: womencount.org/teams/immigration-rights-champions.
“My name is Aanika Gupta and I’m a junior at the Nueva School in San Mateo, California. When I was in 7th grade, I spent my summer working at the Boys and Girls Clubs, where I learned more about underprivileged children and their home situations. They faced many challenges in life—including not having sufficient access to quality education. Since then, I have taught at various organizations and seen first-hand the flaws of the education system. I created the Teac(Her)s slate to support female candidates who prioritize quality education for the children of our nation.”
Check out Aanika’s Teac(Her)s slate and chip in $5 or more so these women can win their races and fix our education system: womencount.org/teams/teachers.
“Hi, I’m Pascal Descollonges. I’m a junior at the Nueva School, and I’m a parliamentary debater. I first got involved in politics through debate, where I became passionate about many issues, including criminal justice reform. My Prison Reform slate is composed of women who have long records and deep dedication to fixing our broken prison system, and easing the humanitarian crisis that is ongoing. Prison reform isn’t talked about as often as police reform, but it’s an essential element in channeling our current outrage with the state of criminal justice in this country into systemic change. Seeding Congress with representatives willing to make this a priority is a crucial first step.”
Check out Pascal’s Prison Reform slate and chip in $5 or more to candidates who are working in this important area of criminal justice reform: womencount.org/teams/prison-reform.