Month: June 2014

My name is Najaah Daniels and I am a survivor of domestic violence. Before

my adoption in 2006, I grew up in the South Bronx with my biological parents. My mother, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, had two addictions: heroine and my father. My father manipulated his use of power by physically and verbally abusing my mother and me. I can recall many instances of abuse and neglect yet closeness and sacrifice that have shaped the woman I am today.

I am a first-generation college student and senior at St. John’s University majoring in Rhetoric and Public Address with a double minor in Sociology and Philosophy. I have served in the public sector for the past seven years with the NAACP, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Manhattan County District Attorney’s Office, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and U.S. Congress. This past spring I had the great privilege of being an intern in the Office of the Vice President. Under Lynn Rosenthal, the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, I had the unique opportunity to work alongside the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault created by President Obama on January 22, 2014. The Task Force is an interagency effort dedicated to address and combat campus rape and sexual assault across the nation.

My empowering experience at the White House led me to Becky’s Fund. I never imagined something so meaningful emerging from being a domestic violence survivor. This year is my first time publicly vocalizing my story and utilizing it as a vehicle of motivation. I look forward to working closely with the Men of Code program, which enlists men and boys as allies and proactive participants in the movement to end violence against women, as well as, obtaining skills in grant writing, budgeting, and increasing revenue through fundraising. I am humbled by the opportunity to work beside the Executive Director of Becky’s Fund, Becky Lee. As the Fundraising Organizer and Programming Assistant I will assist with the organization’s vision of combating domestic violence through: awareness, advocacy, activism, and support.

My experiences and travels have taken me many places in my life and has helped me form who I am. My name is Caroline Davis, I am a rising Junior at High Point University in North Carolina. I am currently a double major in Nonprofit Management and Political Science,   I hope to study Public Policy in my future education. I have had some different experiences working with different nonprofits, I am a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as Habitat for Humanity, but I have also worked with nonprofits on SWOT and program analysis and implementation.

In my future I hope to work with international women’s rights and empowerment, currently I am very interested in the culture in India and fixing the different mentalities of women in that country. This was cultivated when I went to Morocco last summer to volunteer at the Rabat Children’s Hospital, and learned about new cultures and the needs in different parts of the world. I believe that empowerment and education are two big factors in women’s empowerment and I especially think that education of men on women’s rights is important in changing attitudes.

On the political side I am interested in policy changes and working with the government in setting up laws or changing policies in place. I am also interested in looking at statistics of domestic violence and the accuracy of those statistics. I am very excited to be working with Becky’s Fund and learning the different aspects of a nonprofit as well as the different pathways to promote advocacy and awareness of important issues.