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My name is Amy Rubenstein, and I have just graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Journalism and a specialization in Political Science. In my time at OU, I took several rights-based classes. Whether it was International Human Rights or Politics of Rights, each semester a large content focus was on gender rights and gender violence. Internationally, the focus was on the ways gender laws and norms in countries across the world can encage the female experience. In classes focused within the United States, part of the content centered on domestic violence and sexual assault. My interest in these issues and in the complexities of the gender power paradigm led to me Becky’s Fund.

As a fresh graduate, my goal in moving forward with my professional life is to find an area that will allow me to contribute to a meaningful mission. Working with Becky’s Fund will give me the opportunity to contribute to a cause that shaped much of my educational career. Becky’s Fund provides so many chances to give back, whether through education or through fundraising and it is very important to me to know that my work each day will mean something.

During my time at Becky’s Fund, my biggest professional goal is to learn more about how non-profit organizations run. Through volunteering and working on projects for a homeless shelter and food bank in Athens, I have discovered my passion for non-profit work. I have a chance this summer to learn how non-profits work from the inside out. As I look forward professionally, I know that this knowledge and experience will be indispensable.

In all, my interest in Becky’s Fund is both personal and professional. I am excited to be working for such an amazing organization, helping to raise awareness for domestic violence. I am looking forward to this summer and seeing where these opportunities will take me.

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Kennedy. I am a fourth year student at American University studying health promotion and history. Originally, I focused in sports health, community health, and nutrition. As athlete I thought those were suppose to be my interests; however, after three years at American University and living in D.C. I began to develop and realize what my real passions were: women’s health and women’s rights. Washington, D.C. has been a great platform to get involved with women’s health and women’s rights through activism, volunteering, and internships such as Becky’s Fund.

I am interested in working at Becky’s Fund this summer because of the important work this organization does. I am a feminist, a college student, and a citizen of this society, which makes me very aware of the issue of domestic violence. I was introduced to the organization and Becky through my Issues in Women’s Health class at American University. I was very impressed with the presentation taught to my class by the interns who were my age. This showed me that interning for Becky’s Fund pushes you to learn academically and professionally. I have little experience with domestic violence issues; however, this internship is an overlap of teaching, fundraising, event planning, etc. that I am very excited to start. It is the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about the issue because domestic abuse violates women’s health and women’s rights. Also, I am excited to be involved with the programs and events of Becky’s Fund like the College Tour that came and visited my university. I hope to gain a better understanding what change and progress looks like when discussing and acting on prevention against domestic violence.

The past few months at Becky’s Fund have been enlightening for me. I was able to see the large amount of work that goes into running a non-profit. From planning a large fundraiser to working on small programs throughout the semester, we were always working on a project.

My favorite part of the experience was helping with Gold Cup. I never realized how much went into hosting a fundraising event for hundreds of people. It was rewarding to see the whole process play out from creating the Eventbrite page, ordering the materials such as balloons and decorations to preparing the check in lists for the hundreds of people who bought tickets in support of our cause. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the actual event which would have been the ultimate reward for all the hard work we put in to it during the semester, but I could tell from the pictures that our hard work paid off.

Moving forward with my career in graduate school I will take with me the positive attitude I observed constantly in the office with Becky. I have never met a more energetic or motivating person. Even at times when things were a little bit crazy, Becky had a positive attitude and was able to calm everyone else down and help figure out what the next step was. Seeing her attack different problems all with a smile on her face motivated me to incorporate that positivity into my own life. I’ll also take with me the knowledge I gained about Domestic Abuse Prevention programs. Men of Code is a wonderful program that helps local male youth learn about not only healthy relationships but also financial and personal responsibility, leaving them as better men as they transition out of high school.

Overall, I am thankful for my time at Becky’s Fund. I learned a lot about myself and the non-profit field. I will be able to take my experiences with me and use them as I move forward with my graduate degree in Social Work.