The following post comes to us via Jon Brown, a journalism student, aspiring voice actor, and current Planned Parenthood Arizona intern.
My name is Jon Brown. I’m a student at Arizona State University. I chose to intern at Planned Parenthood because, quite simply, I believe in what they do (yes, guys support Planned Parenthood too). From campaigning for women’s rights during the era of suffrage to pushing uncomfortable yet necessary conversations (such as STD testing) into public focus, I have stood by their beliefs and I admire them for having the courage to stand up on controversial issues when no one else will.
I expected more of a passive role when I first started working here. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Planned Parenthood doesn’t only focus on women’s issues, they tackle any social issue that they feel needs addressing. At a recent luncheon called I Stand with Planned Parenthood, they brought on guest speaker Ashley Spillane, who is the president of Rock the Vote, an organization dedicated to increasing the youth involvement in politics.
So, you know I like the organization, but I absolutely love the part of it that I interned with directly. The department head for whom I interned and everyone at the organization I encountered have been wonderful. They made me feel welcome, and instead of handing me a list of responsibilities they asked me what I wanted to get out of this internship. I’m a journalism major and I was looking for public relations experience, so I worked on the social media aspects of this organization. Continue reading